Hiroo, Shibuya

Hiroo Station Entrance
Hiroo in the Edo period

Hiroo (広尾) is a district of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. Abutting on opulent Ebisu, Minami-Azabu, Nishi-Azabu and Minami-Aoyama, Hiroo is one of the most prominent upmarket residential and shopping neighborhoods in Tokyo. As of October, 2015, the population of this district is 15,306.[1] The postal code for Hiroo is 150-0012.

According to the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport, as of 2008, the residential land prices on Hiroo 2-chōme and 3-chōme are as high as ¥1,460,000/m2 and ¥1,250,000/m2, respectively.[2]

Located on Minami-Azabu,[3] the Hiroo Station of Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line is the nearest subway station to Hiroo.

Geography

Hiroo is located in the southeast area of the district of Shibuya, Tokyo, Japan. The boundaries of Hiroo are Nishi-Azabu, Minato and Minami-Aoyama, Minato to the north and follows the Shibuya River along the south. Minami-Azabu, Minato is located to the east and Higashi, Shibuya is located to the west.

Education

There are two universities in Hiroo. The prestigious University of the Sacred Heart, successor to the Sacred Heart Koto Senmon School which was established in 1916 and reorganized into a university with the current name in 1948,[4] is one of the oldest women's universities in Japan. Its important alumnae include the former UN High Commissioner for Refugees Sadako Ogata and Empress of Japan Michiko. The Japanese Red Cross College of Nursing owns one of its two campuses in Hiroo. Although reorganized into a four-year college recently in 1986, the origin of the nursing school dates back to 1890, when nursing education was launched at the Japanese Red Cross Hospital. Hiroo is also home to the International School of the Sacred Heart which was founded in 1908 and is located on the same grounds as the University of the Sacred Heart (Seishin Joshi Daigaku). It offers education in English for girls from the ages of three to eighteen. The university offers education to women in Japanese. There are several Japanese schools in the area as well, including Hiroo Senior High School (Hiroo Kōtōgakkō) and Hiroo Elementary School (Hiroo Shōgakkō). The Rainbow International Montessori School also has a facility located in the same area.

Demography

Population of Hiroo District (October 2015)[1]
District Number of
Households 		Total
Population 		Male Female
Hiroo 1-chōme 1,922 2,935 1,368 1,567
Hiroo 2-chōme 979 2,038 969 1,069
Hiroo 3-chōme 1,414 2,931 1,393 1,538
Hiroo 4-chōme 2,218 4,109 1,676 2,433
Hiroo 5-chōme 2,084 3,293 1,374 1,919

Population Trend of Hiroo District[5]

Year Total Population
2011 13,101
2012 13,228
2013 14,386
2014 14,552
October 2015 15,306

Attractions

Arisugawa Park
The Gate of Embassy of Croatia in Japan

Adjacent to Hiroo, the district of Minami-Azabu is home to Arisugawa Park, which spans through a large chunk of the town. The park consists of several paths and walkways, a baseball field, soccer field, children's amusement areas and a man-made waterfall that empties into a pond full of koi and ducks. The park is situated in the close vicinity of Hiroo Station, causing it to be often incorrectly regarded as "a park in Hiroo."

Foreign Embassies

Hiroo is home to several embassies: Embassy of Peru, Croatia, Czech Republic, Burkina Faso, Tajikistan, Congo, and Oman. Hiroo Station is the nearest subway station to several prominent embassies in Minato: Embassy of France, Germany, Norway, and Pakistan.

New Sanno Hotel

The New Sanno Hotel is an upscale hotel operated by the U.S. Navy. While the hotel technically is located in Minami-Azabu, it is nearby the Hiroo subway station and Tengenji Bridge. The hotel opened in 1983 after moving from a location nearby Akasaka Mitsuke Station. The large number of daily visitors to the hotel contributes to the international atmosphere in Hiroo.

Tsukushigahara

In the Edo period, the area near present-day Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo Hospital, Keio Gijyuku Yochisha School, Tengenji Bridge, and Tokyo Metropolitan Hiroo 5-chome Apartments was named Tsukushigahara. At the time, this area was a large flatland of susuki grass (miscanthus sinensis). Tsukushigahara was a popular strolling and play area and was recorded in the Illustrated Collection of Famous Places in Edo (江戸名所図会).

Hiroo 5-chome Shopping Street Town

The area surrounding the present-day Hiroo 5-chome shopping street town was designated a shopping street town in Shotoku 3 (1713). This area survived the destruction of the Bombing of Tokyo in 1944-1945. As a result, many Meiji period and Taisho period buildings can still be found in the area. The area is locally known for its nostalgic atmosphere.

Tengenji Bridge

Tengenji Bridge (天現寺橋) is located at the intersection of Gaien-Nishi-dori and Meiji-dori in Hiroo 5-chome. The bridge spans the confluence of the Shibuya River and the Kogai River. The Kogai River flows completely underground since it was covered by concrete. The Kogai River flows under Gaien-Nishi Dori upstream towards and past the east side of Aoyama Cemetery. Two springs known to still flow into the Kogai River are located at the ponds of Arisugawa Park and the ponds at the Nezu Museum. The Tengenji Bridge is an old bridge and existed long before it was mentioned in a text named Gofunaienkakuzsho (御府内沿革図書) published in Bunkyu 3 (1863).

Facilities

References

  1. 1 2 月別町丁目別世帯数及び男女別人口（平成27年1月～10月） - Official Website of Shibuya, Tokyo. Retrieved on 2015-11-14.
  2. ↑ 国土交通省地価公示 検索結果（東京都渋谷区広尾 住宅地） - Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport (Japan). Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
  3. ↑ 広尾駅 - Tokyo Metro. Retrieved on 2008-08-18.
  4. ↑ General Information - University of the Sacred Heart. Retrieved on 2008-08-17.
  5. ↑ "渋谷区／住民基本台帳・外国人登録による人口". www.city.shibuya.tokyo.jp. Retrieved 2015-11-14.

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