Tachikawa, Tokyo
Encyclopedia
Cities of Japan
||A is a local administrative unit in Japan. Cities are ranked on the same level as and , with the difference that they are not a component of...
located in western Tokyo
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...
, Japan
Japan
Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...
.
As of February 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population
Population
A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...
of 178,064 and the density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
of 7,303.69 people per km². The total area is 24.38 km². Showa Memorial Park
Showa Memorial Park
is a national government park in Akishima and Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. It charges an entrance fee.It was established in 1983 as part of a project to commemorate the Golden Jubilee of the Shōwa emperor....
, an expansive leisure and recreational facility operated by the national government, occupies 1.49 square kilometres of land that was formerly part of Tachikawa Air Base
Tachikawa Airfield
is an airfield in the city of Tachikawa, the western part of Tokyo, Japan. Currently under the administration of the Ministry of Defense, it has also served as the civil aviation with Japan's first scheduled air service.-Operations:...
in Tachikawa and neighboring Akishima
Akishima, Tokyo
is a city located in the western end of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 2010, the city has an estimated population of 112,521 and a population density of 6,490 persons per km²...
.
The city was founded on December 1, 1940.
Geography
Tachikawa is about 40 km west of the center of Tokyo. Kunitachi, KokubunjiKokubunji, Tokyo
is a city in Tokyo, Japan.As of 1 June 2008, the city has an estimated population of 117,335 . The total area is 11.48 km²...
, and Kodaira are east of Tachikawa, Higashiyamato, and Musashimurayama are north of Tachikawa, Fussa, and Akishima west of Tachikawa, and Hino
Hino
Hino can mean:A Place:*Hino, Shiga*Hino, Tokyo*Hino, Tottori*Hino District, Tottori*Lake Hino in EstoniaA Company:*Hino Motors, Ltd.A Person*Rei Hino, a character on Sailor Moon*Hikari Hino, a Japanese porn star...
to the south.
Transportation
Tachikawa is on the JREast Japan Railway Company
is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
Chūō Line
Chuo Main Line
The , commonly called the Chūō Line, is one of the major trunk railway lines in Japan. It runs between Tokyo and Nagoya, although it is the slowest direct railway connection between the two cities; the coastal Tōkaidō Main Line is slightly faster, while the Tōkaidō Shinkansen is the fastest rail...
. Trains traveling west from Tokyo Station
Tokyo Station
is a train station located in the Marunouchi business district of Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan, near the Imperial Palace grounds and the Ginza commercial district....
through Shinjuku stop at Tachikawa Station
Tachikawa Station
is an important railway station in the city of Tachikawa, Tokyo, Japan. The JR Chūō Line passes through Tachikawa Station. The Ōme Line and Nambu Line terminate here...
before continuing to Hachiōji
Hachioji, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan, about 40 kilometers west of the center of the special wards of Tokyo.As of January 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 551,901 and a population density of 2,962.27/km². The total area is 186.31 km². It is the eighth largest city in the...
and Takao
Takao
Takao may refer to:* Mount Takao in Tokyo, Japan* Kaohsiung, Taiwan: The Taiwanese and Japanese name before administration of Taiwan was handed to the Republic of China...
. The JR Ome Line
Ome Line
The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company in western Tokyo, Japan. It links Tachikawa and the Chūō Line with the town of Okutama. Many Chūō Line trains operate via the Ōme Line to Ōme Station, providing non-stop service to Tokyo Station....
and Itsukaichi Line
Itsukaichi Line
The is a railway line operated by East Japan Railway Company in Tokyo, Japan. It links Musashi-Itsukaichi Station in the city of Akiruno with Haijima Station in the city of Akishima...
also serve the city, stopping at Tachikawa and Nishi Tachikawa stations. The Nambu Line
Nambu Line
The is a Japanese railway line which connects Tachikawa Station in Tachikawa, Tokyo and Kawasaki Station in Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture. For most of its length, it parallels the Tama River, the natural border between Tokyo and Kanagawa prefectures. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company ...
links Tachikawa and Kawasaki
Kawasaki, Kanagawa
is a city located in Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan, between Tokyo and Yokohama. It is the 9th most populated city in Japan and one of the main cities forming the Greater Tokyo Area and Keihin Industrial Area....
, following the Tama River
Tama River
The is a major river in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Japanese government....
. The northern areas of Tachikawa are on the Seibu Haijima Line.
The Tama Toshi Monorail Line
Tama Toshi Monorail Line
The , also referred to as the Tama Monorail, is an important part of the Western Tokyo public transport network.Operated by Tokyo Tama Intercity Monorail Co., Ltd., the double tracked, 16.0 km monorail line carries passengers between the suburban cities of Higashiyamato and Tama via Tachikawa,...
carries traffic north and south from Tachikawa. Several stations are in the city, and Tachikawa Minami and Tachikawa Kita stations flank JR Tachikawa Station. On a clear day, the monorail offers spectacular views of Mt. Fuji and the Tama region.
