Kita, Tokyo

Kita 北
—  Special ward  —
北区 · City of Kita
Asukayama Park in Ōji, Kita, Tokyo
Flag Logo
Location of Kita in Tokyo
Kita
Coordinates: 35°45′N 139°44′E / 35.75°N 139.733°E / 35.75; 139.733Coordinates: 35°45′N 139°44′E / 35.75°N 139.733°E / 35.75; 139.733
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tokyo
Area
– Total	20.59 km2 (7.9 sq mi)
Population (2008)
– Total	332,410
– Density	16,140/km2 (41,802.4/sq mi)
Time zone	Japan Standard Time (UTC+9)
Website	Kita

Kita (北区, Kita-ku^?) is one of the special wards of Tokyo, Japan. In English, it calls itself the City of Kita .

As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 332,140 and a density of 16,140 persons per km². The total area is 20.59 km².

Geography

The name Kita, meaning "north," reflects the location among the wards of Tokyo. To its north lie the cities of Kawaguchi and Toda in Saitama Prefecture. To the east, south and west lie other special wards: Adachi, Arakawa, Itabashi, Bunkyō and Toshima.

Rivers include the Arakawa and the Sumida River.

History

The ward was founded on March 15, 1947.

Famous sites

• Asukayama Park
• Ukima Park
• Chūō Park (formerly Camp Oji)
• Furukawa Garden
• Nanushi-no-taki Park
• Oji Shrine
• Oji Inari shrine

Economy

The head office of Seiyu Group is in Kita.^[1]

Education

The city's public elementary and middle schools are operated by the City of Kita Board of Education.

The city's public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

• Asuka High School [1]
• Akabane Commercial High School [2]
• Kirigaoka High School [3]
• Oji Technical High School [4]

Transportation

Rail

• JR East
  • Tōhoku Main Line, Takasaki Line, Utsunomiya Line: Oku, Akabane Stations
  • Saikyō Line (Akabane Line): Itabashi, Jujo, Akabane, Kita Akabane, Ukima Funado Stations
  • Keihin-Tōhoku Line: Tabata, Kami Nakazato, Ōji, Higashi Jujo, Akabane Stations
• Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation Toden Arakawa Line: Nishigahara Yonchōme, Takinogawa Itchōme, Asukayama, Ōji Ekimae, Sakae-chō, Kajiwara Stations
• Tokyo Metro Namboku Line: Nishigahara, Ōji, Ōji Kamiya, Shimo, Akabane Iwabuchi Stations
• Saitama Rapid Railway Line (Sainokuni Stadium Line): Akabane-Iwabuchi Station

Highways

• Shuto Expressway C2 Central Loop (Itabashi JCT - Kasai JCT)
• Route 17 (Nakasendō)

Famous people from Kita

• Kōbō Abe, novelist
• Tempu Nakamura, writer, philosopher, brought yoga to Japan
• Kiyoshi Kodama (児玉清), actor
• Kyoko Fukada, model, actress, singer
• Chieko Baisho, actress, singer
• Megumi Hayashibara, idol singer, seiyu
• Yoshiyuki Kuwahara, soccer player
• Ichiro Furutachi, emcee, entertainer
• Ramu Tokashiki (渡嘉敷来夢), basketball player
• Kita Maclean Social Worker, Politician
• Yuichi Nakamaru, singer/beatboxer, actor, TV/radio host

Sister cities

Kita has a sister city relationship with:

• Xuanwu District, Beijing, People's Republic of China

Domestic

• Sakata, Yamagata
• Kanra, Gunma
• Nakanojo, Gunma

See also

Tokyo portal

References

1. ^ "Corporate Data." Seiyu Group. Retrieved on May 19, 2009.

External links

• City of Kita official website in English