Former Iwasaki Family House and Garden 2010

is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is known as Taitō City. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 186,276, and a population density of 18,420 persons per km². The total area is . This makes Taito ward the smallest of Tokyo's wards in area, and third-smallest in population.

History

The ward was founded on March 15, 1947, with the merger of the old

Asakusa is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is known as the location of the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals, such as the . History The ...

and Shitaya wards when

Tokyo City was a municipality in Japan and part of Tokyo-fu which existed from 1 May 1889 until its merger with its prefecture on 1 July 1943. The historical boundaries of Tokyo City are now occupied by the Special Wards of Tokyo. The new merged gove ...

was transformed into Tokyo Metropolis. 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 characte ...

, the

Yoshiwara was a famous (red-light district) in Edo, present-day Tokyo, Japan. Established in 1617, Yoshiwara was one of three licensed and well-known red-light districts created during the early 17th century by the Tokugawa shogunate, alongside Shimab ...

licensed quarter was in what is now Taitō. Taitō shares the same Chinese characters, "台東" with Taitung, a city in

Taiwan Taiwan, officially the Republic of China (ROC), is a country in East Asia, at the junction of the East and South China Seas in the northwestern Pacific Ocean, with the People's Republic of China (PRC) to the northwest, Japan to the nort ...

Geography

Situated in the northeastern portion of the wards area of Tokyo, Taitō is surrounded by five other special wards: Chiyoda,

Bunkyō is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived th ...

, Arakawa, Sumida and Chūō.

Districts and neighborhoods

;

Area *

* Asakusabashi * Hanakawado * Hashiba * Higashi-Asakusa (East Asakusa) * Imado * Kaminarimon * Kiyokawa * Kojima * Komagata * Kotobuki * Kuramae * Matsugaya * Misuji * Motoasakusa * Nihonzutsumi (Japan dike) * Nishi-Asakusa (West Asakusa) * Torigoe * Yanagibashi ; Shitaya Area * Akihabara * Higashi-Ueno (East Ueno) * Ikenohata * Iriya * Kita-Ueno (North Ueno) * Minowa * * Ryusen * Senzoku * Shitaya * Taito *

Ueno is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Museum of Na ...

* Ueno-koen (Ueno Park) * Uenosakuragi * Yanaka

Landmarks

Taitō is famous for its typical Shitamachi districts.

Temples and shrines

Sensō-ji is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect of Buddhism, it became independent after World War II. It is dedicated to Kan ...

and Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) *

Asakusa Shrine is a Shinto shrine located in the Asakusa district of Tokyo, Japan. Also known as , it is one of the most famous Shinto shrines in the city. The shrine honors the three men who founded the Sensō-ji. Asakusa Shrine is part of a larger groupi ...

* Akiba Shrine *

Kan'ei-ji (also spelled Kan'eiji or Kaneiji) is a Tendai Buddhism, Buddhist temple in Tokyo, Japan, founded in 1625 during the Kan'ei era by Tenkai, in an attempt to emulate the powerful religious center Enryaku-ji, in Kyoto. The main object of worship is ...

Kishibojin Hārītī (Sanskrit), also known as , ja, text=鬼子母神, translit=Kishimojin, is both a revered goddess and demon, depending on the Buddhist tradition. She is one of the Twenty-Four Protective Deities of Mahayana Buddhism. In her positive ...

Ueno Tōshō-gū is a Tōshō-gū Shinto shrine located in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. First established in 1627 by Tōdō Takatora and renovated in 1651 by Tokugawa Iemitsu, the shrine has remained mostly intact since that time, making it a great example ...

Zenshō-an Zenshō-an (全生庵) is a Buddhist Rinzai Zen temple, located in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It has a large collection of Japanese '' yūrei'' paintings, which are normally exhibited in August, the traditional month of spirits and ghosts. These paint ...

Parks

* Asakusa Park * Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden * Sumida Park * Ueno Park * Yanaka Park

Museums and zoos

* Amuse Museum * Asakura Sculpture Hall * Daimyo Clock Museum *

National Museum of Western Art The is the premier public art gallery in Japan specializing in art from the Western tradition. The museum is in the museum and zoo complex in Ueno Park in Taitō, central Tokyo. It received 1,162,345 visitors in 2016. History The NMWA was es ...

* National Museum of Nature and Science *

Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum The is an art museum in Tokyo, Japan. It is one of Japan's many museums which are supported by a prefectural government. Nussbaum, Louis-Frédéric. (2005)"Museums"in ''Japan Encyclopedia'', pp. 671-673. The current structure, designed by Kunio ...

Tokyo National Museum The or TNM is an art museum in Ueno Park in the Taitō ward of Tokyo, Japan. It is one of the four museums operated by the National Institutes for Cultural Heritage ( :ja:国立文化財機構), is considered the oldest national museum in Japan, ...

