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 Chiyoda's location in Tokyo, Japan. |
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| Location | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kantō |
| Prefecture | Tokyo |
| Physical characteristics | |
| Area | 11.64 km² (4.49 sq mi) |
| Population (as of 2007) | |
| Total | 45,543 |
| Density | 3,912 /km² (10,132 /sq mi) |
| Symbols | |
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| Chiyoda Government Office | |
| Official website: Chiyoda | |
Chiyoda (千代田区 Chiyoda-ku?) is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself Chiyoda City.[1] As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a density of 3,912 persons per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards. The total area is 11.64 km², of which the Imperial Palace takes up 12 percent.
Chiyoda consists of the Palace and a surrounding radius of about 1 km. It inherited the name, literally meaning "field of a thousand generations," from Chiyoda Castle (the other name of Edo Castle). Many government institutions, such as the Diet, Prime Minister's residence, and Supreme Court, are located in Chiyoda, as are Tokyo landmarks such as Yasukuni Shrine, Tokyo Station, and the Budokan. Fifteen embassies are located within the ward. Chiyoda is also home to over 36,000 businesses employing over 888,000 people.
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History
Chiyoda was founded on March 15, 1947 by the unification of Kanda Ward (the northeast corner of present-day Chiyoda, around Akihabara Station) and Kōjimachi Ward (comprising the rest of Chiyoda).
- In 1860, the assassination of Ii Naosuke took place outside the Sakurada Gate of the Imperial Palace.
- In 1932, assassins attacked and killed Prime Minister Inukai Tsuyoshi.
- In 1936, an attempted coup d'etat, the February 26 Incident, occurred.
- In 1995, members of Aum Shinrikyo carried out the Sarin gas attack on the Tokyo subway.
Geography
Chiyoda is located at the very heart of central Tokyo. The central area of the ward is furthermore occupied by the Imperial Palace. The east side of the ward, bordering Chūō, is the location of Tokyo Station. The south side, bordering Minato, encompasses Hibiya Park and the National Diet Building. It is almost exclusively occupied by administrations and agencies. The west and northwest are primarily upper class residential; the Yasukuni Shrine is also there. To the north and northeast are several residential neighborhoods and the Akihabara commercial district.
Politics and government
Chiyoda in run by a city assembly of 25 elected members. The current mayor is Masami Ishikawa, an independent.
The ward is also home to the Diet of Japan, the Supreme Court of Japan and the residence of the Prime Minister of Japan and is the political nerve center of Japan.
Districts
Some of the districts in Chiyoda are actually not inhabited, either because they are parks (Hibiya Koen), because they consist only of office buildings (Otemachi, Marunouchi...), and/or because they are extremely small. The area on the Eastern side of the Akihabara station is the location of several districts that cover at most a few buildings. Kanda-Hanaokachō is for example more or less limited to the building of Yodobashi Camera. Tackling the addressing system in the Kanda area can be particularly cumbersome for non-locals. However, the addressing system is currently being modernized.
Kōjimachi Area
- Kōjimachi Area (麹町地区), former Kojimachi ward
- The Banchō (番町) area (actually consisting of six neighborhoods, from Ichibancho to Rokubanchō), an upper class residential area, home of the embassies of Belgium, the UK and Israel.
- Chiyoda (千代田) - "1 Chiyoda, Chiyoda-ku" is the official address of the Imperial Palace
- Fujimi (富士見), location of the Philippines embassy as well as several schools
- Hayabusachō (隼町) - Houses the Supreme Court of Japan and the National Theater.
- Hibiya Kōen (日比谷) - Address for the Hibiya Park, a large park south of the Imperial Palace.
- Hirakawachō (平河町)
- Iidabashi (飯田橋)
- Kasumigaseki (霞ヶ関) - The nerve center of Japan's administrative agencies.
- Kioichō (紀尾井町) - The name, ki-o-i, is a three-kanji acronym consisting of one kanji each from the names of the Kishū Domain, Owari Domain, and Ii clan, whose daimyo residences were here during the Edo period
- Kitanomaru Kōen (北の丸公園), location of the Kitanomaru Park, North of the imperial palace, location of the Budokan.
- Kōjimachi (麹町) - Older residential and commercial neighborhood on the west side of the Imperial Palace, home to the embassy of Ireland
- Kōkyo Gaien - large open gardens in front of the Imperial palace
- Kudanminami (九段南) and Kudankita (九段北) districts, around the station of Kudanshita (九段下) - Northwest side of the Imperial Palace, home to Yasukuni Shrine.
- Marunouchi (丸の内) - Located between Tokyo Station and the Imperial Palace, one of Tokyo's traditional commercial centers.
- Nagatachō (永田町) - The location of the Diet of Japan; also houses the Hie Shrine.
- Ōtemachi (大手町) - North of Marunouchi, a district of key financial Japanese institutions and major national newspapers.
- Uchisaiwaichō (内幸町), close to the Hibiya Park, location of the Imperial Hotel, as well as head offices of banks (especially Mizuho Financial Group).
- Yūrakuchō (有楽町) - South of Marunouchi, part of the Tokyo Station business district.
Kanda Area
- Kanda Area (神田地区), former Kanda Ward. Soto-Kanda, at the northern corner of the ward, home to the famous Akihabara electronics district.
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The list below consists of the many smaller neighborhoods of the Kanda area, for which a modernization of the addressing system has not been enforced yet. All officially start with the prefix "Kanda-", but it is sometimes omitted in daily life. Note that Iwamotochō and Kanda-Iwamotochō are different districts (as is the case for Kajichō and Kanda-Kajichō)
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Attractions
- Akihabara
- Hibiya Park
- Imperial Palace
- Kitanomaru Park
- National Diet Building
- Nippon Budokan
- Tokyo International Forum
- Tokyo Station
- Tokyo Takarazuka Theater
Transportation
- Further information: Transportation in Greater Tokyo
Home to the massive Tokyo station with a multitude of subways, railways and long-distance services.
Famous people
- Sada Abe
- Koshiji Fubuki (Actress, singer)
- Heinosuke Gosho (Film director)
- Noriko Hidaka (Seiyu)
- Meiko Kaji (Actress, singer)
- Rohan Koda (Author)
- Yuji Miyake (Actor)
- Nakamura Kichiemon II (Kabuki, television actor)
- Megumi Ogata (Seiyuu)
- Torahiko Terada (Physicist and author)
Points of historical interest
 Site of house of Oguri Kōzuke no suke |
 Site of Haniwa Hokinoichi Wagaku kōdansho |
 Site of home of Sano Zenzaemon |
 lighthouse of Kudan |
Education
Public elementary and junior high schools in Chiyoda are operated by the Chiyoda Board of Education. Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
Hitotsubashi University's Graduate School of International Corporate Strategy is located in the National Center of Sciences in Hitotsubashi.
External links
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