National Route 20, the Kōshū Kaidō
Koshu Kaido
The was one of the five routes of the Edo period and it was built to connect Edo with Kai Province in modern-day Yamanashi Prefecture, Japan. The route continues from there to connect with the Nakasendō's Shimosuwa-shuku in Nagano Prefecture...
, carries automobile and truck traffic through Tachikawa in the east-west direction.
Bus
Bus
A bus is a road vehicle designed to carry passengers. Buses can have a capacity as high as 300 passengers. The most common type of bus is the single-decker bus, with larger loads carried by double-decker buses and articulated buses, and smaller loads carried by midibuses and minibuses; coaches are...
service links Tachikawa and the major airport
Airport
An airport is a location where aircraft such as fixed-wing aircraft, helicopters, and blimps take off and land. Aircraft may be stored or maintained at an airport...
s in the region, Haneda
Tokyo International Airport
, commonly known as , is one of the two primary airports that serve the Greater Tokyo Area in Japan. It is located in Ōta, Tokyo, south of Tokyo Station....
and Narita
Narita International Airport
is an international airport serving the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is located east of Tokyo Station and east-southeast of Narita Station in the city of Narita, and the adjacent town of Shibayama....
.
The Tama River
Tama River
The is a major river in Yamanashi, Kanagawa and Tokyo Prefectures on Honshū, Japan. It is officially classified as a Class 1 river by the Japanese government....
flows between Tachikawa and Hino.
Tamagawa-jousui (Tamagawa water supply) flows north of town, a great promenade is located on both banks. Tamagawa-jousui is also the name of a station.
Points of interest
The area around the Tachikawa JR train station features several large department stores, including Lumine, IsetanIsetan
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....
, and Takashimaya
Takashimaya
is a large Japanese department store chain.Founded in 1829 in Kyoto by Iida Shinkichi as a retailer of used clothing and cotton cloth, the store now has outlets throughout Japan and also in Taipei, Paris and Singapore....
as well as one of the newest and largest cinemas in the Tokyo area. Numerous 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:...
, bars, and pubs are located on both the north and south sides of the station. The famous HALF TONE Jazz club serves up great local and international jazz nightly. In recent years a thriving red-light district
Red-light district
A red-light district is a part of an urban area where there is a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, adult theaters, etc...
has emerged on the south side of the station. This district is large enough that many locals now refer to it as the "mini-Kabukichō" after the famous cabaret district of Shinjuku. Also located near the train station is a large keirinjou (競輪場), or bicycle racetrack, in which spectators place wagers on the results of bicycle races, much as in horse racing. Finally, the honbu of Satojuku, a significant style of karate with origins in Kyokushinkai is located on the south side of the station.
Notable events in history
On 12 May 2011, a robbery of the largest amount of money in Japanese history took place in the city. On that day at 3 a.m., two men wearing masks broke into the office of a security company, bound the sole security guard, beat him until he revealed the code to the company's vault, and then made off with 70 bags of cash containing ¥604 million. The security guard, 36, was seriously injured. Hideaki Ueki, 31, Yutaka Watanabe, 41, Tsutomu Sakuma, 37, and three others were later arrested and charged with perpetrating the crime. All the men allegedly had ties to the YakuzaYakuza
, also known as , are members of traditional organized crime syndicates in Japan. The Japanese police, and media by request of the police, call them bōryokudan , literally "violence group", while the yakuza call themselves "ninkyō dantai" , "chivalrous organizations". The yakuza are notoriously...
.
Primary and secondary schools
Tachikawa operates its public elementary and junior high schools.Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...
operates public high schools:
- Kitatama High School http://www.kitatama-h.metro.tokyo.jp/
- Sunagawa High School http://www.sunagawa-h.metro.tokyo.jp/
- Tachikawa High School http://www.tachikawa-h.metro.tokyo.jp/
In addition the metropolis operates the Tachikawa International Secondary Education School http://www.tatikawa-chukou-j.metro.tokyo.jp/.
Public libraries
The Tokyo Metropolitan LibraryTokyo Metropolitan Library
is the metropolitan public library system for Tokyo, Japan.-Libraries:The Tokyo Metropolitan Library has two branches. The Hibiya Library, a third branch, was closed on April 1, 2009....
Tama Library opened in Tachikawa in 1987 to relieve municipal libraries.
Sister city
Tachikawa is also a sister city to San Bernardino, CaliforniaSan Bernardino, California
San Bernardino is a city located in the Riverside-San Bernardino metropolitan area , and serves as the county seat of San Bernardino County, California, United States...
. In addition, it participates in a high school
High school
High school is a term used in parts of the English speaking world to describe institutions which provide all or part of secondary education. The term is often incorporated into the name of such institutions....
exchange program with San Bernardino.