Tama New Town
Encyclopedia
is a large residential development, straddling the municipalities of Hachiōji
, Tama
, Inagi
and Machida
cities, in Tokyo
, Japan
. It was designed as a new town
in 1965. It is approximately 14 kilometers long stretching east-west, and between 1 and 3 kilometers wide, located in an expanse of hills known as Tama Hills
about 20 kilometers west of the center of the special wards of Tokyo
.
It currently has a population of about 200,000, making it the largest housing development in Japan.
, a rapid influx of population into Tokyo led land prices to skyrocket, causing many to settle on the cheaper outskirts of the city, leading to an unplanned, rapid urban sprawl
. It was feared that, left to its own devices, the uncontrolled expansion of built-up areas would lead to poorly planned communities with insufficient infrastructure to support the population and with poor access to amenities and transport. Tama New Town was planned in 1965 to attempt to ease this pressure by providing hundreds of thousands with housing in a planned, pleasant urban environment. The planning and development was carried out jointly by The Housing and Urban Development Corporation, Tokyo Metropolitan Housing Supply Corporation and Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The original planned population was 342,200, and the designated area was 2,892.1 hectares. Construction began the following year and the first phase opened in 1971. Construction continued in phases for the next few decades.
It is divided into 21 neighborhoods, each with about 3000 to 5000 houses and apartments, each with two elementary schools and one junior high school as well as a neighborhood center with shops, kōban
, post office, clinic
s and the like. Several neighborhoods form one district, each of which are centered around a commuter rail station.
Tama New Town is not a municipality in itself; instead, it straddles the pre-existing boundaries of Tama
, Hachiōji
, Inagi
and Machida
cities, and each area is administered by its respective municipal authorities, all of which come under the jurisdiction of Tokyo Metropolis
.
Tama Center Station itself is serviced by the Tama Toshi Monorail Line
, as well as Keio Sagamihara
and Odakyu Tama Lines which links it to Shinjuku Station
in central Tokyo. The station complex also includes shopping arcades and a bus terminal.
and Odakyu Tama Line, both of which provide a direct service to Shinjuku Station
in central Tokyo. JR Nambu Line
and Tama Toshi Monorail Line
also serve the area.
Tama New Town is home to 14 university
and college
campuses.
FM Tama G-Wind (77.6 MHz/10W) is the radio station dedicated to the local area.
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...
, Tama
Tama, Tokyo
is a municipality classified as a city, located in Tokyo, Japan.Its southern half forms part of the Tama New Town project, Japan's largest residential development, constructed in the 1970s....
, Inagi
Inagi, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 81,134 and the density of 4,096.33 persons per km². The total area is 17.97 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1971.-History:...
and Machida
Machida, Tokyo
is a city located in the western part of the greater metropolis of Tokyo, Japan. The city was founded on February 1, 1958.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 424,669 and a population density of 5,928.65 persons per km². The total area is 71.63 km²...
cities, in 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...
. It was designed as a new town
New town
A new town is a specific type of a planned community, or planned city, that was carefully planned from its inception and is typically constructed in a previously undeveloped area. This contrasts with settlements that evolve in a more ad hoc fashion. Land use conflicts are uncommon in new...
in 1965. It is approximately 14 kilometers long stretching east-west, and between 1 and 3 kilometers wide, located in an expanse of hills known as Tama Hills
Tama Hills
is an area of hills stretching across southwest Tokyo and northeast Kanagawa Prefecture in the Kantō Plain on Honshū, Japan. Its total area is approximately 300 km2...
about 20 kilometers west of the center of the special wards of Tokyo
Special wards of Tokyo
The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...
.
It currently has a population of about 200,000, making it the largest housing development in Japan.
History
During the Japanese post-war economic miracleJapanese post-war economic miracle
The Japanese post-war economic miracle is the name given to the historical phenomenon of Japan's record period of economic growth following World War II, spurred mainly by Japanese economic policy, in particular through the Ministry of International Trade and Industry...
