Kita (北区, Kita-ku; "Northern ward") is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The English translation of its Japanese self-designation is City of Kita. The ward was founded on March 15, 1947.
As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 340,287, and a population density of 16,510 persons per km2. The total area is 20.61 km2.
Contents
Districts and neighborhoods
Notes
History
The area was a collection of rural villages and towns until the 1880s, when it was connected by rail to central Tokyo (Oji Station opening in 1883). Parts of the area joined Tokyo City in 1932 as the Ōji (former Ōji and Iwabuchi towns) and Takinogawa (former Takinogawa town) Wards. Kita was officially formed in 1947 by the merger of these wards.
Geography
The name Kita, meaning "north," reflects the location among the wards of Tokyo. To its north lie the cities of Kawaguchi and Toda in Saitama Prefecture. To the east, south and west lie other special wards: Adachi, Arakawa, Itabashi, Bunkyō, and Toshima.
Four rivers run through Kita:
Arakawa River
Shakujii River
Shingashi River
Sumida River
Famous sites
Asukayama Park
Chūō Park (formerly Camp Oji)
Kyu-Furukawa Gardens, designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty.
Nanushi-no-taki Park
Oji Shrine, one of the Tokyo Ten Shrines (東京十社, Tokyo Jissha).
Oji Inari shrine
Ukima Park
Economy
The head office of Seiyu Group is in Kita.
Education
The city's public elementary and middle schools are operated by the City of Kita Board of Education.
The city's public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
Asuka High School (東京都立飛鳥高等学校)
Akabane Commercial High School (東京都立赤羽商業高等学校)
Kirigaoka High School (東京都立桐ケ丘高等学校)
Oji Technical High School (東京都立王子総合高等学校)
The following private domestic schools are in the ward:
Joshi Seigakuin Junior & Senior High School (for girls) – Nakazato
Seigakuin Junior & Senior High School (for boys) – Nakazato
The following international schools are in the ward:
École Internationale Franco-Japonaise 東京日仏国際学園 EIFJ Tokyo (French-English-Japanese)
Lycée Français International de Tokyo (French)
Tokyo Korean Junior and Senior High School (North Korean)
The following universities are in the ward:
Tokyo Seitoku University
Tokyo University of Social Welfare
Transportation
Rail
JR East
Tōhoku Main Line, Takasaki Line, Utsunomiya Line: Oku, Akabane Stations
Saikyō Line (Akabane Line): Itabashi, Jujo, Akabane, Kita Akabane, Ukima Funado Stations
Keihin-Tōhoku Line: Tabata, Kami Nakazato, Ōji, Higashi Jujo, Akabane Stations
Yamanote Line: Tabata Station
Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation Tokyo Sakura Tram: Nishigahara-yonchome, Takinogawa-ichome, Asukayama, Oji-ekimae, Sakaecho, Kajiwara Stations
Tokyo Metro Namboku Line: Nishigahara, Ōji, Ōji Kamiya, Shimo, Akabane Iwabuchi Stations
Saitama Rapid Railway Line (Sainokuni Stadium Line): Akabane-Iwabuchi Station
Highways
Shuto Expressway C2 Central Loop (Itabashi JCT – Kasai JCT)
Route 17 (Nakasendō)
Notable people from Kita
Kōbō Abe, Japanese writer, playwright, musician, photographer, inventor and novelist
Kyoko Fukada, model, actress, and singer
Megumi Hayashibara, seiyuu, musician, singer, writer, radio DJ and TV talk show host, certified nurse
Hikaru Ijuin, radio and television personality
Elephant Kashimashi, rock band
Kiyoshi Kodama, actor and TV personality
Yuki Chiba, rapper
Yuichi Nakamaru, singer-songwriter, actor, television personality, radio host, and a member of KAT-TUN
Kazuya Yoshii, singer-songwriter and musician (The Yellow Monkey)
International relations
Kita has a sister city relationship with Xuanwu District, Beijing, China.
It is also twinned with the following cities in Japan.
Kanra, Gunma
Nakanojō, Gunma
Sakata, Yamagata