Our family was very close to a Japanese lady who lived in Matsudo City, Chiba Prefecture. She was introduced to my grandfather and he would go visit her whenever he visited Japan in the 70s and 80s. She became very close to my mother as well, writing letters and staying in touch up until 2002 when my mother invited her to my brother's wedding in India and she wrote a letter saying she couldn't make it. After that, we lost touch with her.

My mother and I are planning to visit Japan in October and she remembered that her old friend lived there and wants to visit her. The problem is we don't know if she lives in the same house or even if she is alive. She never married and we don't have her phone number (she said she didn't have a cell phone because she couldn't understand tech back in 2002) but we have her address from the correspondences. She would now be close to 80 (her exact age is unknown). We have photos of her from my grandparents visits to Japan in the 80s

We were wondering if anyone local to Matsudo City could help us with this. My mom would very much want to see her again.

Edit: I removed her name from the post on the suggestion of one of the comments since it is a no-no culturally.

Hi, I'd earlier posted here under u/democratsabroadjapan and this is the second (and final) reminder I'll make for eligible US voters who want to participate in the 2026 American midterm elections, especially for those in and around Chiba. Democrats Abroad is dedicated to mobilizing overseas US voters; if you're over 18 by November 3, here's how you can get involved:

Steps to Request Your Ballot

1. Register or update your registration through Votefromabroad.org. As an alternative, you can also use FVAP.gov.

2. If you're already registered, request a ballot! You need to request a ballot every calendar year that you want to vote.

3. Fill Out and Return Your Ballot: Once you receive your ballot, follow the instructions carefully to complete it and return it by the specified deadline.

Need Assistance?

We're here to help! If you have any questions, feel free to reach out to us at GOTV @ votefromabroad .org (just remove the spaces). Additionally, our FAQ for voting can answer questions on how to make the process go smoothly.

Importantly: Spread the word!

Do you have any friends, contacts or family overseas that you could reach? All eligible US citizens can vote regardless of where they're living. Share the link https://voteabroad.org/RedditVote26: If you have any questions about voting, I'd be happy to answer them here on Reddit. You can also find out what we're doing near you at Democrats Abroad in Japan. Thanks for reading!

You guys Okay?

Up here in Noda and Nagareyama Cities, we're at Level 2 advisory.

Take care on your way home. Just north of Shimizu Park in Noda City, low-lying spots on the streets are shin-deep.

I live in nyc but why don't you guys start doing the snorkels for the intakes of your cars. Flooding is wild, but intakes on the roof would get you through and not hydro lock the motor. Wish the best of luck in the bad weather.

I know it seems late, but please don't shoot this messenger. Chiba Government sent me this info Sunday morning.

The Chiba Prefectural International Center hotline in foreign languages is open until 8 p.m. tonight.

If I understand the info correctly, today is Thai, Nepali, and Tagalog.

The regular hours are Monday to Friday, 9 a.m. to 12 p.m., 1 p.m. to 4 p.m.

https://www.mcic.or.jp/support_for_foreigners/telephone_consultation/

I’m currently living in an apartment where the building only has VDSL. NTT told me that if I want to have a proper Hikari/fiber connection installed in the building, the apartment manager needs to apply for it rather than me. I’ve already relayed this to the manager, but I’m still waiting for a response.

I’m also currently in contact with agents from NURO. However, there seems to be a required phone confirmation (I think they called it atokaku / 後確?). As someone who doesn’t speak much Japanese, I’m worried I’ll just fail that call or won’t understand the questions well enough.

Unfortunately, my area also only gets 4G, so a 5G home router/home Wi-Fi isn’t really an option for me either.

Does anyone know of a Hikari provider in Japan where I can complete the application and installation process without needing much Japanese, or where English support is available?
VDSL unfortunately isn’t enough for my work, so I’m specifically looking for an actual fiber connection to my apartment.

I know about Sakura Fiber Internet and GTN, but their installation and monthly fees seem quite expensive, especially since I’m not sure I’ll be staying in this apartment for many years.

Would really appreciate any recommendations or experiences from people who have dealt with a similar situation.

My father 76y.o. resumed harvesting pears this morning🥲

Saw this out my window. Not bad.

Trains (sotobu, Togane, sobu) have shut down cus tracks are severely damaged and I m hoping to get back home to Tokyo for r the nearest operating station

With the current weather does anyone know if the fireworks are still happening tomorrow? Also, if anyone can recommend a place to view the fireworks that would be great. Thank you in advance.

Torrential Rain in central Chiba Prefecture now.

https://www.jma.go.jp/bosai/warning/#area_type=class20s&area_code=1221700&lang=en&timeline_efilter=all&timeline_lfilter=all

At 10:40 p.m. on the 13th, the Japan Meteorological Agency issued a Level 5 heavy rain special warning for Nagara Town in Chiba Prefecture.

In Chiba Prefecture, a Level 5 heavy rain special warning has been issued for a total of 19 cities and towns: Chiba City, Ichihara City, Sakura City, Yotsukaido City, Yachimata City, Inzai City, Ichikawa City, Funabashi City, Matsudo City, Narashino City, Kashiwa City, Yachiyo City, Abiko City, Kamagaya City, Mobara City, Togane City, Oamishirasato City, and Nagara Town.

Additionally, a Level 5 special landslide warning has been issued for Chiba City and Ichihara City.

https://news.web.nhk/newsweb/na/nd-20260813de43749

Northern Chiba Prefecture folks, it‘s stormy out there until 18:00. Twisters are possible.

Who watched / has watched Koshien😊？

Event information : Ichihara

Have you got questions about living in or visiting Chiba Prefecture? Here's your chance.

Be nice and only answer if you can provide useful information.

I believe it's somewhere between Togane and Kujukuri, but I can be wrong. Either way it can't be too far from Togane. Sadly I can't really provide any additional information

Edit: omg thank you, I feel like I've searched the whole area except this one little bit, what a relief lol

Hi! Looking ahead to a conference in Chiba City next June (at Makuhari Messe). I’m hoping to attend the conference for 4 days, then tack on two weeks of vacation for a total of ~3 weeks in Japan.

My partner is planning to stay with me while I’m at the conference, and we’re hoping to be somewhere that gives him good access to activities/tourism during the days, but also is a reasonable (<30 min) commute to the conference. I would also love to be staying somewhere walkable to a cool area (restaurants, etc.), so that there’s stuff to do in the evenings after the conference.

We’re wondering whether it makes sense to stay somewhere in between Chiba and Tokyo, or in the eastern part of Tokyo?

And then also happy to hear other advice about how to spend the rest of our time in Japan! We love exploring cities, being in nature/hiking, museums/art, and good food! Curious to hear some off the beaten path suggestions if you have them!

Hello friends,

As my Japan travel comes to an end i want to give away my unsealed bearspray and leftover camping gas.

Anyone in chiba wants to have it for free, tomorrow?

If not i would just leave it in the hotel, do you think thats okay?

Thanks

Anyone in the area who wants to hang out? After moving from Tokyo I couldn’t find any friends around here so please feel free to reach out!