Nakano, Tokyo

This article is about the ward of Tokyo. For the city in Nagano, Japan, see Nakano, Nagano.

Nakano 中野
—  Special ward  —
中野区 · Nakano City
Skyline around Nakano station
Flag
Location of Nakano in Tokyo
Nakano
Coordinates: 35°42′26.63″N 139°39′49.81″E / 35.7073972°N 139.6638361°E / 35.7073972; 139.6638361Coordinates: 35°42′26.63″N 139°39′49.81″E / 35.7073972°N 139.6638361°E / 35.7073972; 139.6638361
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tokyo
Government
- Mayor	Daisuke Tanaka (since June 2002)
Area
- Total	15.59 km2 (6 sq mi)
Population (April 1, 2011)
- Total	311,690
- Density	19,992.9/km2 (51,781.5/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Castanopsis
- Flower	Azalea
Phone number	81-(0)3-3389-1111
Address	Nakano 4-8-1, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8501
Website	Nakano

Sunset over Nakano, with Nakano Broadway in the distance.

Nakano (中野区, Nakano-ku^?) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nakano City^{[citation needed]}.

As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 311,690 with a household number of 176,936 and a density of 19,992.94 persons per km². The total area is 15.59 km².

Geography

Five special wards surround Nakano: Shinjuku, Suginami, Nerima, Shibuya, and Toshima. It lies just west of the bustling Shinjuku area.

Rivers include the Kanda, Myosho-ji and Zenpuku-ji Rivers, and the Aratama Waterway.

History

The ward was founded on October 1, 1932 when the towns of Nogata and Nakano were absorbed into the former Tokyo City as Nakano Ward. The present administration dates from March 15, 1947 when the Allied occupation reformed the administration of Tokyo-to.

• 1447: Ōta Dōkan defeated Toshima Yasutsune in a battle here.
• 1606: The Naruki Kaidō, predecessor of today's Ōme Kaidō (a road to Ōme) was established.
• 1695: In connection with the Shorui Awaremi no Rei (a law for the protection of animals), a facility for keeping wild dogs opened.
• 1871: The twelve villages that comprise present-day Nakano became part of Tokyo Prefecture.
• 1889: The Kofu Railway opens. The forerunner of today's Chūō Main Line included a station at Nakano en route from Shinjuku to Hachioji.
• 1897: Nakano becomes a village.
• 1932: Tokyo City expands to encompass the district that included Nakano.
• 1943: With the abolition of Tokyo City, Nakano becomes part of Tokyo-to.
• 1947: Nakano becomes one of the special wards under the new system.
• 1961: The Tokyo subway system extends to Nakano.
• 1973: Construction of Nakano Sun Plaza near Nakano Station reaches completion.

Places

• Nakano Sun Plaza: concert hall, hotel facilities
• Arai Yakushi Shingon Buddhist temple
• Nakano Broadway: otaku building (several floors of arcades, manga, anime, idol, music, toy, subculture specialty shops)

Famous people

• Erika Haneda: singer, actress
• Marika Matsumoto: seiyu, actress
• Akira Nagoya: actor (1930–2003)
• Yone Noguchi: writer (1875–1947)
• William Plomer: writer (1903–1973)
• Ryuichi Sakamoto: musician, composer
• Takanohana Koji: 65th yokozuna in sumo
• Yuji Tanaka: comedian
• Wakanohana Masaru: 66th yokozuna in sumo
• Toru Hasebe: composer, songwriter, artist
• Miho Nakazono: screenwriter

Education

Public schools

Public elementary and middle schools are operated by the Nakano City Board of Education. Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

• Fuji High School [1]
• Minorigaoka High School [2]
• Musashigaoka High School [3]
• Nakano Technical High School [4]
• Saginomiya High School [5]
• Yotsuya Commercial High School [6]

Colleges and universities

• Shumei University (Tokyo headquarters)
• Tokyo Polytechnic University
• University of Tokyo Nakano campus
• Kokusai Junior College

Transportation

Rail

Nakano Ward is served by the JR East Chūō and Sobu lines, the Seibu Shinjuku Line, the Tokyo Metro Tozai and Marunouchi subway lines, and the Toei Oedo subway line.

• JR Chūō Main Line: Higashi Nakano, Nakano Stations
• Seibu Shinjuku Line: Arai Yakushi-mae, Numabukuro, Nogata, Toritsu Kasei, Saginomiya Stations
• Tokyo Metro
  • Marunouchi Line
    • Shin Nakano, Nakano Sakaue Stations
    • Honancho Branch Line: Nakano Fujimicho, Nakano Shimbashi, Nakano Sakaue Stations
  • Tozai Line: Nakano, Ochiai (although the station is in Shinjuku, some entrances are in Nakano) Stations
• Toei Oedo Line: Nakano Sakaue, Higashi Nakano, Shin-ekoda Stations

Highway

National Routes 4, 5, 8, 14 and 25, among others, serve Nakano.

Shopping and Entertainment

• Nakano Shopping Mall - A vibrant outdoor arcade,
• Guts Soul - Nakano Yakiniku Resaturant. Famous for their traditional "vagimo" dish of marbled American pork.

See also

Tokyo portal

References

External links

• Nakano City official website (English)