Shinagawa


Shinagawa is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Shinagawa City in English. It is home to ten embassies.
, Shinagawa had an estimated population of 380,293 and a population density of 16,510 persons per km2. The total area is 22.84 km2.
Shinagawa is also commonly used to refer to the business district around Shinagawa Station, which is not in Shinagawa Ward. This Shinagawa is in the Takanawa and Konan neighborhoods of Minato Ward, directly north of Kita-Shinagawa.

Geography

Shinagawa Ward includes natural uplands and lowlands, as well as reclaimed land. The uplands are the eastern end of the Musashino Terrace. They include Shiba-Shirokanedai north of the Meguro River, Megurodai between the Meguro and Tachiai Rivers, and Ebaradai south of the Tachiai River.
The Ward lies on Tokyo Bay. Its neighbors on land are all special wards of Tokyo: Kōtō to the east, Minato to the north, Meguro to the west, and Ōta to the south.

Districts and neighborhoods

Shinagawa Ward consists of five areas, each consisting of multiple districts and neighborhoods:
  • Shinagawa District, including the former Shinagawa-juku on the Tōkaidō.
  • Ōsaki, Tokyo District, formerly a town of that name, stretching from Ōsaki Station to Gotanda and Meguro Stations.
  • Ebara District, formerly a town of that name.
  • Ōi District, formerly a town of that name.
  • Yashio District, consisting of reclaimed land, including Higashiyashio on Odaiba.
;Shinagawa Area
  • Higashishinagawa
  • Hiromachi
  • Kitashinagawa
  • Minamishinagawa
  • Nishishinagawa
;Ōi Area
  • Ōi
  • Higashiōi
  • Katsushima
  • Minamiōi
  • Nishiōi
;Ōsaki Area
;Ebara Area
  • Ebara
  • Futaba
  • Hatanodai
  • Higashinakanobu
  • Hiratsuka
  • Koyama
  • Koyamadai
  • Nakanobu
  • Nishinakanobu
  • Togoshi
  • Yutakachō
;Yashio Area
  • Yashio
  • Higashiyashio

    History

Most of Tokyo east of the Imperial Palace is on reclaimed land. A large proportion of the reclamation took place during the Edo period, when Shinagawa-juku was the first shukuba in the "53 Stations of the Tōkaidō" that a traveler would reach after setting out from Nihonbashi to Kyoto on the Tōkaidō. The Tokugawa shogunate maintained the Suzugamori execution grounds in Shinagawa.
Following the Meiji Restoration and the abolition of the han system, Shinagawa Prefecture was instituted in 1869. The prefectural administration was to be set up in the Ebara District, but in 1871 Shinagawa Prefecture was integrated into Tokyo Prefecture. In 1932, during the reorganisation of the municipal boundaries of Tokyo City following the 1923 Great Kantō earthquake, a smaller version of Shinagawa Ward was created. On March 15, 1947, this was merged with the neighboring Ebara Ward to create the present Shinagawa Ward.
The Ward's historic post-town function is retained today with several large hotels near the train station offering 6,000 rooms, the largest concentration in Tokyo.
The Tōkaidō Shinkansen high-speed rail line began serving Shinagawa Station in 2003.

Politics and government

Shinagawa is run by an assembly of 40 elected members.

Embassies in Shinagawa

Corporate headquarters

Many companies are headquartered in Shinagawa Ward. Isuzu, a diesel engine and commercial truck manufacturer; JTB Corporation, a major travel agency; Nippon Light Metal, an aluminum and chemical products company; MOS Burger ; Lawson, Namco Bandai Holdings; Namco Bandai Games; Banpresto; Rakuten, Honda brand Acura; Toyo Seikan, a packaging manufacturer; NSK Ltd., a bearing maker; Fuji Electric, an electrical equipment manufacturer; Imagica, a media post-production company; Nippon Chemi-Con, an electronic components manufacturer; Topy Industries, a machinery and automotive components company; Gakken, a publishing and educational services company; Comsys, a telecommunications construction and engineering company; and Pola Cosmetics all have their headquarters within Shinagawa Ward. Marza Animation Planet also has its headquarters in Shinagawa on the 18th floor of the Tennoz Ocean Square near Tennōzu Isle Station. Since August 2018, Sega Sammy, best known for its Sonic the Hedgehog franchise, and also the parent company of Marza Animation Planet and TMS Entertainment, has its headquarters in Shinagawa at the Sumitomo Fudosan Osaki Garden Tower, near Ōsaki Station.
Japan Airlines, the head office of its subsidiary JAL Hotels, and registered offices of JAL Express and JALways are located in the Tennōzu Isle area. In addition, Jalux, a subsidiary, has its head office in the I·S Building. One group of employees moved into the building on July 26, 2010, and one on August 2, 2010.
On July 8, 2022, Nikon announced they have begun construction on a new headquarters adjacent to their Ōi Plan. The Nikon HQ is supposed to be completed in 2024 and its address is:, Nishioi 1-chome, Shinagawa-ku, Tokyo

