Ichihara is located in the western part of the Bōsō Peninsula, and geographically is the largest of Chiba Prefecture's cities and towns.

Ichihara, dense in housing developments, serves as a satellite town of Tokyo and Chiba City.

Chiba Prefecture Ichihara has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall.

Ichihara has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 32 members.

In terms of national politics, the city is part of Chiba 3rd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.