Nerima, Tokyo

Nerima 練馬
—  Special ward  —
練馬区 · Nerima City
A street in Hikarigaoka, Nerima
Flag
Location of Nerima in Tokyo
Nerima
Coordinates: 35°44′8.24″N 139°39′5.97″E / 35.7356222°N 139.6516583°E / 35.7356222; 139.6516583Coordinates: 35°44′8.24″N 139°39′5.97″E / 35.7356222°N 139.6516583°E / 35.7356222; 139.6516583
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tokyo
Area
– Total	48.16 km2 (18.6 sq mi)
Population (01/04/2010)
– Total	713,995
– Density	14,443/km2 (37,407.2/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City symbols
- Tree	Kobushi Magnolia
- Flower	Azalea
Phone number	03-3993-1111
Address	6-12-1 Toyotama-kita, Nerima 176-8501
Website	Nerima

Nerima (練馬区, Nerima-ku^?) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Nerima City.

As of August 1, 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 703,005 (323,296 households), and a density of 14,443 persons per km². 12,897 foreign residents are registered in the ward. 18.4% of the ward's population is over the age of 65. The total area is 48.16 km².

Nerima has a sister-city relationship with Ipswich, Queensland, Australia. Nerima Gardens in Ipswich commemorates the tie. Nerima also has a similar link to Haidian District, Beijing, People's Republic of China.

History

In the Edo period, the area was mostly farmland producing daikon radishes, gobo burdocks, and potatoes. After the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, many people from central Tokyo moved to the area.^[1]

In October 1, 1932, Nerima town, and Kami-nerima, Naka-arai, Shakujii and Ōizumi villages were incorporated in Old Tokyo city. Prior to the creation of the ward on August 1, 1947, the area had been part of Itabashi. In 1952, the Japan Self-Defense Forces established a base there. The first division of the eastern group of the Ground Self-Defense Force has its headquarters there. The United States Forces Japan already had a base, Grant Heights, which it returned to Japanese control in 1973. Grant Heights had been Narimasu airfield under the Imperial Japanese Army until the end of World War II. The runway is now the main street in front of the IMA department store in Hikarigaoka.

Geography

Nerima lies at the northwestern edge of the 23 special wards of Tokyo. Its neighbors are the special wards of Itabashi (to the east), Suginami, Toshima and Nakano (to the south), as well as the cities of Musashino (to the southwest) and Nishi-Tokyo (to the west). To the north lie three cities in Saitama Prefecture: Wako, Asaka and Niiza.

Economy

With 3.42 km² of farms, Nerima has the largest area of agricultural land among the special wards. Nerima provides 40% of the cabbage grown in Tokyo. One of the famous products of Nerima is the Nerima daikon radish. It is primarily grown for pickling.^{[citation needed]}

In 1994, there were 572 factories in Nerima employing about 8,000 and producing goods worth about ¥170,000,000,000. The factories are mostly small, producing machinery, parts for radio and communications equipment, and other goods.^{[citation needed]}

Toei Animation has its headquarters in the Ohizumi Studio in Nerima.^[2] In addition Anime International Company, Studio Gallop and Mushi Production have their headquarters in Nerima.^[3][4]

Anime and manga

Nerima is the birthplace of anime in Japan. A large number of anime production studios are also located in Nerima, such as Toei Animation, Studio Gallop, Mushi Production and AIC.^[5][6]

Ranma ½, Doraemon, Digimon Adventure, Urusei Yatsura, and Nerima Daikon Brothers take place in Nerima. Other works such as Astro Boy and Candy Candy were also produced here.

Education

Public schools

• 69 elementary schools are operated by the Nerima City Board of Education
• 34 junior high schools are operated by the Nerima City Board of Education
• 10 high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education

High schools

• Fourth Commercial High School [1]
• Hikarigaoka High School [2]
• Igusa High School [3]
• Nerima High School [4]
• Nerima Technical High School [5]
• Oizumi High School [6]
• Oizumi Gakuen High School [7]
• Oizumi Sakura High School [8]
• Shakujii High School [9]
• Tagara High

National schools

• Oizumi elementary school attached to Tokyo Gakugei University
• Oizumi junior high school attached to Tokyo Gakugei University
• Tokyo Gakugei University senior high school

Private schools

• One elementary school
• 3 junior high schools
• 4 high schools

Colleges and universities

• Musashino Academia Musicae
• Musashi University
• Nihon University Ekoda Campus
• Sophia University Shakujii Campus: Faculty of Theology

International Schools

• Santa Maria School

History: Soon after World War II, kindergartens were founded in Yokohama and Kitami (Tokyo) in order to spread Catholic education. Then, in 1955, they were approached by an officer from the US military forces stationed in Japan and were requested to open kindergartens to give Catholic based education to American children in English. In response, first the Yokohama Santa Maria International Kindergarten was founded. This was how the school got started and eventually led to the later location of Santa Maria School in Nerema Ward in Tokyo. Santa Maria School in Nerema Ward was founded on February 9th, 1959.

