Nakano, Tokyo

Nakano 中野
Special ward
Nakano City
Skyline around Nakano station
Flag Seal
Location of Nakano in Tokyo Metropolis
Nakano Location in Japan
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 Metropolis
First official recorded	early 15th century
As Tokyo City	October 1, 1932
As Special ward of Tokyo	July 1, 1943
Government
• Mayor	Naoto Sakai
Area
• Total	15.59 km2 (6.02 sq mi)
Population  (May 1, 2015)
• Total	322,731
• Density	21,000/km2 (54,000/sq mi)
Time zone	UTC+09:00 (JST)
City hall address	4-8-1 Nakano, Nakano, Tokyo 164-8501
Website	www.city.tokyo-nakano.lg.jp
Symbols
Flower	Azalea
Tree	Castanopsis

Sunset over Nakano, with Nakano Broadway in the distance

One of the oldest temples in Nakano: Jougan-ji

Nakano (中野区, Nakano-ku) is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is Nakano City.^[1]

As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 322,731, and a population density of 20,701 persons per km². The total area is 15.59 km².^[1]

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.

Districts and neighborhoods[]

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.

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 and subculture specialty shops, as well as a well-regarded Namco arcade)
• GRIPS International House, apartment for foreign students studying at the National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies

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
• Minorigaoka High School
• Musashigaoka High School
• Nakano Technical High School
• Saginomiya High School
• Yotsuya Commercial High School

Private schools[]

• Horikoshi Gakuen High School

Colleges and universities[]

• Shumei University (Tokyo headquarters)
• Teikyo Heisei University Nakano Campus
• Tokyo Polytechnic University
• Meiji University Nakano Campus
• 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 Line and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, and the Toei Oedo Line.

• JR East
  • Chūō Line (Rapid), Chūō-Sōbu Line: Higashi-Nakano and Nakano Stations
• Seibu Railway
  • 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
• Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation:
  • Toei Oedo Line: Nakano-Sakaue, Higashi-Nakano, Shin-egota Stations

Bus[]

A complicated bus network is constructed throughout Nakano Ward because most train lines only run east and west.

• Kanto bus
• Toei bus
• Kokusai Kogyo bus
• Keio bus

Roads[]

Shuto Expressway:

• C2 Central Circular Route (Nakano-chōjabashi exit)

Prefectural road:

• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 8 (Mejiro-dōri Ave., Shin-Mejiro-dōri Ave.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 439 (Senkawa-dōri Ave.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 440 (Shin-Ōme-kaidō Ave.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 25 (Waseda-dōri Ave.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 433 (Ōkubo-dōri Ave.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 4 (Ōme-kaidō Ave.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 14 (Hōnan-dōri Ave.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 317 (Yamate-dōri St.; 6th Beltway)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 420 (Nakano-dōri St.)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 318 (Kannana-dōri St.; 7th Beltway)
• Tokyo Metropolitan Route 427 (Nakasugi-dōri St.)

Shopping and entertainment[]

• Nakano-minamiguchi ekimae shōtengai – an outdoor arcade

Notable people[]

• Kanako Yanagihara, comedian
• Mayumi Kojima, singer and songwriter
• Marika Matsumoto, voice actress, actress
• Shoko Sawada, singer and songwriter
• Yuji Tanaka, comedian
• Ryuichi Sakamoto, composer and musician
• El Lindaman, Japanese professional wrestler
• Yuhi Sekiguchi, Japanese racing driver
• Daigo, Japanese singer-songwriter, actor, talent, and voice actor
• Akiyoshi Nakao, Japanese actor
• Eiji Iijima, Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 7-dan
• Wataru Kamimura, Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 5-dan
• Tsunemi Kubodera, Japanese zoologist (National Museum of Nature and Science)
• Rieko Miura, Japanese actress, voice actress, singer and former member of the J-pop girlgroup Coco
• Masaru Nashimoto, Japanese show-business and gossips reporter
• Makoto Sasaki, Japanese professional shogi player, ranked 7-dan
• Takahiro Sonoda, Japanese classical pianist
• Michiko Yamamoto, Japanese writer and poet (Real Name: Michiko Furuya, Nihongo: 古屋道子, Furuya Michiko)
• Michiyo Yasuda, Japanese animator and colour designer
• Yoko Yamamoto, Japanese actress
• Hideo Kachi, Japanese musician (Real Name: Kachi Hidenori, Nihongo: カチヒデノリ, Hidenori Kachi)
• Kazushi Hagiwara, Japanese mangaka and the creator of Bastard!!
• Kenji Ohtsuki, Japanese rock musician and Seiun Award-winning writer
• Mayumi Kojima, Japanese Shibuya-kei musician
• Shoko Nakagawa, Japanese tarento (media personality), actress, voice actress, illustrator, MC and singer
• Kanako Yanagihara, Japanese actress, comedian, and tarento
• Masao Kobayashi, Japanese politician, member of the Democratic Party of Japan and member of the House of Councillors in the Diet (national legislature)
• Kentaro Shigematsu, Japanese football player (Kamatamare Sanuki, J3 League)
• Mitsuya Kurokawa, Japanese guitarist
• Mayumi Itsuwa, Japanese vocalist, composer, lyricist, and keyboardist
• Masatō Ibu, Japanese actor and voice actor
• Kiyoshiro Imawano, Japanese rock musician, lyricist, composer, musical producer, and actor (Real Name: Kiyoshi Kurihara, Nihongo: 栗原 清志, Kurihara Kiyoshi)
• Ray Fujita, Japanese actor and musician
• Shoko Sawada, Japanese singer-songwriter, reporter, and radio personality
• Tochisakae Atsushi, former sumo wrestler
• Takahiro Yamaguchi, Japanese former soccer player

See also[]

References[]

External links[]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Nakano, Tokyo.

Wikivoyage has a travel guide for Tokyo/Nakano.

• Nakano City Official Website (in Japanese)