Suginami
Suginami
杉並区
Special ward
Suginami City
Spring cherry blossoms in Wadabori Koen Park
Spring cherry blossoms in Wadabori Koen Park
Flag of Suginami
Flag
Official seal of Suginami
Seal
Location of Suginami in Tokyo
Location of Suginami in Tokyo
Suginami is located in Japan
Suginami
Suginami
Location in Japan
Coordinates: 35°41′58″N139°38′11″E / 35.69944°N 139.63639°E / 35.69944; 139.63639
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureTokyo
First official recorded4th century
As Tokyo CityOctober 1, 1932
As special ward of TokyoJuly 1, 1943
Government
 • MayorSatoko Kishimoto (since July 11, 2022)
Area
 • Total
34.06 km2 (13.15 sq mi)
Population
 (June 1, 2022)
 • Total
588,354
 • Density17,274/km2 (44,740/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+09:00 (JST)
Postal codes
166-xxxx, 167-xxxx, 168-xxxx
City hall address1-15-1 Asagaya Minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo165-8570
Websitewww.city.suginami.tokyo.jp
Symbols
TreePine, Dawn Redwood, Sasanqua

Suginami (杉並区, Suginami-ku) is one of the 23 special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English.

The total area is 34.06 km2. As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 persons per km2.[1]

Suginami's mascot is a green little dinosaur called Namisuke.

Suginami's mayor is Satoko Kishimoto, since 2022.

Geography

Suginami occupies the western part of the ward area of Tokyo. Its neighbors include these special wards: to the east, Shibuya and Nakano; to the north, Nerima; and to the south, Setagaya. Its western neighbors are the cities of Mitaka and Musashino.

The Kanda River passes through Suginami. The Zenpukuji river originates from Zenpukuji Park in western Suginami, and the Myōshōji River originates in Myōshōji Park, to the north of Ogikubo station.

History

The name Suginami dates back to the early Edo period and is a shortened version of Suginamiki ("avenue of cedars"). This name came about when an early land baron, Lord Tadayoshi Okabe, planted a row of cedar trees to mark the bounds of his property.[2]

The ward was founded on March 15, 1947.

In 1970, 40 high school students in the area were exposed to photochemical smog and required hospitalization. The incident attracted national attention and increased awareness of the dangers of pollution.[2]

Districts and neighborhoods

Autumn colors in a park Suginami
Kōenji Awa Odori
Nakasugidori Avenue near Suginami City Hall and Asagaya Station

The following neighborhoods make up Suginami-ku:

Politics

Historically, Suginami has leaned toward liberal activism.[3] In 1954, local housewives launched the "Suginami Appeal" against nuclear weapons, a petition that spread nationwide and ultimately collected 20 million signatures.[2] More recently in 2005, Suginami became part of Japan's fight against nationalist textbook revisionism when residents petitioned Tokyo's courts to prevent the adoption of a controversial textbook published by Fusosha Publishing which claimed to justify Japanese actions during World War II.[2] The ward has also passed an ordinance placing limits on the installation of security cameras.[2]

To combat burglaries, which reached a record number of 1,710 in 2002, the ward created an unconventional anti-crime program called Operation Flower. The ward urged residents to plant flowers facing the street, with the long-term goal of increasing neighborhood watchfulness (necessitated by watering and otherwise attending to the plants). In addition, 9,600 volunteers were recruited for neighborhood safety patrols, 200 security cameras were placed at crime-vulnerable areas, and a daily email update was created for residents. Subsequent to the start of the program, burglaries were down 80% to 390 in 2008.[4]

Suginami refused to connect to Japan's Residents Basic Registry Network.[2] As of 2005, it is implementing a measure to make registry optional.

