is a

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis,

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the n ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population typically refers to the number of people in a single area, whether it be a city or town, region, country, continent, or the world. Governments typically quantify the size of the resident population within their jurisdiction usi ...

of 148,275, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geographical term.Matt RosenberPopu ...

of 8700 persons per km². The total area of the city is .

Geography

Higashimurayama is located on the eastern edge of the Sayama Hills, almost in the center of the Musashino Terrace. Most of the city area is flat, except for the northwestern hills.

Surrounding municipalities

Tokyo Metropolis *

Higashikurume is a city located in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. , the city had an estimated population of 117,020, and a population density of 9100 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Geography Higashikurume is in the nort ...

* Kiyose * Higashiyamato * Kodaira

Saitama Prefecture is a landlocked prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Saitama Prefecture has a population of 7,338,536 (1 January 2020) and has a geographic area of 3,797 km2 (1,466 sq mi). Saitama Prefecture borders Tochigi Prefecture ...

* Tokorozawa

Climate

Higashimurayama has a

Humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a zone of climate characterized by hot and humid summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between latitudes 25° and 40° ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Higashimurayama is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.7 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.3 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Higashimurayama increased rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s.

History

The area of present-day Higashimurayama has been inhabited since

Japanese Paleolithic The is the period of human inhabitation in Japan predating the development of pottery, generally before 10,000 BC. The starting dates commonly given to this period are from around 40,000 BC; although any date of human presence before 35,000 BC ...

times, and numerous remains from the Jōmon, Yayoi and

Kofun are megalithic tombs or tumuli in Northeast Asia. ''Kofun'' were mainly constructed in the Japanese archipelago between the middle of the 3rd century to the early 7th century CE.岡田裕之「前方後円墳」『日本古代史大辞典� ...

periods have been discovered. During the

Nara period The of the history of Japan covers the years from CE 710 to 794. Empress Genmei established the capital of Heijō-kyō (present-day Nara). Except for a five-year period (740–745), when the capital was briefly moved again, it remained the c ...

, it became part of ancient

Musashi Province was a province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki and Yokohama. Musashi bordered on Kai, Kōzuke, Sagami, ...

. During the

Kamakura period The is a period of Japanese history that marks the governance by the Kamakura shogunate, officially established in 1192 in Kamakura by the first ''shōgun'' Minamoto no Yoritomo after the conclusion of the Genpei War, which saw the struggle b ...

, it was the location of the

Battle of Kumegawa The was part of the decisive Kōzuke-Musashi Campaign during the Genkō War in Japan that ultimately ended the Kamakura Shogunate. Fought in present-day Higashimurayama, Tokyo at the foot of the Hachikokuyama ridge on May 12, 1333, it pitted ...

in 1333. In the post-

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored practical imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Although there were ...

cadastral reform of April 1, 1889, several villages merged to form Higashimurayama Village in Nishitama District, at that time part of

Kanagawa Prefecture is a prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-densest at . Its geographic area of makes it fifth-smallest. Kanag ...

. The entire district was transferred to the control of Tokyo Prefecture on April 1, 1893. On April 1, 1942, Higashimurayama Village became the town of Higashimurayama. On April 1, 1964, Higashimurayama was elevated to city status.

Government

Higashimurayama has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature, which consists of one house or assembly, that legislates and votes as one. Unicameral legislatures exist when there is no widely perceived need for multi ...

city council of 25 members. Higashimurayama, collectively with Higashiyamato and Musashimurayama, contributes three members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of

Tokyo 20th district is an electoral district of the Japanese House of Representatives. The district was created in 1994 as part of the move to single-member districts that same year, and the district is currently represented by the Liberal Democratic Party's Seiji ...

of the

lower house A lower house is one of two Debate chamber, chambers of a Bicameralism, bicameral legislature, the other chamber being the upper house. Despite its official position "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has co ...

of the

Diet of Japan The is the national legislature of Japan. It is composed of a lower house, called the House of Representatives (, ''Shūgiin''), and an upper house, the House of Councillors (, '' Sangiin''). Both houses are directly elected under a paral ...

Economy

Higashimurayama was formerly an agricultural area, and was noted for its production of sweet potatoes. It is now primary a regional commercial center, and a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for central Tokyo.

Transportation

Railway

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and is the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters ar ...

–

Musashino Line The is a railway line operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It links Tsurumi Station in Yokohama with Nishi-Funabashi Station in Chiba Prefecture, forming a 100.6 km unclosed loop around central Tokyo. Passenger operations a ...

Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism, and real estate. Seibu Railway's operations are concentrated in northwest Tokyo and Saitama Prefecture; the name "Seibu" is an abbrevia ...

– Seibu Shinjuku Line * - SeibuRailway mark

Seibu Railway –

Seibu Haijima Line The is a railway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by Seibu Railway. It acts as a branch line of the Seibu Shinjuku Line, with direct trains to Seibu-Shinjuku Station in Tokyo. Stations :O: stop : SE: : E: : HL: All trains on this line sto ...

Seibu Railway –

Seibu Kokubunji Line The is a railway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the private railway operator Seibu Railway is a conglomerate based in Tokorozawa, Saitama, Japan, with principal business areas in railways, tourism, and real estate. Seibu Railway's ope ...

Seibu Railway – Seibu Tamako Line * - - - SeibuRailway mark

Seibu Railway –

Seibu Ikebukuro Line The is a railway line of the Japanese private railway operator Seibu Railway. It originates at Ikebukuro Station, a large railway junction in north-western Tokyo, extending to northwest suburbs as far as Tokorozawa, Saitama, and nominally t ...

Seibu Railway – Seibu Seibu-en Line * – SeibuRailway mark

Seibu Railway – Seibu Yamaguchi Line *

Highways

Higashimurayama is not served by any national highways or expressways.

Education

The city has two public high schools operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education. * * Higashimurayama has 15 public elementary schools and seven public junior high schools operated by the city government. Public junior high schools: * Higashimurayama No. 1 (東村山第一中学校) * Higashimurayama No. 2 (東村山第二中学校) * Higashimurayama No. 3 ( 東村山第三中学校) * Higashimurayama No. 4 (東村山第四中学校) * Higashimurayama No. 5 (東村山第五中学校) * Higashimurayama No. 6 (東村山第六中学校) * Higashimurayama No. 7 ( 東村山第七中学校) Public elementary school: * Akitsu (秋津小学校) * Akitsu Higashi (秋津東小学校) * Aoba (青葉小学校) * Fujimi (富士見小学校) * Hagiyama (萩山小学校) * Higashi Hagiyama (東萩山小学校) * Kasei ( 化成小学校) * Kitayama (北山小学校) * Kumegawa (久米川小学校) * Kumegawa Higashi (久米川東小学校) * Megurita (回田小学校) * Minamidai (南台小学校) * Nobidome (野火止小学校) * Onta (大岱小学校) * Yasaka ( 八坂小学校) There are also three private combined junior/senior high schools. * * * - Junior and senior high school

Local attractions

* The oldest intact building in Tokyo and one of only two buildings in Tokyo registered as a

National Treasure of Japan Some of the National Treasures of Japan A is the most precious of Japan's Tangible Cultural Properties, as determined and designated by the Agency for Cultural Affairs (a special body of the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science ...

; the Jizō hall in the temple of Shōfuku-ji. * Hachikokuyama, a park that is an inspiration for

My Neighbor Totoro is a 1988 Japanese animated fantasy film written and directed by Hayao Miyazaki and animated by Studio Ghibli for Tokuma Shoten. The film—which stars the voice actors Noriko Hidaka, Chika Sakamoto, and Hitoshi Takagi—tells the story o ...

. * National Hansen's Disease Museum of Japan * Site of the 14th century

* A segment of the ancient Kamakura Kaido highway

Sister cities

Higashimurayama is twinned with the following cities: *

Notable people from Higashimurayama

Seiichiro Shimizu is a Japanese politician of the Liberal Democratic Party, a member of the House of Representatives in the Diet (national legislature). A native of Higashimurayama, Tokyo and graduate of Nihon University , abbreviated as , is a private researc ...

, Politician * Ken Shimura, Comedian *

Shoko Aida is a female J-pop artist and actress. She was born in Higashimurayama, Tokyo, and debuted as a member of the J-Pop duo Wink. She began working as a solo artist on 1 April 1996, one month after Wink dissolved. She collaborated with Kaori Iida ...

, Singer *

Miki Nakatani is a Japanese actress and singer. She began her career as a member of the girl group Sakurakko Club from 1991 to 1993, wherein she formed the duo Key West Club with member Keiko Azuma. Nakatani focused on acting after her departure, making he ...

, Actress * Shōji Satō, Professional Badminton Player * Karen Miyama, Actress

References

External links

Higashimurayama City Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Tokyo Western Tokyo