Chiba City's Chuo Ward is home to Chiba City Hall and the Chiba Prefectural Government Office. There are many commercial facilities around Chiba Station, as well as government offices and financial institutions. Chiba Park, where you can see the giant lotus, a natural monument of Chiba Prefecture, is home to the Chiba City Urban Greening Botanical Garden, which is free to enter. A fireworks display is held in August at Ikumi Pond, a famous spot for lotus flowers and cherry blossoms. Chiba Port Arena and Chiba Port Tower were built to commemorate Chiba Prefecture's 5 million residents. Other sports facilities include Aoba no Mori Sports Plaza and Chiba Park Sports Facilities. Chuo Ward in Chiba City hosts three major parent-child festivals. Famous people from the area include professional baseball player Yoshinobu Takahashi, actor Toshiyuki Nagashima, and Katsuhide Uekusa of the comedy duo Shonentai.