Chitose, Hokkaidō Prefecture, Hokkaido Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Chitose (千歳市) is a city located in Ishikari Subprefecture, Hokkaido, Japan, and home to the New Chitose Airport, the biggest international airport in Hokkaido and closest airport to Sapporo, as well as the neighbouring Chitose Air Base. The city is notable for having a Peace Pagoda, built by the Japanese Buddhist order Nipponzan Myohoji in 1978.

History • 1880: The village of Chitose (consisting of a merger of the localities of Chitose, Osatsu, Usakumai, Rankoshi, Izari, Shimamatsu) is established. • 1897: The village of Eniwa (consisting of the localities of Izari and Shimamatsu) (now a city) splits off. • 1915: Chitose (consisting of the localities of Chitose, Osatsu, Usakumai, Rankoshi) becomes a Second Class Municipality. • 1939: Chitose becomes a First Class Municipality. • 1942: Chitose promoted to town status. • Post WWII - Chitose hosts a US Air Force base. • July 1, 1958: Chitose promotes to city status.

Geography Chitose is one of the gateways to the Shikotsu-Toya National Park, Lake Shikotsu and Mount Tarumae. The city is bounded by Eniwa in the north and by Tomakomai in the south.

Name In the Ainu language, Chitose was originally called shikot, meaning big depression or hollow, like Lake Shikotsu which is a caldera lake. In Japanese, this sounded too much like dead bones (死骨, shikotsu), so it was changed to Chitose.

Economy China Airlines operates its Sapporo office on the third floor of the airport building.

The airline Hokkaido Air System was at one time headquartered at the New Chitose Airport in Chitose. Now its head office is on the property of Okadama Airport in Higashi-ku, Sapporo.

Transport: Air • New Chitose Airport.

Transport: Rail Muroran Main Line runs through the east of the city but there is no station. • Chitose Line: Minami-Chitose - Chitose - Osatsu • Chitose Line (branch line): Minami-Chitose - New Chitose Airport • Sekishō Line: Minami-Chitose.

Transport: Road Chitose is accessed by two expressways with an interchange in the west and another in the north on a separate expressway and the Chitose-Eniwa Junction connecting with the Eastern Hokkaido Expressway in the northwest. Chitose is also linked by National Route 36, National Route 274, National Route 276, National Route 337, and National Route 453.

Education Chitose has a university, two high schools, 18 junior high schools, and 10 elementary schools.

Education: University • Chitose Institute of Science and Technology • Hokkaido Chitose College of Rehabilitation.

Education: High • Hokkaido Chitose High School • Hokkaido Chitose Hokuyou High School.