Asagaya
Encyclopedia
, a suburb of Tokyo
located in the Suginami ward west of Shinjuku. Main access to Asagaya is via the Chūō-Sōbu Line
, 12 minutes out from Shinjuku station
.
tree-lined boulevard, , divides Asagaya, running from Ome-kaido in the south to Waseda-dōri in the north. From around the Taishō period
people began moving from the Yamanote area (central Tokyo) into the suburbs including Asagaya. At present, the area around the station is considered upper-level Tokyo suburban housing due to its space, greenery, convenience to central Tokyo as well as its numerous Shōtengai
, the largest of which originates from the South exit of JR Asagaya Station.
Asagaya is accessible by train, subway and bus. The ward office is located directly above the Asagaya Minami Maru-no-uchi line station.
which would later become the streetcar line, then the present subway Marunouchi line. Service on the Tōden Suginami streetcar ended in 1961. Asagaya Station was built and added to the Kōbu railway line (built 1884; in 1924, which would later become the Chūō Main Line
.
After the exodus from central Tokyo following the Kantō Earthquake of 1923
, Asagaya became the home to a literature community beginning with Ibuse Masuji, and eventually including Yosano Akiko
, Dazai Osamu, Aoyagi Mizuho, Iba Harube, Miyoshi Tatsuji, Hino Ashihei
, and Tokugawa Musei. Because of this history Asagaya is also known as "Literary Town Asagaya".
Along the bar streets that run to the west of the JR Asagaya Station on the north and south sides there are a number of tiny venues for music, mostly Jazz and folk oriented. Also a number of bars specializing in Jazz, Blues, and British Rock pepper the western bar area.
) Pearl Center, located on the south side of JR Asagaya station, is the largest in the area, though, smaller uncovered shōtengai also run to the north of the station. While Koenji
to the east is known for its used clothing stores, most of the goods available are oriented toward household needs, though on the north side a number of used book and manga
stores also do business.
On the southwest side of the station on , a number of bars and yakitori
places abound, and other grilled delights abound.
Asagaya is also known for its jazz festival, Asagaya Jazz Streets, held over the last weekend in October. This jazz festival is one of the largest in the city with musicians playing an assortment of venues.
, and Yellow Tears.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
located in the Suginami ward west of Shinjuku. Main access to Asagaya is via the Chūō-Sōbu Line
Chuo-Sobu Line
The is a railway line located in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company network, it runs on separate tracks along the right-of-way of the Chūō Main Line and Sōbu Main Line , providing service between Mitaka Station in the cities of Mitaka and Musashino and...
, 12 minutes out from Shinjuku station
Shinjuku Station
is a train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan.Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail, commuter rail and metro lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007,...
.
Geography
At present the Asagaya area is divided latitudinally into North and South by the Chūō-Sōbu Line. Boundaries for this area are roughly the same as whose that existed for dating back to the Edo Period. Longitudinally, the Japanese Zelkova serrataZelkova serrata
Zelkova serrata is a species of Zelkova native to Japan, Korea, eastern China, and Taiwan. It is often grown as an ornamental tree, and used in bonsai.-Description:...
tree-lined boulevard, , divides Asagaya, running from Ome-kaido in the south to Waseda-dōri in the north. From around the Taishō period
Taisho period
The , or Taishō era, is a period in the history of Japan dating from July 30, 1912 to December 25, 1926, coinciding with the reign of the Taishō Emperor. The health of the new emperor was weak, which prompted the shift in political power from the old oligarchic group of elder statesmen to the Diet...
people began moving from the Yamanote area (central Tokyo) into the suburbs including Asagaya. At present, the area around the station is considered upper-level Tokyo suburban housing due to its space, greenery, convenience to central Tokyo as well as its numerous Shōtengai
Shotengai
A shōtengai is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street. Shōtengai often connect to the nearest train station. Most suburbs and towns of Japan have shōtengai of varying size, and larger shōtengai may take the form of covered arcades that are blocked off to traffic...
, the largest of which originates from the South exit of JR Asagaya Station.
Asagaya is accessible by train, subway and bus. The ward office is located directly above the Asagaya Minami Maru-no-uchi line station.
