is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of
Tokyo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.
Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The most famous district in Chūō is
GinzaGinza is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaicho, and north of Shinbashi....
, built on the site of a former silver mint from which it takes its name.
is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of
Tokyo, officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan and is located on the eastern side of the main island Honshū. The twenty-three special wards of Tokyo, each governed as a city, cover the area that was once the city of Tokyo in the eastern part of the prefecture, totaling over 8 million people....
,
Japanis an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, People's Republic of China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.
Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
. The most famous district in Chūō is
GinzaGinza is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaicho, and north of Shinbashi....
, built on the site of a former silver mint from which it takes its name. The gold mint, or Kinza , formerly occupied the site of the present-day
Bank of Japanis the central bank of Japan. The Bank is often called for short.-History:Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was born after the Meiji Restoration...
headquarters building, also in Chūō.
As of 2008, the ward has an estimated resident
populationIn biology, a population is the collection of inter-breeding organisms of a particular species; in sociology, a collection of human beings. Individuals within a population share a factor may be reduced by statistical means, but such a generalization may be too vague to imply anything...
of 108,943 and a
densityPopulation density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans. It is a key term used in geography....
of 9654 persons per km². However, because of the concentration of businesses, offices and retail space, the daytime population swells to an estimated 650,000.
Geography
Chūō is in the central area of Tokyo, surrounded by the five special wards of
Chiyodais one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Chiyoda City. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a density of 3,912 persons per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...
,
Minatois one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
,
Taitois one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Taito City .As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 175,346 and a density of 15,890 persons per km²...
,
Sumidais one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Sumida City in English.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 240,296 and a density of 17,480 persons per km²...
, and
Kōtōis one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 442,271 and a density of 11,070 persons per km². The total area is 39.48 km². The ward refers to itself as Kōtō City in English....
.
Administratively, Chūō is divided into the three zones of Nihonbashi, Kyobashi and Tsukishima. Nihonbashi and Kyobashi are predominantly commercial areas on the east side of
Tokyo Stationis a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
, and incorporate the famous districts of
GinzaGinza is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaicho, and north of Shinbashi....
and
TsukijiTsukiji is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, the site of the Tsukiji fish market. Literally meaning "reclaimed land," it lies near the Sumida River on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 1700s, during the Edo period....
. Tsukishima is a separate island in Tokyo Bay dominated by
condominiumA condominium, or condo, is the form of housing tenure and other real property where a specified part of a piece of real estate is individually owned while use of and access to common facilities in the piece such as hallways, heating system, elevators, exterior areas is executed under legal rights...
towers.
Until
World War IIWorld War II, or the Second World War , was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including all great powers, organized into two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
, the area was criscrossed by small rivers and canals, used by small boats which were the primary vehicles of commerce at the time. After the war, many of these waterways were filled in to make way for new roads, buildings and expressways. However, the former waterways are the basis for many of the neighborhood divisions in the ward. The
Sumida RiverThe Sumida River is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay...
forms the eastern boundary of the ward.
Chūō is physically the second-smallest ward in Tokyo, with a total area of just 10.15 km²: only Taito is smaller.
History
- 1612: Shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu
, planning to establish Edo, literally: bay-door, "estuary", ), also romanized as Yedo or Yeddo, is the former name of the Japanese capital Tokyo, and was the seat of power for the Tokugawa shogunate which ruled Japan from 1603 to 1868...
as the de facto capital of Japan, begins work on a new commercial district surrounding the eastern end of the TōkaidōThe ' was the most important of the Five Routes of the Edo period, connecting Edo to Kyoto in Japan. Unlike the inland and less heavily travelled Nakasendō, the Tōkaidō travelled along the sea coast of eastern Honshū, hence the route's name....
, the main road connecting Tokyo and the Kansai region. During the Edo periodThe , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
this area is known as Edomachi - the town center of Edo. Much of the area (particularly Ginza and Tsukiji) was loose sand piled at the delta of the Sumida River before being filled in by the shogunate.
- 1657: After a fire consumes much of the city, the area is re-planned with more canals to accommodate more maritime commerce.
- 1869: A foreigners' settlement is established in Tsukiji. It continues until about 1899.