Other offices

Other companies maintain branch offices or research facilities in Shinagawa Ward. Sony operates the Gotenyama Technology Center and the Osaki East Technology Center in Shinagawa. Sony used to have its headquarters in Shinagawa. Sony moved to Minato, Tokyo around the end of 2006 and closed the Osaki West Technology Center in Shinagawa around 2007. Adobe Systems maintains its Japan headquarters on the 19th Floor of Gate City Ohsaki near Ōsaki Station, while Siemens AG has its Japan offices in Takanawa Park Tower. Phoenix Technologies operates its Japan office on the 8th floor of the Gotanda NN Building in Gotanda. Siemens Japan and Philips also have offices in Shinagawa.
Microsoft and ExxonMobil have their Japanese headquarters in Konan, Minato, near Shinagawa. Kojima Productions offices are also located in Shinagawa.

Former economic operations

A JAL subsidiary, Japan Asia Airways, was also headquartered in the JAL Building until JAL dissolved it. GEOS, an English language school company, once had its headquarters in Shinagawa. At one time Air Nippon had its headquarters in Shinagawa.

Places

Higher education

  • Hoshi University
  • Rissho University
  • Seisen University
  • Showa University
  • Tokyo Health Care University
  • Sugino Fashion College
  • Advanced Institute of Industrial Technology – graduate school
  • – college of technology

    Primary and secondary education

Public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Shinagawa Ward Board of Education. Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
  • Metropolitan high schools
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • Private high schools
  • * affiliated to the Bunkyo University
  • *
  • *
  • *
  • *St. Hilda's School
  • *
  • *
  • *, formerly Ono Gakuen Girls' Junior High and Senior High School
  • *
  • International schools
  • *Canadian International School in Tokyo
  • *KAIS International School
  • Special education schools
  • *Tokyo Metropolitan Shinagawa Special Needs Education School – public school for intellectually disabled children
  • * – private deaf school
Municipal combined elementary and junior high schools:
  • Ebara Hiratsuka Gakuen
  • Hino Gakuen
  • Houyou no Mori Gakuen
  • Ito Gakuen
  • Shinagawa Gakuen
  • Yashio Gakuen
Municipal junior high schools:
  • Ebara No. 1 Junior High School
  • Ebara No. 5 Junior High School
  • Ebara No. 6 Junior High School
  • Fujimidai Junior High School
  • Hamakawa Junior High School
  • Osaki Junior High School
  • Suzugamori Junior High School
  • Togoshidai Junior High School
  • Tokai Junior High School
Municipal elementary schools:
  • No. 2 Enzan Elementary School
  • No. 1 Hino Elementary School
  • No. 3 Hino Elementary School
  • No. 4 Hino Elementary School
  • Asamadai Elementary School
  • Daiba Elementary School
  • Enzan Elementary School
  • Genjimae Elementary School
  • Gotenyama Elementary School
  • Hamakawa Elementary School
  • Hatanodai Elementary School
  • Hosui Elementary School
  • Ito Elementary School
  • Jonan Elementary School
  • Jonan No. 2 Elementary School
  • Kamishinmei Elementary School
  • Keiyo Elementary School
  • Koyama Elementary School
  • Koyamadai Elementary School
  • Mitsugi Elementary School
  • Miyamae Elementary School
  • Nakanobu Elementary School
  • Ōhara Elementary School
  • Ōi No. 1 Elementary School
  • Samehama Elementary School
  • Shimizudai Elementary School
  • Suzugamori Elementary School
  • Tachiai Elementary School
  • Togoshi Elementary School
  • Ushiroji Elementary School
  • Yamanaka Elementary School

    Transport

Important railway stations

  • Gotanda Station
  • Meguro Station
  • Ōimachi Station
  • Ōsaki Station
Shinagawa Station is in fact located in neighboring Minato but also serves the northern part of Shinagawa, and is a stop on the high-speed Tōkaidō Shinkansen line.