Based on the principles following from the original mission of “offering help to people in difficulties,” Santa Maria's Sisters have worked hard over the years in the spirit of service. Unlike other international schools in Japan which charged expensive fees for tuition, Sisters did all they can to offer high level education at tuition as low as possible in order to educate children in need of an English education.

Address: Nerema School: 2-2-4, Minami Tanaka, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 177-0035

Grades: Preschool through Grade 6

Education: Coeducational Catholic school offered an education to students of all nationalities. U.S. based curriculum, Iowa standardized tests.

Transportation

Rail

• Tokyo Metro
  • Yurakucho Line: Kotake Mukaihara, Hikawadai, Heiwadai, Chikatetsu Akatsuka Stations
  • Fukutoshin Line: Kotake Mukaihara, Hikawadai, Heiwadai, Chikatetsu Akatsuka Stations

• Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation
  • Ōedo Line: Shin-egota (on the boundary with Nakano), Nerima, Toshimaen, Nerima-Kasugacho, Hikarigaoka Stations
• Seibu Railway
  • Ikebukuro Line: Ekota, Sakuradai, Nerima, Nakamurabashi, Fujimidai, Nerima-Takanodai, Shakujii-Kōen, Ōizumi-Gakuen Stations
  • Shinjuku Line: Kami-shakujii, Musashi Seki Stations
  • Toshima Line: Nerima, Toshimaen Stations
  • Yurakucho Line: Kotake Mukaihara, Shin Sakuradai, Nerima Stations
• Tobu Railway
  • Tōjō Line: Tobu Nerima and Shimo-Akatsuka Stations are on the boundary with Itabashi

Bus

• Kanto Bus
• Keio Bus: The Chu 92 bus travels between Nerima and Nakano Stations
• Kokusai-Kogyo Bus
• Seibu Bus
• Toei Bus: The Bus Service Division of the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation operates 5 routes in Nerima Ward.

Road

• Expressways:
  • Kan-etsu Expressway
  • Tokyo Gaikan Expressway
• National highways:
  • Route 17 (Shin Ōmiya Bypass)
  • Route 254 (Kawagoe Kaidō)
• Other major roads:
  • Shin-Ōme Kaidō (Prefectural Road#245)
  • Mejiro Dōri (Prefectural Road#8)
  • Hoya Kaidō (Prefectural Road#233)
  • Kan-nana (Prefectural Road#318)
  • Kan-pachi (Prefectural Road#311)
  • Nakasugi Dōri (Prefectural Road#427)
  • Senkawa Dōri (Prefectural Road#439)
  • Fuji Kaidō (Prefectural Road#441)
  • Sasame Dōri (Prefectural Road#443&68)
  • Igusa Dōri (Prefectural Road#444)

Leisure

Amusement park

• Toshimaen

Museums

• Ward art museum
• Iwasaki Chihiro illustrated book museum

Parks

• Hikarigaoka Park
• Shakujii Park
• Ōizumi Central Park
• Musashiseki Park
• Johoku Central Park (on the boundary with Itabashi)

Media

Nerima prepares the Nerima News Azalea, a city newsletter, in English.^[7]

Nerima in popular culture

• Ricky Gassko (played by Tom Hanks) wears a Nerima baseball jersey in the first twenty minutes of the movie Bachelor Party (1984).
• The popular 1980s anime/manga series, Urusei Yatsura, as well as the popular 1990s series, Ranma ½, took place in Nerima, which is the home of their creator, Rumiko Takahashi.
• Doraemon is also set in Nerima.
• The first OVA series of Bannō Bunka Nekomusume Nuku Nuku is set in a future Nerima.
• A Full Metal Panic! episode took place in Nerima.
• As evidenced by the name, Nerima Daikon Brothers also takes place largely in Nerima.
• The famous haunted house from Ju-on series of horror movies is located in Nerima, although it is also said the house is located in Saitama.
• The main character of "Dai-Guard", Akagi Shunsuke, lives in Nerima.
• The battle over Highton View Terrace from Digimon Adventure took place in Hikarigaoka, in Nerima.

Other

• Japan Ground Self-Defense Force Nerima Station
• Nerima is the sister city of Ipswich, Queensland

See also

Tokyo portal

References

1. ^ http://www.city.nerima.tokyo.jp/kocho_koho/koho/publication/file/file01.pdf
2. ^ "Outline." Toei Animation. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
3. ^ "Inquiries." Mushi Production. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
4. ^ "Company Profile." Anime International Company. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
5. ^ Otaku No Video - Anime Liner Notes - AnimEigo (Japanese Animation)
6. ^ Anime News Service Feature: Nerima: The Cradle Of Japanese Animation
7. ^ http://www.city.nerima.tokyo.jp/kuho_gaikokugo/2006_10_5/english.pdf

External links

• Nerima City official website in Japanese
• Nerima Animation Conference in Japanese and English
• Nerima Gardens page at Ipswich City Council site