History
The origin of the area name "Asagaya" comes from the combination of two words, the adjective "asai" meaning "shallow" and the geographical noun meaning "marsh" or low wetlands. In 1921 a stop was created on the Sōbū streetcar line running on Ome-kaido from Shinjuku to OgikuboOgikubo
Ogikubo is an outlying area of Tokyo in Suginami ward, approximately 8 km west of Shinjuku. Ogikubo has the Ogikubo Station on the JR Chūō Line , the JR Chūō-Sōbu Line, the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line and the Tokyo Metro Tōzai Line extension...
which would later become the streetcar line, then the present subway Marunouchi line. Service on the Tōden Suginami streetcar ended in 1961. Asagaya Station was built and added to the Kōbu railway line (built 1884; in 1924, which would later become the Chūō Main Line
Chuo Main Line
The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faster, while the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the fastest rail...
.
After the exodus from central Tokyo following the Kantō Earthquake of 1923
1923 Great Kanto earthquake
The struck the Kantō plain on the Japanese main island of Honshū at 11:58:44 am JST on September 1, 1923. Varied accounts hold that the duration of the earthquake was between 4 and 10 minutes...
, Asagaya became the home to a literature community beginning with Ibuse Masuji, and eventually including Yosano Akiko
Yosano Akiko
was the pen-name of a Japanese author, poet, pioneering feminist, pacifist, and social reformer, active in the late Meiji period as well as the Taishō and early Showa periods of Japan. Her name at birth was Otori Shô. She is one of the most famous, and most controversial, post-classical woman poets...
, Dazai Osamu, Aoyagi Mizuho, Iba Harube, Miyoshi Tatsuji, Hino Ashihei
Hino Ashihei
was born in Wakamatsu and in 1937 he received the prestigious Akutagawa Prize for one of his novels, . At that moment he was a soldier for the Japanese army in China....
, and Tokugawa Musei. Because of this history Asagaya is also known as "Literary Town Asagaya".
Theater, film, and music
Asagaya is home to three theater spaces, Hitsuji-za, Theater Shine , and Zamuza located about the revival movie house Laputa which specializes in 1950–1970s Japanese film.Along the bar streets that run to the west of the JR Asagaya Station on the north and south sides there are a number of tiny venues for music, mostly Jazz and folk oriented. Also a number of bars specializing in Jazz, Blues, and British Rock pepper the western bar area.
Shopping
The covered shopping street (shōtengaiShotengai
A shōtengai is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street. Shōtengai often connect to the nearest train station. Most suburbs and towns of Japan have shōtengai of varying size, and larger shōtengai may take the form of covered arcades that are blocked off to traffic...
) Pearl Center, located on the south side of JR Asagaya station, is the largest in the area, though, smaller uncovered shōtengai also run to the north of the station. While Koenji
Koenji
is an area of Tokyo in Suginami ward, west of Shinjuku. The neighborhood is named after some old temples in the area.Kōenji is primarily a bedroom community with easy access to Shinjuku and Tokyo Stations. It was largely unaffected by the 1980s building boom and therefore many of the houses and...
to the east is known for its used clothing stores, most of the goods available are oriented toward household needs, though on the north side a number of used book and manga
Manga
Manga is the Japanese word for "comics" and consists of comics and print cartoons . In the West, the term "manga" has been appropriated to refer specifically to comics created in Japan, or by Japanese authors, in the Japanese language and conforming to the style developed in Japan in the late 19th...
stores also do business.
Eating and drinking
On the lively street, originating from the northeast side of the JR Asagaya station, there are a number of tiny, intimate eateries, however while some places are renowned for their food, the size and number of these dens makes for an adventure.On the southwest side of the station on , a number of bars and yakitori
Yakitori
, grilled chicken, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term Yakitori can also refer to skewered food in general. Kushiyaki , is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled...
places abound, and other grilled delights abound.
Festivals
Asagaya has two large festivals each year. The during the first week of July is held everyday for a week during the first week of July. The Tanabata festival is known for its assortment of hanging papier-mâché characters that adorn the Pearl Road.Asagaya is also known for its jazz festival, Asagaya Jazz Streets, held over the last weekend in October. This jazz festival is one of the largest in the city with musicians playing an assortment of venues.
Asagaya in film
Asagaya appears in the films Ringu, Ringu 2, Death NoteDeath Note (film)
is a series of two live-action Japanese films released in 2006 and based on the Death Note manga and anime series by Tsugumi Ohba and Takeshi Obata. The films primarily center on a university student who decides to rid the world of evil with the help of a supernatural notebook that kills anyone...
, and Yellow Tears.
External links
- Asagaya Jazz Streets (Japanese)
- Asagaya Navigator (Japanese)