On June 19, 2022, Satoko Kishimoto was elected mayor despite being a long-time resident of Belgium and not having any connections to the ward. She narrowly defeated 3-term incumbent Ryō Tanaka by less than 200 votes. Kishimoto had come to prominence through online political debates during the COVID-19 pandemic.[5][6] Kishimoto has opposed building new road extensions through Kōenji district and the privatization of public facilities.[3] Kishimoto is the district's first-ever female leader and plans on creating more opportunities for women in Japanese politics. Japan currently has only 2 female politicians in the current national cabinet and only 3 female mayors out of Tokyo's 23 main districts.[7]

Transportation

Rail

Road

Shopping streets and commercial facilities

Koenji Station PlazaKoenji Junjo Shopping Street - Koenji Station. This is also the title of the novel of the same name by Shoichi Nishime. Asagaya Pearl Center - It is also famous as the venue for the Asagaya Tanabata Festival every summer. Ogikubo Lumine - JR Ogikubo Station City Seven - Ogikubo Ekimae

Politics

Suginami belongs to the 23 special Wards in Tokyo. The borough mayor, Satoko Kishimoto, is left-leaning. In the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly, Suginame's representatives come from 1) the populist party of Mayor Yuriko Koike and 2) center-left opposition parties such as the Japanese Communist Party and the National Democratic Party.

Education

Bunka Suginami Canadian International School and Bunka Gakuen Junior and Senior High Schools

Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

Suginami City operates public elementary and junior high schools.

Municipal combined elementary and junior high schools:[15]

  • Koenji Gakuen (高円寺学園)
  • Suginami Izumi Gakuen (杉並和泉学園)

Municipal junior high schools:[15]

Municipal elementary schools:[15]

International schools:

Higher Education:

Economy

Agriculture

There are approximately 46 hectares of farmland and nearly two hundred farmers in the hall, and vegetables, flowers, plants and fruits are produced.

Animation

Several animation studios are located in Suginami. Bones is headquartered in Igusa,[19] while Sunrise has its headquarters near the Kami-Igusa Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line.[20] Bones was founded by former members of Sunrise, and staff at each company often help each other on projects. The Satelight studio, founded in Sapporo, relocated to the Asagaya neighborhood in 2006 (an earlier Tokyo office, at a different location in Suginami, had been in existence since 2003).[21] In addition, many smaller studios are based here; as of 2006, over 70 studios (of 400 throughout Japan) were located in Suginami.[2]

Japanese operations

The communications and electronics giant Iwatsu Electric is headquartered in Kugayama.[22]

Foreign operations

American Express used to have its Japanese headquarters south of Ogikubo station, but it moved to Toranomon in central Tokyo in 2020.[23]

Microsoft has a branch office in the Daitabashi Asahi Seimei Building in Izumi.[24]

Former economic operations

Prior to its disestablishment, Data East had its headquarters in Suginami.[25]

Culture

Asagaya Tanabata Festival, held in August
  • Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine
  • Suginami Kokaido: a concert hall and the home of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.[2] It is also the same place where Birth of Ultraman (ウルトラマン誕生, Urutoraman Tanjō), the pre-premiere special of Ultraman was held which recorded on July 9, 1966 and later aired on Tokyo Broadcasting System (the Ultra Series' original network before TV Tokyo) the next day in 7:00 pm. In fact, as a tribute to the 50th anniversary of the Ultra Series, "Ultraman Day" (ウルトラマンの日, Urutoraman no Hi) was held in Suginami Kokaido on July 10, 2016.[26][27]
  • Suginami Animation Museum: a small museum which includes a screening theater, library, and historical overview of Japanese animation, with English language explanations.

Za Koenji Theater

Suginami has attracted artists for a long time. Among those living there : Hayao Miyazaki, writer and radio anchor Shoichi Ozawa, or painter Hiroshi Senju.

Annual Events

February

Koenji Engei Festival

April

Koenji Surprise Street Performance

June

Kogayama Bullring Festival - 1st Saturday and Sunday of June

August

Asatani Tanabata Festival - August 5th, 9th, Asatani Pearl Center

Tokyo Koenji Awa Odori - Around Koenji Station on the last Saturday and Sunday of August

October

Asagaya Jazz Street - October 3rd or 4th, Friday and Saturday

Koenji Festival - Adult Cultural Festival

November

Suginami Local Performing Arts Competition Ogikubo Music Festival Troll Forest - Outdoor Art Exhibition (Nishi-Ogikubo, Zenpukuji Pond) Suvarami Festa - Kumin Matsuri (festival) held in Momoiharabana Park

