Kita, Tokyo
Kita 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.
Districts and neighborhoods
;Akabane-Iwabuchi Area;Ōji Area
;Takinogawa Area
;Notes:
History
The area was a collection of rural villages and towns until the 1880s, when it was connected by rail to central Tokyo. Parts of the area joined Tokyo City in 1932 as the Ōji and Takinogawa 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:
Famous sites
- Asukayama Park
- Chūō Park
- Kyu-Furukawa Gardens, designated a National Place of Scenic Beauty.
- Nanushi-no-taki Park
- Oji Shrine, one of the Tokyo Ten Shrines.
- 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.
The following private domestic schools are in the ward:
The following international schools are in the ward:
- École Internationale Franco-Japonaise 東京日仏国際学園 EIFJ Tokyo
- Lycée Français International de Tokyo
- Tokyo Korean Junior and Senior High School
Transportation
Rail
- JR East
- *Tōhoku Main Line, Takasaki Line, Utsunomiya Line: Oku, Akabane Stations
- *Saikyō 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 : Akabane-Iwabuchi Station
Highways
- Shuto Expressway C2 Central Loop
- Route 17
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
International relations
Kita has a sister city relationship with Xuanwu District, Beijing, China.It is also twinned with the following cities in Japan.