- 1872: A fire consumes much of the Ginza area. In its aftermath, the governor of Tokyo re-plans Ginza to be a modern European-style commercial district between Shinbashi (the city's main railway terminal at the time) to the south and Nihombashi (the main business and financial district) to the north.
- 1878: Under a new local organization statute, the wards of Nihonbashi and Kyobashi are established under the government of Tokyo City, covering the area now occupied by Chūō.
- 1945: Following Japan's defeat in World War II, several buildings are taken over by SCAP
Supreme Commander of the Allied Powers was the title held by General Douglas MacArthur during the Occupation of Japan following World War II...
to serve as supply centers for the occupation forces. These include the Hattori Watch Company, the Matsuya department store and the Toshiba Building. The buildings are returned to Japanese civilian control by 1951.
- 1947: Chūō Ward is founded on March 15 under the new Local Autonomy Law.
Places
- Nihonbashi Area
- Hakozakicho - Location of Tokyo City Air Terminal
, or T-CAT, is a public-transportation facility in the Hakozakicho, Nihonbashi neighborhood of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. Close to Suitengūmae Station on the Tokyo Metro Hanzomon Line, it is a transfer point for passengers going to and from Tokyo International Airport and Narita International Airport....
(T-CAT)
- Hamacho
- Hisamatsucho
- Higashi Nihonbashi
- Honcho
- Hongokucho - Location of Bank of Japan
is the central bank of Japan. The Bank is often called for short.-History:Like most modern Japanese institutions, the Bank of Japan was born after the Meiji Restoration...
.
- Horidomecho
- Kabutocho - The securities district. Location of Tokyo Stock Exchange
The , or TSE, located in Tokyo, Japan, is the second largest stock exchange in the world by aggregate market capitalization of its listed companies, second only to the New York Stock Exchange...
.
- Kakigaracho
- Suitengu Shrine - A Shinto
or kami-no-michi is the natural spirituality of Japan and the Japanese people. The word Shinto was adopted from the written Chinese , combining two kanji: , meaning gods or spirits ; and , or "do" meaning a philosophical path or study...
shrineA Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house Shinto kami, and is usually characterized by the presence of a or sanctuary, where the kami are enshrined...
at which women pray for conception and safe birth.
- Kayabacho
- Kodenmacho
- Muromachi
, or officially , is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. It formerly belonged to the , which corresponds to the present-day Nihonbashi area. Its postal code is 103-0022.Muromachi is a business district, but is also home to a number of old-established companies....
- Location of Mitsukoshiis an international department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1673 with the yagō "Echigoya.". Ten years later in 1683, Echigoya took a new approach to marketing. Instead of selling by going door-to-door, they set up a store where buyers could purchase goods on the...
department stores.
- Nihonbashi
, or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603, and the current bridge made of stone dates from 1911...
- Traditional commercial center. Also home to the Takashimayais a large Japanese department store chain.Founded in 1829 in Kyoto by Iida Shinkichi as a retailer of used clothing and cotton cloth, the store now has outlets throughout Japan and also in New York, Taipei, Paris and Singapore....
department stores, and the "zero milestone" from which highway distances to Tokyo are measured.
- Ningyocho
- Ohdenmacho
- Tomizawacho
- Yokoyamacho
- Kyōbashi Area
- Akashicho - Home to St. Luke's Hospital and Nursing School and the adjacent Garden Tower skyscraper.
- Ginza
Ginza is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaicho, and north of Shinbashi....
- Tokyo's most upscale shopping district, housing huge department stores such as Matsuya , MatsuzakayaThe is a major Japanese department store with headquarters in Nagoya.Established in 1611, it is one of the oldest department stores in Japan. There are branches in Ginza; Ueno, Tokyo; and Paris...
, Mitsukoshiis an international department store chain with headquarters in Tokyo, Japan. It was founded in 1673 with the yagō "Echigoya.". Ten years later in 1683, Echigoya took a new approach to marketing. Instead of selling by going door-to-door, they set up a store where buyers could purchase goods on the...
