Suginami

Suginami
杉並区
Special ward
Suginami City

A street in Suginami

Flag

Location of Suginami in Tokyo
Suginami

Location in Japan

Coordinates: 35°41′N 139°37′E / 35.683°N 139.617°E / 35.683; 139.617Coordinates: 35°41′N 139°37′E / 35.683°N 139.617°E / 35.683; 139.617
Country Japan
Region Kantō
Prefecture Tokyo
Government
 • Mayor Ryo Tanaka (since June 2010)
Area
 • Total 34.06 km2 (13.15 sq mi)
Population (May 1, 2015)
 • Total 561,700
 • Density 16,490/km2 (42,700/sq mi)
Symbols
 • Tree Pine, Dawn Redwood, Sasanqua
Time zone Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
City Hall Address 1-15-1 Asagaya Minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo
165-8570
Website www.city.suginami.tokyo.jp

Suginami (杉並区 Suginami-ku) is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Suginami City.

As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 561,700 and a population density of 16,490 persons per km². The total area is 34.06 km².

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 Myoshoji river originates in Myoshoji 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," or "avenue of cedars." This name came about when an early land baron, Lord Tadayoshi Okabe, planted a row of cedar trees to mark the border of his property.[1]

The ward was founded on March 15, 1947.

In 1970, 40 high school students were exposed to photochemical smog and required hospitalization. The incident attracted national attention and increased awareness of the dangers of pollution.[1]

Places

The following neighborhoods make up Suginami-ku.

Politics

Historically, Suginami has leaned toward liberal activism. In 1954, local housewives launched the "Suginami Appeal" against nuclear weapons, a petition that spread nationwide and ultimately collected 20 million signatures.[1] 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.[1] The ward has also passed an ordinance placing limits on the installation of security cameras.[1]

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.[2]

As of 2006, the mayor of Suginami is Hiroshi Yamada.[1]

Residents Basic Registry Network

Suginami refused to connect to Japan's Residents Basic Registry Network.[1] As of 2005, it is implementing a measure to make registry optional.

Transportation

Minami-Asagaya Station Area

Rail

Road

Education

Suginami operates public elementary and junior high schools.

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

International schools:

Economy

Hewlett-Packard Japan Ogikubo office

Animation

Several animation studios are located in Suginami. Bones is headquartered in Igusa,[11] while Sunrise has its headquarters near the Kami-Igusa Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line.[12] Bones was founded by former members of Sunrise, and staff at each company often help each other on projects. The Satelight studio, originally 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).[13] In addition, many smaller studios are based here; as of 2006, over 70 studios (of 400 throughout Japan) were located in Suginami.[1]

Japanese operations

The communications and electronics giant Iwatsu Electric is headquartered in Kugayama.[14]

Foreign operations

Hewlett Packard Japan operates two offices, the Ogikubo office and the Takaido office, in Suginami.[15]

Microsoft has a branch office in the Daitabashi Asahi Seimei Building in Izumi.[16]

Former economic operations

Prior to its disestablishment, Data East had its headquarters in Suginami.[17]

Culture

Asagaya Tanabata Festival, held in August

References

  1. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 "Getting animated in Suginami". The Japan Times. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  2. ↑ Kubota, Yoko (June 12, 2009). "Residents fight burglars with flower power". Reuters. Retrieved July 9, 2010.
  3. ↑ Archived October 28, 2007 at the Wayback Machine
  4. ↑ "都立農芸高等学校：Tokyo Metropolitan Nogei High School". Nogei-h.metro.tokyo.jp. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  5. ↑ http://www.ogikubo-h.metro.tokyo.jp/
  6. ↑ "東京都立杉並高等学校". Suginami-h.metro.tokyo.jp. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  7. ↑ http://www.suginamisogo-h.metro.tokyo.jp/
  8. ↑ "東京都立杉並工業高等学校". Suginamikogyo-h.metro.tokyo.jp. Retrieved 2014-07-29.
  9. ↑ http://www.toyotama-h.metro.tokyo.jp/
  10. ↑ "ウリハッキョ一覧" (Archive). Chongryon. Retrieved on October 14, 2015.
  11. ↑ "company info." Bones. Retrieved on March 10, 2010.
  12. ↑ "Company Outline." Sunrise. Retrieved on February 26, 2010.
  13. ↑ "Satelight Corporate History." Satelight. Retrieved on July 9, 2010.
  14. ↑ "Corporate Profile." Iwatsu Electric. December 8, 2002. Retrieved on July 9, 2010.
  15. ↑ "日本HPの国内主要拠点." Hewlett-Packard Japan. Retrieved on July 23, 2009. "高井戸事業所 〒168-8585 東京都杉並区高井戸東3-29-21" "荻窪事業所 〒167-8533 東京都杉並区上荻1丁目2番1号"
  16. ↑ "Microsoft Careers - Our Japan Locations." Microsoft. Retrieved on July 9, 2010.
  17. ↑ "データイースト." Data East. December 8, 2002. Retrieved on October 20, 2009.

External links

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