* Ueno no Mori Museum * Ueno Zoo *

Yokoyama Taikan was the art-name of a major figure in pre-World War II Japanese painting. He is notable for helping create the Japanese painting technique of ''Nihonga''. Early life Yokoyama was born in Mito city, Ibaraki Prefecture, as the eldest son of S ...

Memorial Hall

Entertainment

*Suzumoto Engeijo (Suzumoto Vaudeville Hall) *Asakusa Vaudeville Hall

Education

Colleges and universities

* Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music * Ueno Gakuen University

Primary and secondary schools

Prefectural public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education. * * * * * * Ueno Shinobugaoka High School * Taito Commercial High School * Taito Chuyakan High School Private schools: * The school district of the metropolis also operates one metropolitan junior high school: * The Taito City Board of Education (台東区教育委員会) operates municipal elementary and junior high schools. Municipal junior high schools: * Asakusa Junior High School ( 浅草中学校) * Hakuyo Junior High School ( 柏葉中学校) * Komagata Junior High School (駒形中学校) * Okachimachi Taito Junior High School ( 御徒町台東中学校) * Sakurabashi Junior High School ( 台東区立桜橋中学校) * Shinobugaoka Junior High School ( 忍岡中学校) * Ueno Junior High School ( 上野中学校) Municipal elementary schools: * Asakusa Elementary School ( 浅草小学校) * Fuji Elementary School ( 富士小学校) * Heisei Elementary School (平成小学校) * Higashi Asakusa Elementary School (東浅草小学校) * Ishihama Elementary School ( 石浜小学校) * Kanasogi Elementary School ( 金曽木小学校) * Kinryu Elementary School ( 金竜小学校) * Kuramae Elementary School ( 蔵前小学校) * Kuromon Elementary School ( 黒門小学校) * Matsuba Elementary School (松葉小学校) * Negishi Elementary School ( 根岸小学校) * Senzoku Elementary School (千束小学校) * Shinobugaoka Elementary School ( 忍岡小学校) * Taisho Elementary School (大正小学校) * Taito Ikuei Elementary School (台東育英小学校) * Tawara Elementary School (田原小学校) * Tosen Elementary School (東泉小学校) * Ueno Elementary School (上野小学校) * Yanaka Elementary School (谷中小学校)

Public libraries

Taito operates several public libraries, including the Central Library, the Central Library Asakusabashi Branch, the Negishi Library, and the Ishihama Library. The Central Library is located in the first and second floors of the Lifelong Learning Center.Public Facilities
" ''City of Taito''. Retrieved August 27, 2008.

Other

The city operates the Lifelong Learning Center, a complex including a multi-media room, a studio, and other facilities. The Central Library is on the first and second floors of the Lifelong Learning Center.

Economy

Eiken Chemical, a clinical diagnostics and equipment manufacturer, has its headquarters in Taito. Tokyo Ricoh Office Solution and Ricoh Technosystems, divisions of

Ricoh is a Japanese Multinational corporation, multinational imaging and electronics company (law), company. It was founded by the now-defunct commercial division of the Riken, Institute of Physical and Chemical Research (Riken) known as the ''Riken ...

, are headquartered in Taitō as of 2008. Chikumashobo, a publisher, has its headquarters in the area of the ward.

Retail

Matsuzakaya ( TYO: 8235, delisted) is a major Japanese department store chain operated by Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, a subsidiary of J. Front Retailing. When the chain was an independent company, , it had its headquarters in Naka-ku, Nagoya. ...

department store in Ueno * Matsuya department store in Asakusa

Other

Taiyo Yuden is a Japanese materials and electronics company, situated in Kyobashi, Chuo, Tokyo, that helped pioneer recordable CD technology (CD-R) along with Sony and Philips in 1988. Founded 70 years ago, Taiyo Yuden currently operates factories in Japa ...

, electronics and materials company in Ueno

Events

* Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival * Asakusa Samba Carnival * Torigoe Shrine

Matsuri Japanese festivals are traditional festive occasions often celebrated with dance and music in Japan. Many festivals have their roots in traditional Chinese festivals, but have undergone extensive changes over time to have little resemblance ...

Sanja Matsuri , or Sanja Festival, is one of the three largest Shinto festivals in Tokyo. It is considered one of the wildest and largest. The festival is held in honor of Hinokuma Hamanari, Hinokuma Takenari, and Hajino Nakatomo, the three men who establishe ...

, one of the three great festivals of Tokyo

Transportation

Rail

* JR East **

Tōhoku Shinkansen The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture in a route length of , making it Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main ...

, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen,

Yamagata Shinkansen The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tohoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line. The term Yamag ...

Ueno Station is a major railway station in Tokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park—which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo University of the Arts and other ...

** Tōhoku Main Line **

Yamanote Line The Yamanote Line ( ja, 山手線, Yamanote-sen) is a loop service in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban c ...