, Wakois an department store in Japan, located at the heart of the Ginza shopping district in Tokyo. This store is famous for its watches, jewellery, porcelain, dishware, and handbags, as well as foreign luxury goods. There is an art gallery, called Wako Hall, on the sixth floor...
, and PrintempsPrintemps is a French department store .The flagship Printemps store is located on Boulevard Haussmann in the IXe arrondissement of Paris along with other famous department stores like Galeries Lafayette.There are also other Printemps stores in Paris and throughout France...
, as well as the famous Kabukiza theater. At night, Ginza is ablaze with neon lights. Exclusive bars abound.
- Shinbashi Enbujo
The ' is a theatre in the Ginza neighborhood of Tokyo, Japan. It is a major kabuki venue, though other types of performances take place there as well....
- A famous theater
- Hatchobori - During the Edo period
The , or , is a division of Japanese history running from 1603 to 1868 and is the premodern era. The period marks the governance of the Edo or Tokugawa shogunate, which was officially established in 1603 by the first Edo shogun Tokugawa Ieyasu. The period ended with the Meiji Restoration, the...
, the location of the police barracks
- Hamarikyu-teien - Location of Hamarikyu Onshi Teien . A spacious public park, formerly the property of daimyo
is a generic term referring to the powerful territorial lords in premodern Japan who ruled most of the country from their vast, hereditary land holdings...
of Kōshūis the capital city of Yamanashi, Japan.As of March 1, 2006, the city now has an estimated population of 201,184. The total area is 212.41km².Kōfu has been reputed through the years as a center where politics, economics, and culture have flourished...
, and later under the administration of the Imperial Household AgencyThe is a government agency of Japan in charge of the state matters concerning Japan's imperial family and also keeping the Privy Seal and the State Seal. Before the Second World War, it was called the Imperial Household Ministry . Since 6 January 2001 the Agency has been headed by a Grand Steward,...
- Kyōbashi
is the name of a bridge as well as the geographical region around it. One exists in both Tōkyō and Ōsaka. It refers to a bridge connecting roads to the capital in castle towns.-Tokyo:...
- Minato
Minato is Japanese for port. It is a common ward name in several major cities:Special wards in Tokyo* Minato, TokyoWards in cities* Minato-ku, Nagoya* Minato-ku, OsakaMinato may also refer to:...
- Shinkawa
- Eitai Bridge - A famous bridge across the Sumida River
The Sumida River is a river which flows through Tokyo, Japan. It branches from the Arakawa River at Iwabuchi and flows into Tokyo Bay...
- Shintomi
- Tsukiji
Tsukiji is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, the site of the Tsukiji fish market. Literally meaning "reclaimed land," it lies near the Sumida River on land reclaimed from Tokyo Bay in the 1700s, during the Edo period....
- Location of Chuo City Office. Widely viewed as one of the best sushiIn Japanese cuisine, ' is vinegar rice, usually topped with other ingredients, such as fish. In spelling sushi its first letter s is replaced with z when a prefix is attached, as in nigirizushi, due to consonant mutation called rendaku in Japanese.Sliced raw fish alone is called sashimi, as...
destinations in the world because of its huge wholesale fish market, which supplies restaurants and stores across eastern Japan. Also home to the Jodo Shinshu, also known as Shin Buddhism, is a school of Pure Land Buddhism. It was founded by the former Tendai Japanese monk Shinran Shonin. Today, Shin Buddhism is considered the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan.-Shinran :...
temple of Tsukiji Hongwanji .
- Yaesu
is a neighborhood in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan, located north of Ginza, west of Nihonbashi and Kyōbashi, and adjacent to the east side of Tokyo Station. The Yaesu exit, which faces Nihonbashi, is recent and primarily provides access to the Shinkansen platforms.-History:...
- District on the east side of Tokyo Stationis a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
. The Yaesu side of Tokyo Station is the terminal for the ShinkansenThe is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the now long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū at speeds up to...
, or "bullet train" lines.
- Tsukishima Area
- Harumi
-Possible Writings:Harumi can be written using different kanji characters and can mean:*晴美, "sunny, beauty"*晴海, "sunny, sea"*晴実, "sunny, fruit"*春美, "spring, beauty"*春海, "spring, sea"*春実, "spring, fruit"*治美, "govern, beauty"...
