Koenji
Encyclopedia
is an area of Tokyo
in Suginami ward, west of Shinjuku. The neighborhood is named after some old temples in the area.
Kōenji is primarily a bedroom community with easy access to Shinjuku and Tokyo Stations. It was largely unaffected by the 1980s building boom and therefore many of the houses and shops in the area are small and reflect the character of pre-boom Japan. Due to its aging retail district and location on a major commuter route, the station area has become a center for small restaurants and "Live Houses" which offer live music. It is also known for having a young population and as a center for suburban underground culture including multiple used record and clothing shops. In 2006, when the Japanese PSE law
went into effect restricting the sale of electronic goods built before 2001, Kōenji was chosen as the site for a protest due to its active "retro" culture and used equipment shops.
is a post-war arrangement. The whole area surrounding Shukuhōzan Kōenji temple used to be called "Kōenji".
There also used to be a town called Mabashi between Kōenji and nearby Asagaya
, which has since been absorbed into Kōenji, although the name "Mabashi" is retained in some schools and shrines
.
and Shimokitazawa
, Kōenji is the best-known area in Tokyo for used clothing shopping. The majority of the stores are on the south side of the JR station, on or near Look Shōtengai
(ルック商店街).
South of the station is the "PAL" shopping arcade filled with many food, clothing, and discount goods shops. North of the station there are two main shopping streets filled with used record shops, restaurants and cafes. West of the station, both north, south, and under the tracks are many small yakitori
's and bars. The station itself was renovated in 2006, and a brand new Hotel Mets opened at the northern entrance in March 2007.
There are several large supermarkets, including Queen's Isetan
(near Shin-Kōenji Station
), which stocks a fair amount of imported food.
restaurants, izakaya
s, ramen
-yas, and nomiyas can be found in the streets and alleys of both north and south Kōenji, as well as under the elevated tracks near the JR station. As with many areas of Tokyo, finding a place to eat or drink is easy, but finding a truly memorable one is another matter - often requiring exploration.
The festival has its origins in Tokushima and was adopted by Kōenji post-war. It involves a procession of groups performing traditional music and dance, and is enjoyed by a wide variety of people. The procession weaves its way through the streets on both sides of Kōenji Station, often with a dramatic conclusion at the "finish line".
in spring, or for a stroll.
(Kōenji Station
) and the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (Shin-Kōenji Station
or Higashi-Kōenji Station
).
The major roads Waseda Dōri (早稲田通り), Kannana Dōri (環七通り) and Ōme Kaidō (青梅街道) also pass through the suburb.
Tokyo
, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...
in Suginami ward, west of Shinjuku. The neighborhood is named after some old temples in the area.
Kōenji is primarily a bedroom community with easy access to Shinjuku and Tokyo Stations. It was largely unaffected by the 1980s building boom and therefore many of the houses and shops in the area are small and reflect the character of pre-boom Japan. Due to its aging retail district and location on a major commuter route, the station area has become a center for small restaurants and "Live Houses" which offer live music. It is also known for having a young population and as a center for suburban underground culture including multiple used record and clothing shops. In 2006, when the Japanese PSE law
PSE law
The is the law that governs electrical appliance safety in Japan. PSE stands for Product Safety Electrical Appliance & Material. The formal name is . The most recent revision comes April 1, 2001. The PSE symbol can be found on appliances that are approved for use in Japan....
went into effect restricting the sale of electronic goods built before 2001, Kōenji was chosen as the site for a protest due to its active "retro" culture and used equipment shops.
History
The current division of Kōenji into north and south around Kōenji StationKoenji Station
Kōenji Station is a train station on the Chūō Main Line in the Kōenji neighborhood in Suginami, Tokyo.The station, on a four-track section, is served by local and rapid services of the Chūō Main Line on weekdays...
is a post-war arrangement. The whole area surrounding Shukuhōzan Kōenji temple used to be called "Kōenji".
There also used to be a town called Mabashi between Kōenji and nearby Asagaya
Asagaya
, a suburb of Tokyo located in the Suginami ward west of Shinjuku. Main access to Asagaya is via the Chūō-Sōbu Line, 12 minutes out from Shinjuku station.-Geography:...
, which has since been absorbed into Kōenji, although the name "Mabashi" is retained in some schools and shrines
Jinja (Shinto)
A Shinto shrine is a structure whose main purpose is to house one or more Shinto kami....
.
Shopping
After HarajukuHarajuku
Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan....
and Shimokitazawa
Shimokitazawa
is a neighborhood in Setagaya, Tokyo. It consists of the neighborhood immediately surrounding Shimo-Kitazawa Station, where the Odakyū and Keiō Inokashira Lines intersect. Also known as "Shimokita", the district is a center for stage theater and live music venues. It is home to the historic Honda...
, Kōenji is the best-known area in Tokyo for used clothing shopping. The majority of the stores are on the south side of the JR station, on or near Look Shōtengai
Shotengai
A shōtengai is a style of Japanese commercial district running along a certain street. Shōtengai often connect to the nearest train station. Most suburbs and towns of Japan have shōtengai of varying size, and larger shōtengai may take the form of covered arcades that are blocked off to traffic...
(ルック商店街).
South of the station is the "PAL" shopping arcade filled with many food, clothing, and discount goods shops. North of the station there are two main shopping streets filled with used record shops, restaurants and cafes. West of the station, both north, south, and under the tracks are many small yakitori
Yakitori
, grilled chicken, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term Yakitori can also refer to skewered food in general. Kushiyaki , is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled...
's and bars. The station itself was renovated in 2006, and a brand new Hotel Mets opened at the northern entrance in March 2007.
