is one of the wealthiest neighborhoods of

Tokyo Tokyo (; ja, 東京, , ), officially the Tokyo Metropolis ( ja, 東京都, label=none, ), is the capital and largest city of Japan. Formerly known as Edo, its metropolitan area () is the most populous in the world, with an estimated 37.46 ...

, located in the northwest portion of Minato Ward. The area is well known for its international fashion houses, cafes and restaurants. or "North Aoyama" refers to the area on the north side of Aoyama-dori (Aoyama Street) between the

Akasaka Palace , or the , is one of the two state guest houses of the Government of Japan. The other state guesthouse is the Kyoto State Guest House. The palace was originally built as the in 1909. Today the palace is designated by the Government of Japan a ...

and

Aoyama Gakuin University is a private Christian university in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Originally established in 1874 by missionaries from the Methodist Episcopal Church, it was reconfigured in its current form in 1949 as part of Aoyama Gakuin. Aoyama Gakuin University ...

, while or "South Aoyama" refers to the area to the south of Aoyama-dori and extends to the northern edge of

Roppongi is a district of Minato, Tokyo, Japan, famous for the affluent Roppongi Hills development area and popular night club scene. A few foreign embassies are located near Roppongi, and the night life is popular with locals and foreigners alike. It ...

Azabu is an area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Built on a marshy area of foothills south of central Tokyo, its coverage roughly corresponds to that of the former Azabu Ward, presently consisting of nine official districts: Azabu-Jūban, Azabudai, Azabu ...

and Hiroo. During the

Edo period The or is the period between 1603 and 1867 in the history of Japan, when Japan was under the rule of the Tokugawa shogunate and the country's 300 regional '' daimyo''. Emerging from the chaos of the Sengoku period, the Edo period was character ...

, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They ...

residences. The name Aoyama is derived from a samurai named

Aoyama Tadanari was a Tokugawa general and chief retainer at the end of the Sengoku and start of the Edo period. He was the father of Aoyama Tadatoshi, and the Aoyama region of Shibuya is named after him. History The Aoyama clan_were_provincial_lords_of_Dōd ...

who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in the area. Today, along with

Shibuya Shibuya (渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

and

Harajuku is a district in Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Harajuku is the common name given to a geographic area spreading from Harajuku Station to Omotesando, corresponding on official maps of Shibuya ward as Jingūmae 1 chōme to 4 chōme. In popular refere ...

, it is one of the most popular entertainment and shopping areas "

Omotesandō is a zelkova tree-lined avenue located in Shibuya and Minato, Tokyo, stretching from the Meiji Shrine entrance to Aoyama-dōri (Aoyama Street), where Omotesandō Station can be found. History Omotesandō was originally created in the Taishō ...

", for young people in Tokyo. It is well known for its fashion houses, restaurants, and shopping.

Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium (also called Prince Chichibu Memorial Stadium) is a rugby union stadium located in the Aoyama district of central Tokyo, Japan. It is the spiritual home of Japanese rugby union and the headquarters of the Japan Rugby Football Union. Named f ...

is in the North part of Aoyama.

Places in Aoyama

* Aoyama Twin Towers (Aoyama Twin Buildings) * Clarence international school (

Pre school Pre or PRE may refer to: Places *Preston railway station, UK National Rail code PRE *Prince Edward station, on Hong Kong's MTR People *Steve Prefontaine (1951–1975), an American runner nicknamed "Pre" Arts, entertainment, and media *Pre (ba ...

) * Aoyama junior high school (Japanese Public school) * Aoyama elementary school (Japanese Public school) * Seinan elementary school (Japanese Public school) *

Spiral In mathematics, a spiral is a curve which emanates from a point, moving farther away as it revolves around the point. Helices Two major definitions of "spiral" in the American Heritage Dictionary are:Blue Note Tokyo Blue Note Tokyo is a jazz venue in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan. It is a branch of Blue Note Jazz Club in New York and located about 400 metres east of the Aoyama Gakuin University. It has been described as Tokyo's best venue for live jazz. It was est ...

* Nezu Museum * Xbox 360 Lounge * Zenkō-ji Aoyama-Betsuin, managed by

Jōdo-shū , also known as Jōdo Buddhism, is a branch of Pure Land Buddhism derived from the teachings of the Japanese ex-Tendai monk Hōnen. It was established in 1175 and is the most widely practiced branch of Buddhism in Japan, along with Jōdo Shin ...

school of Buddhism, branch temple of the Shinano Zenkō-ji. It is located in Omotesandō intersection. *

Aoyama Cemetery is a cemetery in Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, which many people would visit. History The cemetery was origi ...

* Meiji Shrine Outer Gardens (明治神宮外苑, Meiji Jingu Gaien) *

Companies and organizations based in Aoyama

File:Avex headquarters.jpg,

Avex Group is a Japanese entertainment conglomerate led by founder Max Matsuura and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. Founded in 1988, the company manages J-pop talents like Ayumi Hamasaki and internet sensation PikoTaro. It has also shifted into other busi ...