- the Harumi passenger terminal is here
- Kachidoki - The location of a famous bridge of the same name over the Sumida River
- Tsukishima
Tsukishima is a place located in Chūō, Tokyo, Japan. It is an island formed of reclaimed land completed in 1892, using earth from the dredging work performed to create a shipping channel in Tokyo Bay. At this time, it was designated an area for iron-working in accordance with the Fukoku Kyōhei...
- Tsukuda
- Sumiyoshi Shrine - A Shinto shrine with a history dating back to 1590
- Toyomicho
Economy
Ricohor Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established on February 6, 1936 as , a company in the RIKEN zaibatsu. It is headquartered in the Ricoh Building in Chūō, Tokyo....
is headquartered in the Ricoh Building in Chūō. In 2006 Ricoh's headquarters to the 25-story building in the
GinzaGinza is a district of Chūō, Tokyo, located south of Yaesu and Kyōbashi, west of Tsukiji, east of Yūrakuchō and Uchisaiwaicho, and north of Shinbashi....
area in Chūō from
Minato, Tokyois one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...
; in the building the headquarters occupies the same space as its sales offices. Sumitomo is headquartered in the Harumi Island Triton Square Office Tower Y in Chūō.
Mitsui Fudosan, is a Japanese property firm based in Chūō, Tokyo. In 2005 the company set up office in Shanghai, People's Republic of China to better position itself in P. R. China's real estate market...
is also headquartered in the ward.
TokyopopTokyopop, stylized TOKYOPOP, and formerly known as Mixx, is a distributor, licensor, and publisher of anime, manga, manhwa and Original English-language manga in English, German, and Japanese. Tokyopop is incorporated in Tokyo, Japan, with headquarters in Los Angeles, California and branches in...
maintains its Japanese headquarters in Mid-Tower of the Tokyo Towers.
In the late 1990s GeoCities Japan was headquartered in the Nihonbashi Hakozaki Building in
Nihonbashi, or Nihombashi, is a business district of Chūō, Tokyo, Japan which grew up around the bridge of the same name which has linked two sides of the Nihonbashi River at this site since the 17th century. The first wooden bridge was completed in 1603, and the current bridge made of stone dates from 1911...
.
Politics and government
Chuo is run by a city assembly of 30 elected members. The current mayor is Yoshihide Yada, an independent backed
Liberal Democratic PartyThe , frequently abbreviated to LDP or , is a centre right, conservative political party and the largest party in Japan. It had been one of the most consistently successful political parties in the democratic world...
and Komeito.
Rail
At
Tokyo Stationis a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
, six
ShinkansenThe is a network of high-speed railway lines in Japan operated by four Japan Railways Group companies. Starting with the Tōkaidō Shinkansen in 1964, the now long network has expanded to link most major cities on the islands of Honshū and Kyūshū at speeds up to...
, seven ordinary railway, and one subway line serve Chūō. In addition, three
ToeiThe is Tokyo's public transportation authority. Its subway lines are commonly described as 都営 Toei, meaning "operated by the metropolitan government ."-Toei Subway:...
subway lines stop at various stations throughout the ward.
Highway
Shuto Expresswayis a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the .Most routes consist of elevated roadway above other roads or over water, and have many sharp curves which require caution to drive safely...
- No. 1 Ueno Route
Route 1 is one of the radial routes of the Shuto Expressway system in the Tokyo area. Route 1 has two segments: a northern segment connecting Chūō-ku to Taito-ku via Ueno; and a southern segment connecting Minato-ku to Haneda in Ota-ku...
(Edobashi JCT - Iriya)
- No. 6 Mukojima Route (Edobashi JCT - Horikiri JCT)
- No. 9 Fukagawa Route (Hakozaki JCT - Tatsumi JCT)
- C1 Inner Loop (Edobashi - Takaracho - Kyōbashi - Ginza - Shiodome - Hamazakibashi - Shiba Park - Tanimachi - Kasumigaseki - Daikanmachi - Edobashi)
Education
Public elementary and middle schools in Chūō are operated by the Chūō City Board of Education. Public high schools are operated by the
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of EducationThe Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...
.
External links