There are several large supermarkets, including Queen's Isetan
Isetan
is a Japanese department store. Based in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Isetan has branches throughout Japan and East Asia, including Bangkok, Jinan, Kaohsiung, Kuala Lumpur, Shanghai, Singapore and Tianjin and formerly in Hong Kong, London and Vienna....
(near Shin-Kōenji Station
Shin-Koenji Station
is a train station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, located in Kōenji, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. Its station number is M-03.Its two exits are on either side of Ōme Kaidō Avenue , a major road connecting Shinjuku to the western suburbs of Tokyo...
), which stocks a fair amount of imported food.
Eating and drinking
Dozens of yakitoriYakitori
, grilled chicken, is commonly a Japanese type of skewered chicken. The term Yakitori can also refer to skewered food in general. Kushiyaki , is a formal term that encompasses both poultry and non-poultry items, skewered and grilled...
restaurants, izakaya
Izakaya
An is a type of Japanese drinking establishment which also serves food to accompany the drinks. They are popular, casual places for after-work drinking.-Name:...
s, ramen
Ramen
is a Japanese noodle dish. It consists of Chinese-style wheat noodles served in a meat- or fish-based broth, often flavored with soy sauce or miso, and uses toppings such as , , kamaboko, green onions, and occasionally corn...
-yas, and nomiyas can be found in the streets and alleys of both north and south Kōenji, as well as under the elevated tracks near the JR station. As with many areas of Tokyo, finding a place to eat or drink is easy, but finding a truly memorable one is another matter - often requiring exploration.
Awa Odori
Each year in late August the Kōenji Awa Odori festival is held over three days. This is increasingly becoming a major tourist attraction for the area. It is the second largest Awa Dance Festival in Japan, with an average of 188 groups composed of 12,000 dancers, attracting 1.2 million visitors over the course of the weekend.The festival has its origins in Tokushima and was adopted by Kōenji post-war. It involves a procession of groups performing traditional music and dance, and is enjoyed by a wide variety of people. The procession weaves its way through the streets on both sides of Kōenji Station, often with a dramatic conclusion at the "finish line".
Music
Kōenji is said to be the birthplace of punk in Tokyo, and some good (small) live venues can still be found there.Parks
There are several parks in the area, including Sanshi-no-mori (蚕糸の森), Mabashi Kōen (馬橋公園), and Wadabori Kōen (和田堀公園). Wadabori Kōen is the best in the immediate area for viewing sakuraSakura
A cherry blossom is the flower of any of several trees of genus Prunus, particularly the Japanese Cherry, Prunus serrulata, which is sometimes called sakura after the Japanese . Many of the varieties that have been cultivated for ornamental use do not produce fruit...
in spring, or for a stroll.
Transport
The Kōenji area is accessible by the JR Chūō-Sōbu LineChuo-Sobu Line
The is a railway line located in Tokyo and Chiba Prefecture, Japan. Part of the East Japan Railway Company network, it runs on separate tracks along the right-of-way of the Chūō Main Line and Sōbu Main Line , providing service between Mitaka Station in the cities of Mitaka and Musashino and...
(Kōenji Station
Koenji Station
Kōenji Station is a train station on the Chūō Main Line in the Kōenji neighborhood in Suginami, Tokyo.The station, on a four-track section, is served by local and rapid services of the Chūō Main Line on weekdays...
) and the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line (Shin-Kōenji Station
Shin-Koenji Station
is a train station on the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line, located in Kōenji, Suginami, Tokyo, Japan. Its station number is M-03.Its two exits are on either side of Ōme Kaidō Avenue , a major road connecting Shinjuku to the western suburbs of Tokyo...
or Higashi-Kōenji Station
Higashi-Koenji Station
Higashi-kōenji Station is a train station in Suginami, Tokyo Prefecture, Japan. Its station number is M-04. The station opened on 18 September 1964, and consists of two side platforms.-Adjacent stations:...
).
The major roads Waseda Dōri (早稲田通り), Kannana Dōri (環七通り) and Ōme Kaidō (青梅街道) also pass through the suburb.
Kōenji in popular culture
- The area appeared in the movie Nobody Knows (2004).
- It is also the setting for Haruki MurakamiHaruki Murakamiis a Japanese writer and translator. His works of fiction and non-fiction have garnered him critical acclaim and numerous awards, including the Franz Kafka Prize and Jerusalem Prize among others.He is considered an important figure in postmodern literature...
's latest novel, 1Q841Q841Q84 is a novel by Haruki Murakami, first published in three volumes in Japan in 2009–10. The novel quickly became a sensation, with its first printing selling out the day it was released, and reaching sales of one million within a month...
(2009). - It is the namesake of the progressive rockProgressive rockProgressive rock is a subgenre of rock music that developed in the late 1960s and early 1970s as part of a "mostly British attempt to elevate rock music to new levels of artistic credibility." John Covach, in Contemporary Music Review, says that many thought it would not just "succeed the pop of...
/ZeuhlZeuhlZeuhl means celestial in Kobaïan, the constructed language created by Christian Vander. Originally solely applied to the music of Vander's band, Magma, the term zeuhl was eventually used to describe the similar music produced by French bands, beginning in the mid-1970s...
band Kōenji HyakkeiKoenji hyakkei, also known as Kōenjihyakkei, is a Japanese Zeuhl band led by Yoshida Tatsuya of Ruins fame. The band released their first album in 1994 with Aki Kubota from Bondage Fruit on vocals and keyboard...
.
External links
- Koenji Navi (in Japanese)
- 高円寺純情商店街 Kōenji shopping area; local info, maps, businesses, etc (Japanese)
- 宿鳳山高円寺 Shukuhōzan Kōenji temple, after which Kōenji takes its name