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I appreciate the value of YT when it comes to hosting obscure stuff like this. Construction of the western part of the Keiyo Line. The look and sound of the video seems early 80s, but the Tokyo to Shin-Kiba section opened in March 1990. Much newer than I had guessed. Be advised, there are dudes wearing only fundoshi around 9:00. Other interesting videos on the channel as well. JRTT: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japan_Railway_Construction,_Transport_and_Technology_Agency Keiyo Line: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Keiyō_Line

Monday saw the delivery of the last unit of a batch of five new railcars for Isumi Railway in Chiba Pref. The train is styled in the pattern of JNR era diesel railcars. This railcar is scheduled to begin revenue service by the summer holiday season. http://www.asahi.com/articles/ASH6Q427NH6QUDCB00B.html

Lately we've discussed some possible JR East rolling stock replacement; I'm going to guess that the 255 series, used for limited express services from Tokyo out to Chiba prefecture, still has a few years ahead of it. Tetsudou News has an item (http://railf.jp/news/2015/02/14/180000.html) about refubishment work done on formation Be05. Apparently it went to Omiya from its regular depot of Makuhari on October 9, and while getting a full inspection, had its inverter updated to an IGBT type from a VVVF type. I think the pans were also replaced, but with the same two-arm types. It looks like it also got fresh paint. It has since been on test runs from Tsudanuma to Ryogoku and separately Tokyo, as well as Makuhari > Awa-Kamogawa > Awa-Kominato > Awa-Kamogawa > Soga > Tokyo > Honda > Makuhari. Quite a ride, although based on the series of stations named, I don't think it was a loop around the Boso peninsula. There's also this image on Ompuchaneru, it's MOHA 255-9, the second car from the Awa-Kamogawa end of the train. I think this is Omiya: http://rail-uploader.khz-net.com/img-box/img20150209190603093b0.jpg

This is an interesting article about a planned development in Chiba-ken. There are other developments like this, namely Tama in western Tokyo-to and Kohoku in Kanagawa-ken, but apparently those two have been much more successful. Has anyone been out here? I've stayed in some of the small communities in Chiba that serve as commuter towns for Tokyo, I liked them, but they were not large, planned neighborhoods like this. http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2013/08/05/how-tos/the-aging-issue-of-chiba-new-town/ Hokuso Line, which serves the area: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hokus%C5%8D_Line