Takadanobaba

Takadanobaba (Japanese: 高田馬場 "Takada-no-baba") is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan.

History

Originally, the area's name was read "Takatanobaba" and many Tokyo residents in their 50s or older pronounce it this way. However, younger Tokyoites and residents who have come from outside Tokyo, use the pronunciation "Takadanobaba". The area is also often referred to simply as "Baba".

The area was previously known as Totsuka (戸塚). In 1636, the shogun Tokugawa Iemitsu built a "baba", a place for horseback riding and horse racing, in the area. "Takata" was the name of the mother of Matsudaira Tadateru (the sixth son of Iemitsu's grandfather, the previous shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu) who favored the area as a sightseeing spot.

In 1694, Nakayama Yasubei (later Horibe Yasubei, one of the Forty-seven ronin) took part in a battle (the Takadanobaba Kettō 高田馬場の決闘) there.

Life in Takadanobaba

The neighborhood is a transport hub for commuters traveling in from the west of Tokyo as it is home to three popular train lines: the Shinjuku Line, the JR Yamanote Line, and the Tozai Line. During the morning rush hour, Takadanobaba is one of the hot-points of the Tokyo transport network with all three stations bursting at the seams with local residents, students and commuters.

Like neighboring Waseda, the area is synonymous with students (albeit with a somewhat less salubrious image). In addition to serving students commuting to Waseda University, the area is home to numerous educational institutions including well known vocational colleges and preparatory schools. Gakushuin University too is nearby, just one station stop away in Mejiro.

In the evening, once the commuters have returned to the suburbs and the local residents are safe at home, the student aspect to the town becomes far more prominent. The streets around the station become crowded with large groups of students staggering out of the numerous cheap bars and izakaya.

Architecturally, the station area is dominated by the monolithic and appropriately named Big Box building. Big Box houses a sports gym, some cheap clothing stores, cafe, 100-yen shop, bookstore, etc.

The Sendagaya Japanese School together with the New York-style Ben's Cafe, used English-language book shop The Blue Parrot, Mickey House made famous by the Lonely Planet's Tokyo/Japan guides and, on the way to Waseda, the English pub The Fiddler (which closed on January 31, 2007) have placed Takadanobaba on foreigners' maps of Tokyo.

Astro Boy, a fictional character created by Osamu Tezuka, was born in Takadanobaba on April 7, 2003. In commemoration, starting in 2003 the JR platform has used the theme music from the TV series to signal that a train is about to leave. Also, many lamp posts in the area carry pictures from the TV series and two large murals depicting Tezuka's works are across the street of JR Takadanobaba station.

See also

*Takadanobaba Station