's headquarters building before its renovation in 2016. File:CdG.JPG,

Comme des Garçons Comme des Garçons (also known as CDG) is a Japanese fashion label based in Paris that was created and led by Rei Kawakubo. Its French flagship store is located in Paris. This label owns a world-wide store chain featuring various lines of pro ...

main branch in Minami-Aoyama. File:Ao Building.JPG, Ao building in Kita-Aoyama. File:マックスマーラ青山店.jpg, Max Mara boutique in 5 Minami-Aoyama File:PRADA BOUTIQUE AOYAMA.jpg, Prada boutique at Miyuki-dori in Minami-Aoyama. File:Nezu Museum4.jpg, Nezu museum in Minami-Aoyama. * Oracle Corporation Japan * Berlitz (Asia Headquarters) *

Itochu is a Japanese corporation based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo. It is one of the largest Japanese '' sogo shosha'' (general trading companies). Among Japanese trading companies, it is distinguished by not being descend ...

* Honda Motor *

Sony Financial Holdings , founded on 1 April 2004 as Sony Financial Holdings Inc., is a Japanese holding company for Sony's financial services business and headquartered in Tokyo, Japan. It operates various businesses, including both life and non-life insurances, ...

** Sony Life Insurance *

Nikka Whisky Distilling The is a producer of Japanese whisky and other beverages headquartered in Tokyo. It is owned by Asahi Group Holdings. The company operates a number of distilleries and other facilities in Japan, including two Japanese whisky distilleries, the Y ...

* JCB *

RIAJ The is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved in the music industry. It was founded in 1942 as the Japan Phonogram Record Cultural Association, and adopted its current name in 1969. The RIAJ's activities include p ...

Hip Land Music Corp. , a subsidiary of small entertainment conglomerate Hip Land Group, is a Japanese record label formed in 1988. Sublabels Its sublabels include: *RD Records, *Monte Bleu, *on the beach, *basque, *GrindHouse Recordings, *MirrorBall, *Plants Lab ...

Victor Entertainment , also known as in Japan, is a subsidiary of JVCKenwood that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It is known as JVC Entertainment in countries where Sony Music Ente ...

Acne Studios Acne Studios is a multidisciplinary luxury fashion house based in Stockholm, Sweden that specializes in men's and women's ready-to-wear fashion, footwear, accessories and denim. When founded in 1996, the label derived its name from the creative col ...

* Teikoku Databank * Embassy of

Brazil Brazil ( pt, Brasil; ), officially the Federative Republic of Brazil (Portuguese: ), is the largest country in both South America and Latin America. At and with over 217 million people, Brazil is the world's fifth-largest country by area ...

in Tokyo * Embassy of Canada to Japan * Embassy of

Morocco Morocco (),, ) officially the Kingdom of Morocco, is the westernmost country in the Maghreb region of North Africa. It overlooks the Mediterranean Sea to the north and the Atlantic Ocean to the west, and has land borders with Algeria to A ...

in Tokyo * Italian Trade Commission Tokyo Office * Italian State Tourist Board Tokyo Office * Four Seeds Corporation ( Pizza-La, etc.) *

Prada Prada S.p.A. (, ; ) is an Italian luxury fashion house founded in 1913 in Milan by Mario Prada. It specializes in leather handbags, travel accessories, shoes, ready-to-wear, and other fashion accessories. Prada licenses its name and branding t ...

* Cube Japan

Subway stations

Aoyama-itchōme Station is a subway station in Minato, Tokyo, Japan operated by Tokyo Metro and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). Lines Aoyama-itchome Station is served by the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line, Tokyo Metro Hanzōmon Line, and Toei Ōedo Line. ...

(Ginza Line, Hanzōmon Line, Toei Ōedo Line) *

Omotesandō Station is a Tokyo Metro subway station located at the intersection of Omotesandō (Avenue Omotesandō) and Aoyama-dori (Aoyama Street) in Aoyama, Minato ward, Tokyo, Japan. Part of the Chiyoda Line platforms extends into Shibuya ward. Lines Omote-sa ...

(Chiyoda Line, Ginza Line, Hanzōmon Line) *

Gaiemmae Station is a subway station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo subway operator Tokyo Metro. Station layout The station has two side platforms serving two tracks. Platforms File:Gaiemmae Station-1.jpg, Conco ...

(Ginza Line) * Nogizaka Station (Chiyoda Line) – located in the southeastern corner of Minami-Aoyama adjacent to Roppongi, and Akasaka

Education

Minato City Board of Education operates public elementary and junior high schools. Kita Aoyama and Minami Aoyama are zoned to different schools.

References

{{coord, 35.672, 139.723, type:landmark, display=title Neighborhoods of Tokyo Geography of Minato, Tokyo