, a rapid influx of population into Tokyo led land prices to skyrocket, causing many to settle on the cheaper outskirts of the city, leading to an unplanned, rapid urban sprawl
Urban sprawl
Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a multifaceted concept, which includes the spreading outwards of a city and its suburbs to its outskirts to low-density and auto-dependent development on rural land, high segregation of uses Urban sprawl, also known as suburban sprawl, is a...
. It was feared that, left to its own devices, the uncontrolled expansion of built-up areas would lead to poorly planned communities with insufficient infrastructure to support the population and with poor access to amenities and transport. Tama New Town was planned in 1965 to attempt to ease this pressure by providing hundreds of thousands with housing in a planned, pleasant urban environment. The planning and development was carried out jointly by The Housing and Urban Development Corporation, Tokyo Metropolitan Housing Supply Corporation and Tokyo Metropolitan Government.
The original planned population was 342,200, and the designated area was 2,892.1 hectares. Construction began the following year and the first phase opened in 1971. Construction continued in phases for the next few decades.
Urban design and facilities
Koban
Koban may refer to:, Japanese neighborhood police substation, sometimes called a "police box", a former Japanese oval gold coin* Koban culture, a Central North Caucasian culture circa 1100 to 400 BC...
, post office, clinic
Clinic
A clinic is a health care facility that is primarily devoted to the care of outpatients...
s and the like. Several neighborhoods form one district, each of which are centered around a commuter rail station.
Tama New Town is not a municipality in itself; instead, it straddles the pre-existing boundaries of Tama
Tama, Tokyo
is a municipality classified as a city, located in Tokyo, Japan.Its southern half forms part of the Tama New Town project, Japan's largest residential development, constructed in the 1970s....
, 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...
, Inagi
Inagi, Tokyo
is a city located in Tokyo, Japan.As of 2008, the city has an estimated population of 81,134 and the density of 4,096.33 persons per km². The total area is 17.97 km².The city was founded on November 1, 1971.-History:...
and Machida
Machida, Tokyo
is a city located in the western part of the greater metropolis of Tokyo, Japan. The city was founded on February 1, 1958.As of October 1, 2010, the city has an estimated population of 424,669 and a population density of 5,928.65 persons per km². The total area is 71.63 km²...
cities, and each area is administered by its respective municipal authorities, all of which come under the jurisdiction of Tokyo Metropolis
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...
.
Tama Center
The area surrounding the Tama Center Station complex, in the municipality of Tama, is the designated center of Tama New Town. The area is separated into business, commercial and leisure zones.Tama Center Station itself is serviced by 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,...
, as well as Keio Sagamihara
Keio Sagamihara Line
The is a Japanese railway line operated by Keio Corporation, connecting Hashimoto Station in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture and Chōfu Station in Chōfu, Tokyo.-History:...
and Odakyu Tama Lines which links it to Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station
is a train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan.Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail, commuter rail and metro lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007,...
in central Tokyo. The station complex also includes shopping arcades and a bus terminal.
- ParthenonParthenonThe Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
Avenue, the main thoroughfare of the Tama Center area famous for its winter illuminations, stretches southwards from the station. In the vicinity are retail, business and leisure complexes, hotels, Tama City Central Police Station, an indoor theme park (Sanrio PurolandSanrio Purolandis an indoor theme park located in Tama New Town, Tokyo, Japan that attracts over 1.5 million visitors per year.Opened on December 7, 1990, the theme park is run by the Sanrio company, and hosts various musicals, restaurants, attractions, and theme rides using popular characters such as Hello...
or "Hello-kitty land"), Warner-Mycal Cinema cineplex, Tama Art University Gallery, Tama TV and Tama South District Hospital.
- Parthenon Tama, a huge culture center, is located at the end of Parthenon Avenue. The building, nicknamed so after ParthenonParthenonThe Parthenon is a temple on the Athenian Acropolis, Greece, dedicated to the Greek goddess Athena, whom the people of Athens considered their virgin patron. Its construction began in 447 BC when the Athenian Empire was at the height of its power. It was completed in 438 BC, although...
in Greece because of its hilltop location, houses a free museum about the history of Tama New Town. Behind Parthenon Tama lies Tama Central Park (Tama Chuo Koen) and a neighbouring Shinto shrine.
