NARITA

city, Chiba ken, central Honshu, Japan. It is located approximately 30 miles (50 km) east of Tokyo, on the Ryoso Plateau. Originally an agricultural region producing rice, peanuts (groundnuts), sweet potatoes, and other vegetables, Narita developed as a temple town of the Shinsho Temple, which is visited by millions of Buddhist pilgrims each year, thus generating an extensive tourist industry. In 1966 Sanrizuka, in the eastern part of the city, became the site of the new Tokyo International Airport. The massive purchase of farmland by the government provoked dissent among the farmers, leading to political disputes that delayed the opening of the airport from its completion in 1973 until 1978. Pop. (1990) 86,708.