References

  1. ^"東京都の人口". Statistics of Tokyo. Archived from the original on 2 October 2018. Retrieved 11 July 2022.
  2. ^ abcdefgh"Getting animated in Suginami". The Japan Times. 7 April 2006. Archived from the original on 21 September 2013. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  3. ^ abHornyak, Tim (18 August 2022). "No backpedaling for Suginami Ward's bicycling mayor". The Japan Times. Archived from the original on 29 August 2022. Retrieved 12 November 2022.
  4. ^Kubota, Yoko (June 12, 2009). "Residents fight burglars with flower power". Reuters. Archived from the original on June 17, 2009. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  5. ^INC, SANKEI DIGITAL (2022-06-20). "東京・杉並区長に岸本氏初当選 野党系が推薦". 産経ニュース (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2022-06-21. Retrieved 2022-06-21.
  6. ^"Tokyo mayoral win a 'huge surprise' for candidate lately arrived from Belgium". The Guardian. 21 June 2022. Archived from the original on 2 July 2022. Retrieved 2 July 2022.
  7. ^"The female mayor in Tokyo fighting Japan's sexist attitudes". BBC. 8 March 2023. Archived from the original on 8 March 2023. Retrieved 8 March 2023.
  8. ^"都立 西高等学校ホームページ". www.nishi-h.metro.tokyo.jp. Archived from the original on June 12, 2002.
  9. ^都立農芸高等学校：Tokyo Metropolitan Nogei High School. Nogei-h.metro.tokyo.jp. Archived from the original on 2014-07-21. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  10. ^"東京都立荻窪高等学校". Archived from the original on 2007-11-16. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  11. ^東京都立杉並高等学校. Suginami-h.metro.tokyo.jp. Archived from the original on 2013-08-31. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  12. ^"東京都立杉並総合高等学校". Archived from the original on 2007-10-28. Retrieved 2007-10-30.
  13. ^東京都立杉並工業高等学校. Suginamikogyo-h.metro.tokyo.jp. Archived from the original on 2014-07-31. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  14. ^"Archived copy". Archived from the original on 2007-10-18. Retrieved 2007-10-30.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  15. ^ abc"地域運営学校（コミュニティ・スクール）一覧（設立年順）". Suginami. Archived from the original on 2022-11-26. Retrieved 2022-11-26.
  16. ^"BSCIS: BRITISH COLUMBIA CERTIFIED OFFSHORE SCHOOL IN TOKYO". Bunka Suignami Canadian International School. Archived from the original on 29 September 2022. Retrieved 29 September 2022.
  17. ^"| Bunka Suginami Canadian International School". bscis.bunsugi.jp (in Japanese). Archived from the original on 2017-10-19. Retrieved 2017-10-23.
  18. ^ウリハッキョ一覧. Chongryon. Archived from the original on December 19, 2015. Retrieved October 14, 2015.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: bot: original URL status unknown (link)().
  19. ^"company infoArchived 2015-09-23 at the Wayback Machine." Bones. Retrieved on March 10, 2010.
  20. ^"Company OutlineArchived 2015-09-24 at the Wayback Machine." Sunrise. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
  21. ^"Satelight Corporate History." Satelight. Retrieved on July 9, 2010.
  22. ^"Corporate ProfileArchived 2013-08-02 at the Wayback Machine." Iwatsu Electric. December 8, 2002. Retrieved on July 9, 2010.
  23. ^Notification: Relocation of our Head Office and Change of Corporate Services Center Telephone Number October 29, 2020
  24. ^"Microsoft Careers - Our Japan LocationsArchived 2013-06-15 at the Wayback Machine." Microsoft. Retrieved on July 9, 2010.
  25. ^"データイースト." Data East. December 8, 2002. Retrieved on October 20, 2009.
  26. ^ウルトラマン放送開始50年記念『ウルトラマンの日 in 杉並公会堂』2DAYS開催決定!! 7/9(土)「THE ROCK 2016」・10(日)「THE LEGENDS 1966」. 円谷ステーション - ウルトラマン、円谷プロ公式サイト (in Japanese). m-78.jp. 2016-05-12. Archived from the original on 2016-05-18. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
  27. ^ウルトラマンの日 (in Japanese). m-78.jp. Archived from the original on 2016-07-08. Retrieved 2016-05-25.
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