Other districts
Other notable hubs in Tama New Town include:- Within Tama city: The area surrounding Nagayama StationNagayama Station (Tokyo)is a station on the Keiō Sagamihara Line and the Odakyū Tama Line located in Tama, Tokyo, Japan. The stations are formally known as Keiō-Nagayama and Odakyū-Nagayama .-Keiō Corporation :...
, comprising several retail complexes such as Greenade Nagayama,http://www.greenade.com/ as well as Nagayama Civic Hall.
- Within Inagi city: The area surrounding Wakabadai StationWakabadai Stationis a railway station operated by the Keio Electric Railway’s Sagamihara Line, located in Asao-ku, Kawasaki, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan. It is 8.8 kilometers from the terminus of the Sagamihara Line at Chōfu Station.-History:...
has developed rapidly in recent years following the completion of the final phase of Tama New Town to the north of the station. Multiple retail complexes have opened since 2004, as well as a planned culture complex including a 400-seat auditorium, library, and a children's center.
- Within Hachiōji city: The new Greenwalk Tama shopping center opened in spring 2007, about 2.5 km southwest of Tama Center, along the main east-west highway.
Transport
Tama New Town is served by more than ten railway stations, most of them on the Keio Sagamihara LineKeio Sagamihara Line
The is a Japanese railway line operated by Keio Corporation, connecting Hashimoto Station in Sagamihara, Kanagawa Prefecture and Chōfu Station in Chōfu, Tokyo.-History:...
and Odakyu Tama Line, both of which provide a direct service to Shinjuku Station
Shinjuku Station
is a train station located in Shinjuku and Shibuya wards in Tokyo, Japan.Serving as the main connecting hub for rail traffic between central Tokyo and its western suburbs on inter-city rail, commuter rail and metro lines, the station was used by an average of 3.64 million people per day in 2007,...
in central Tokyo. JR 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 ...
and 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,...
also serve the area.
Tama New Town is home to 14 university
University
A university is an institution of higher education and research, which grants academic degrees in a variety of subjects. A university is an organisation that provides both undergraduate education and postgraduate education...
and college
College
A college is an educational institution or a constituent part of an educational institution. Usage varies in English-speaking nations...
campuses.
Media
Tama Television (TTV) is a cable TV and internet provider, servicing the Tama New Town area as well as other parts of Tama and Inagi municipalities, and has its own channel providing community news and the like.FM Tama G-Wind (77.6 MHz/10W) is the radio station dedicated to the local area.
In fiction
- The Studio GhibliStudio Ghibliis a Japanese animation and film studio founded in June 1985. The company's logo features the character Totoro from Hayao Miyazaki's film My Neighbor Totoro...
film Whisper of the HeartWhisper of the Heart (film)is a 1995 Japanese animated drama film based on the manga of the same name by Aoi Hiiragi. It was directed by Yoshifumi Kondō and written by Hayao Miyazaki. It was the first theatrical Studio Ghibli feature to be directed by someone other than Miyazaki or Takahata, and the only film to be directed...
is set in Tama New Town. Many places near Seiseki-Sakuragaoka StationSeiseki-Sakuragaoka Stationis a major stop on the Keio Electric Railway Keiō Line located in the municipality of Tama, Tokyo.All Keiō Line services stop at the station. Along with Tama Center Station, it is one of the main gateways to the Tama New Town development...
appear in the film, although the area is depicted as more developed than it was when the film was made.
- Pom PokoPom Pokois a 1994 Japanese animated film, the eighth written and directed by Isao Takahata and animated by Studio Ghibli.Consistent with Japanese folklore, the tanuki are portrayed as a highly sociable, mischievous species, able to use "illusion science" to transform into almost anything, but too...
, another Ghibli film, depicts the expansion of the New Town from the eyes of tanukiTanukiis the common Japanese name for the Japanese raccoon dog . They have been part of Japanese folklore since ancient times...
(raccoon dogs) and their attempts to stop it.