, Keihin-Tōhoku Line: Okachimachi, Ueno, Uguisudani Stations. Also, Nippori Station (on the boundary with Taitō) **

Utsunomiya Line The Utsunomiya Line ( ja, 宇都宮線, ) is the name given to a 163.5 kilometer section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Tokyo Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan. It is part of the East Japan Railway Compan ...

Takasaki Line The Takasaki Line ( ja, 高崎線, ) is a Japanese railway line which connects Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) ...

: Ueno Station **

Jōban Line The Jōban Line ( ja, 常磐線, ) is a railway line in Japan operated by the East Japan Railway Company (JR East). The line officially begins at Nippori Station in Arakawa, Tokyo before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, ...

: Officially, the line begins at Nippori Station, although most trains start/terminate at Ueno Station *

Tokyo Metro The is a major rapid transit system in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metro Co. With an average daily ridership of 6.84 million passengers, the Tokyo Metro is the larger of the two subway operators in the city; the other being the Toe ...

** Ginza Line: Ueno-Hirokoji, Inarichō, Tawaramachi,

Stations ** Hibiya Line: Okachimachi, Ueno, Iriya, Minowa Stations * Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation **

Toei Asakusa Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo subway operator Toei Subway. The line runs between in Ōta and in Sumida. The line is named after the Asakusa district, a cultural center of Tokyo, under which it passes. The Asa ...

: Asakusa-bashi, Kuramae, Asakusa Stations **

Toei Ōedo Line The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals Heisei 12. T ...

: Ueno-Okachimachi, Shin-Okachimachi, Kuramae Stations *

Keisei Electric Railway The (stylized as K'SEI since 2001) is a major private railway in Chiba Prefecture and Tokyo, Japan. The name ''Keisei'' is the combination of the kanji 京 from and 成 from , which the railway's main line connects. The combination uses diffe ...

Keisei Main Line: Keisei Ueno Station *

Tobu Railway is a Japanese commuter railway and ''keiretsu'' holding company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. Excluding the Japan Railways Group companies, Tobu's rail system is the second longes ...

Skytree Line: Asakusa Station *

Tsukuba Express The , or TX, is a Japanese railway line operated by the third-sector company Metropolitan Intercity Railway Company, which links Akihabara Station in Chiyoda, Tokyo and Tsukuba Station in Tsukuba, Ibaraki. The route was inaugurated on 24 Aug ...

: Shin-Okachimachi,

Stations

Highways

Shuto Expressway is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the . Most routes are grade-separated (elevated roads or tunnels) and central routes have many sharp curves and multi-lane merges that requi ...

Ueno Route *

National highways National Highways, formerly the Highways Agency and later Highways England, is a government-owned company charged with operating, maintaining and improving motorways and major A roads in England. It also sets highways standards used by all f ...

** **

Sports and recreation

The City of Taito operates the Taito Riverside Sports Center. The center includes a gymnasium, tennis courts, two baseball fields for adults, one baseball field for children, one large swimming pool, one children's pool, and an athletic field. The gymnasium includes two courts, two budo halls, a Japanese-style archery range, a sumo ring, a training room, a

table tennis Table tennis, also known as ping-pong and whiff-whaff, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight ball, also known as the ping-pong ball, back and forth across a table using small solid rackets. It takes place on a hard table div ...

room, an air-rifle shooting range, and a meeting room.

People

* Remi Hirano, Japanese chef, TV personality and

chanson A (, , french: chanson française, link=no, ; ) is generally any lyric-driven French song, though it most often refers to the secular polyphonic French songs of late medieval and Renaissance music. The genre had origins in the monophonic so ...

singer * Makoto Shimizu, Japanese Musician * Nobuo Kaneko, Japanese

actor An actor or actress is a person who portrays a character in a performance. The actor performs "in the flesh" in the traditional medium of the theatre or in modern media such as film, radio, and television. The analogous Greek term is (), li ...

Toriyama Sekien 200px, A Mikoshi-nyūdō, specifically a Miage-nyūdō, as portrayed by Toriyama">Miage-nyūdō.html" ;"title="Mikoshi-nyūdō, specifically a Miage-nyūdō">Mikoshi-nyūdō, specifically a Miage-nyūdō, as portrayed by Toriyama , real name Sano ...

, ''

ukiyo-e Ukiyo-e is a genre of Japanese art which flourished from the 17th through 19th centuries. Its artists produced woodblock prints and paintings of such subjects as female beauties; kabuki actors and sumo wrestlers; scenes from history and folk t ...

'' artist of

Japanese folklore Japanese folklore encompasses the informally learned folk traditions of Japan and the Japanese people as expressed in its oral traditions, customs, and material culture. In Japanese, the term is used to describe folklore. The academic study o ...

References

External links

Taitō City Official Website
{{DEFAULTSORT:Taito, Tokyo Wards of Tokyo