Katsushika, Tokyo

Katsushika, Tokyo

Katsushika
葛飾
—  Special ward  —
葛飾区 · Katsushika City
Shibamata Taishaku-ten in Katsushika

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Location of Katsushika in Tokyo
Katsushika is located in Japan
Katsushika
 
Coordinates: 35°44′N 139°51′E / 35.733°N 139.85°E / 35.733; 139.85Coordinates: 35°44′N 139°51′E / 35.733°N 139.85°E / 35.733; 139.85
Country Japan
Region Kantō
Prefecture Tokyo
Area
 - Total 34.84 km2 (13.5 sq mi)
Population (2008)
 - Total 429,289
 - Density 12,600/km2 (32,633.9/sq mi)
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Website Katsushika
Wikipedia has an article about the Edo period Japanese artist Katsushika Hokusai.

Katsushika (葛飾区 Katsushika-ku?) is one of the special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It lies in the northeast of the ward area. The ward calls itself Katsushika City in English.

As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 429,289 and a density of 12,600 people per km². The total area is 34.84 km².

Katsushika has sister-city relationships with Fengtai District in Beijing, People's Republic of China, and with Floridsdorf, a district of Vienna, Austria.

Contents

Geography

Katsushika ward is at the east end of Tokyo metropolis. It is on an alluvial plain and it is low above sea level.

The ward office (Katsushika city hall) is located at Tateishi.

Boundaries

Katsushika has boundaries with three wards of Tokyo: Adachi, Edogawa and Sumida. The cities of Matsudo in Chiba Prefecture, and Misato and Yashio form the northeast border of the ward.

Rivers

Major rivers in Katsushika include the Edogawa, Arakawa and Ayasegawa. Nakagawa and Shin-nakagawa flows through the ward.

Place names

  • Aoto
  • Higashi Horikiri
  • Higashi Kanamachi
  • Higashi Mizumoto
  • Higashi Shin-koiwa
  • Higashi Tateishi
  • Higashi Yotsugi
  • Horikiri
  • Hosoda
  • Kamakura
  • Kameari
  • Kanamachi
  • Kosuge
  • Minami Mizumoto
  • Mizumoto
  • Mizumoto Koen
  • Niijuku
  • Nishi Kameari
  • Nishi Mizumoto
  • Nishi Shin-koiwa
  • Ohanajaya
  • Okudo
  • Shibamata
  • Shinkoiwa
  • Shiratori
  • Takaramachi
  • Takasago
  • Tateishi
  • Yotsugi

History

Katsushika District was originally a division of Musashi Province. When the province was divided and reconfigured, the district was partitioned between Kita Katsushika District in Saitama Prefecture, Higashi Katsushika District in Chiba Prefecture and the remainder was based in Tokyo Prefecture. Minami Katsushika District conformed today's Katsushika ward proper, plus Edogawa, Koto and Sumida wards.

On October 1, 1932, the former Minami Katsushika District of what was then known as Tokyo Prefecture, and its seven towns and villages, merged and became part of the old Tokyo City.

The special ward was founded on March 15, 1947.

Katsushika contains Narihira Santosen Temple, the "Bound Jizō" of Ōoka Echizen, and Shibamata Taishakuten, selected as one of the 100 Soundscapes of Japan and 100 Landscapes of Japan (Heisei era).

Economy

Takara Tomy has its headquarters in Katsushika.

Government and infrastructure

Tokyo Detention House

The Tokyo Detention House, a correctional facility, is in the ward. One of Japan's seven execution chambers is in the Tokyo Detention House.

Famous people

  • Kumiko Endo, actress and entertainer
  • Rumi Hiiragi, actress, seiyu (Spirited Away, Ponyo on the Cliff by the Sea)
  • Minako Honda, singer, musical actress
  • Yui Horie, singer, seiyu
  • Kaname Kawabata, singer with the duo Chemistry
  • Satomi Kobayashi, actress
  • Yasutaka Komiya, living national treasure, maker of Edo kimono
  • Kazunari Ninomiya, singer, actor, musician, DJ, songwriter, showhost, model, seiyu
  • Nanako Ōkōchi, actress
  • Miho Takagi, actress, essayist

Famous works set in Katsushika

The long running film series, the Otoko wa Tsurai yo series starring Kiyoshi Atsumi as Tora-san, takes place in Katsushika, as does the longest-running manga series in history, Kochira Katsushika-ku Kameari Kōen-mae Hashutsujo. Other notable works set in Katsushika are the television series Kamen Rider Hibiki and the film Long Vacation. The characters in the PC-98 adventure game Yugekitai ~ Saikyou Kami Fukkatsu Yuki Kan ~ attend Katsushikano High School and the plot is also set in this area.

Education

Colleges and universities

  • Tokyo Seiei College

Primary and secondary schools

Katsushika operates public elementary and junior high schools.

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education operates public high schools.

  • Katsushika Commercial High School [1]
  • Katsushika Sogo High School [2]
  • Katsushikano High School [3]
  • Honjo Technical High School [4]
  • South Katsushika High School [5]
  • Nousan High School [6]
  • Katsushika School for the Blind [7]
  • Katsushika Aoto Junior High School
  • Katsushika Okudo Junior High School

Transportation

Rail

  • JR East
    • Joban Line: Kameari, Kanamachi Stations
    • Sobu Main Line: Shin-Koiwa Station
  • Keisei Electric Railway
    • Keisei Main Line: Horikiri-shobuen, Ohanajaya, Aoto, Keisei Takasago Stations
    • Keisei Oshiage Line: Yotsugi, Keisei Tateishi, Aoto Stations
    • Keisei Kanamachi Line: Keisei Takasago, Shibamata, Keisei Kanamachi Stations
  • Hokuso Railway Hokuso Line: Keisei Takasago, Shin-Shibamata Stations

Highways

  • Shuto Expressway C2 Central Loop (Itabashi JCT - Kasai JCT)
  • Route 6 (Mito Kaidō)
  • Kan-nana
  • Kuramae bashi
  • Heiwa bashi
  • Shibamata Kaidō
  • Okudo Kaidō
  • Tokyo Route 307 Oji-Kanamachi-Edogawa line (Oji-ekimae to Minami-shinozaki)

See also

PrefSymbol-Tokyo.svg Tokyo portal

  1. ^ "Corporate Information." Takara Tomy. Retrieved on March 16, 2010.
  2. ^ "Diet members tour execution chamber." The Japan Times. Thursday July 24, 2003. Retrieved on August 27, 2010.
  3. ^ Lendon, Brad. "Japan reveals long-secretive execution process." CNN. August 27, 2010. Retrieved on August 27, 2010.
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