Mitaka, Tokyo

Mitaka (三鷹市, Mitaka-shi) is a city in the western portion of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 1 March 2021, the city had an estimated population of 190,403, and a population density of 12,000 persons per km².[1] The total area of the city was 16.42 square kilometres (6.34 sq mi).[2]

Mitaka
三鷹市
Clockwise from top: Mitaka City Hall; Inokashira Park; the Ghibli Museum; the entrance of International Christian University campus
Flag of Mitaka
Official seal of Mitaka
Location of Mitaka in Tokyo
Location of Mitaka in Tokyo
Mitaka is located in Japan
Mitaka
Mitaka
 
Coordinates: 35°41′0.8″N 139°33′34.3″E
CountryJapan
RegionKantō
PrefectureTokyo
Government
  MayorTakashi Kawamura (since April 2019)
Area
  Total16.42 km2 (6.34 sq mi)
Population
 (March 2021)
  Total190,403
  Density12,000/km2 (30,000/sq mi)
Time zoneUTC+9 (Japan Standard Time)
Symbols 
• TreeGinkgo biloba
• FlowerMalus halliana
Phone number042-558-1111
Address1-1-1 Nozaki, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-8555
WebsiteOfficial website
Inokashira Park in Mitaka

Geography

Mitaka is located on the Kantō Plain, just outside the 23 special wards of Tokyo Metropolis, which are on its eastern borders. The Tamagawa Aqueduct canal, which runs alongside Mitaka station, has an important place in history, built in 1653 to feed the local metropolis. It is also the place where novelist Osamu Dazai died by suicide in 1948. The National Astronomical Observatory of Japan is located in Mitaka.

Surrounding municipalities

Tokyo Metropolis

Climate

Mitaka has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Mitaka is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C.[3]

Demographics

Per Japanese census data,[4] the population of Mitaka increased rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s. In 1994 there were 2,585 foreign residents in Mitaka, including 726 from North and South Korea, 713 from China, 441 from the United States, 114 from the Philippines, and 108 from the United Kingdom. Of all municipalities in Japan, Mitaka had the highest proportion of Chinese returnees.[5]

Historical population
YearPop.±%
1920 5,725    
1930 8,218+43.5%
1940 24,247+195.0%
1950 54,820+126.1%
1960 98,038+78.8%
1970 155,693+58.8%
1980 164,526+5.7%
1990 165,564+0.6%
2000 171,612+3.7%
2010 186,083+8.4%
2020 195,391+5.0%

History

The area of present-day Mitaka was part of ancient Musashi Province. In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of 22 July 1878, the area became part of Kitatama District in Kanagawa Prefecture. The village of Mitaka was created on 1 April 1889 with the establishment of modern municipalities law. Kitatama District was transferred to the administrative control of Tokyo Metropolis on 1 April 1893. Mitaka was raised to town status in 1940. In 1949, the Mitaka incident, one of a series of unexplained fatal train accidents around the same period of time, occurred at Mitaka Station.[6] Mitaka City was officially founded on 3 November 1950. A motion to merge with neighboring Musashino City failed in 1955 by only a single vote in the Mitaka city assembly.

Government

Mitaka has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 28 members. Mitaka contributes two members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tokyo 22nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Mitaka is primarily a bedroom community for Tokyo. A number of animation studios, including Pierrot,[7] Silver Link. and Telecom Animation Film[8] have their corporate headquarters in Mitaka. A short-lived video game manufacturer TAD Corporation was founded and headquartered in the same location.[9][10][11] Subaru Tecnica International has its headquarters in Mitaka.[12]

Education

Colleges and universities

Primary and secondary schools

Private primary and secondary schools:

Public junior high schools:[15]

  • No. 1 Junior High School (第一中学校)
  • No. 2 Junior High School (第二中学校)
  • No. 3 Junior High School (第三中学校)
  • No. 4 Junior High School (第四中学校)
  • No. 5 Junior High School (第五中学校)
  • No. 6 Junior High School (第六中学校)
  • No. 7 Junior High School (第七中学校)

Public elementary schools:[15]

  • No. 1 (第一小学校)
  • No. 2 (第二小学校)
  • No. 3 (第三小学校)
  • No. 4 (第四小学校)
  • No. 5 (第五小学校)
  • No. 6 (第六小学校)
  • No. 7 (第七小学校)
  • Hanesawa (羽沢小学校)
  • Higashidai (東台小学校)
  • Iguchi (井口小学校)
  • Kitano (北野小学校)
  • Minamiura (南浦小学校)
  • Nakahara (中原小学校)
  • Osawadai (大沢台小学校)
  • Takayama (高山小学校)

Transportation

Railway

JR EastChuo Main Line

Keio Corporation - Keio Inokashira Line

Highway

Local attractions

The Ghibli Museum in Mitaka

Notable people from Mitaka

See also

References

  1. "Mitaka city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
  2. Mitaka City home page
  3. Mitaka climate data
  4. Mitaka population statistics
  5. Maher, John C. (1995), "The Kakyo: Chinese in Japan", Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 16 (1–2): 125–138, doi:10.1080/01434632.1995.9994596 - (published online 14 September 2010) CITED: p. 135."
  6. The Three Big Rail Mysteries that Defined Japan’s Summer of 1949
  7. "Company Profile Archived 2010-02-12 at the Wayback Machine." Studio Pierrot. Retrieved on 26 February 2010.
  8. " Archived 2011-09-12 at the Wayback Machine."
  9. Latest Status Info
  10. Image Trademark Trademark Application of TAD CORPORATION – Serial Number 74117580 :: Justia Trademarks
  11. 74117580 – Trademarks411, Trademark Search Made Simple
  12. STI company profile. Retrieved on 2 October 2012.
  13. "Housing Office | Housing Information | Mitaka International Hall of Residence".
  14. "." Formerly Little Angels International School. Retrieved on 28 June 2022. "Musashi International School (Mitaka Campus) [...] 9-7-14,Shimorenjaku, Mitaka-shi, Tokyo 181-0013, Japan." – Japanese address:(三鷹校)[...] 〒181-0013 東京三鷹市下連雀9-7-14"
  15. "三鷹市の学校ホームページ". Mitaka Schools. Retrieved 13 November 2022.
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