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is a neighborhood in the

city A city is a human settlement of notable size.Goodall, B. (1987) ''The Penguin Dictionary of Human Geography''. London: Penguin.Kuper, A. and Kuper, J., eds (1996) ''The Social Science Encyclopedia''. 2nd edition. London: Routledge. It can be def ...

of Musashino in

Western Tokyo Western Tokyo, also known as the , or , in the Tokyo Metropolis consists of 30 ordinary municipalities (Cities of Japan, cities (市 shi), Towns of Japan, towns (町 machi) and one Villages of Japan, village (村 mura)), unlike the eastern part ...

Japan Japan ( ja, 日本, or , and formally , ''Nihonkoku'') is an island country in East Asia. It is situated in the northwest Pacific Ocean, and is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan, while extending from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north ...

. It is centered on a compact but popular commercial area to the north and south of Kichijoji Station, with a full range of shops, restaurants, bars, and coffee houses. The area is a popular center for shopping and leisure in the Tokyo metropolitan area due in part to its close proximity to

Inokashira Park is a park which straddles Musashino and Mitaka in western Tokyo, Japan. Inokashira Pond (井の頭池) and the , established during the Edo period, are the primary sources of the Kanda River. The land was given to Tokyo in 1913. On May 1, 191 ...

and Inokashira Park Zoo. Kichijoji has been voted the number 1 place in Japan that Japanese would like to live every year since the 1990s according to polls by the magazine CNN GO. Kichijōji Station is served by the Chūō Line which runs to Tokyo Central Station in around 30 minutes, the

Sobu Line Sobu is a village in the Zangilan Rayon of Azerbaijan Azerbaijan (, ; az, Azərbaycan ), officially the Republic of Azerbaijan, , also sometimes officially called the Azerbaijan Republic is a transcontinental country located at the boundar ...

, the Tozai Line and is also a terminus of the

Keiō Inokashira Line The is a railway line operated by the Japanese private railway operator Keio Corporation in the western suburbs of Tokyo, connecting in Tokyo with in Musashino City. It is not physically connected to the Keio Main Line Network, but a transfe ...

, which takes passengers as far as

Shibuya Shibuya ( 渋谷区 ''Shibuya-ku'') is a special ward in Tokyo, Japan. As a major commercial and finance center, it houses two of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shinjuku Station (southern half) and Shibuya Station. As of April 1 ...

in around 20 minutes on the express service.

History

This town was named after the Kichijō-ji Temple which was located in

Bunkyō is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived th ...

City, Tokyo, before being destroyed by fire in the year 1657. This temple, in turn, derived its name from the Hindu goddess

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism. She is the goddess of wealth, fortune, power, beauty, fertility and prosperity, and associated with ''Maya'' ("Illusion"). Alo ...

, corresponding to

Kisshōten Kisshōten (, lit. "Auspicious Heavens"), also known as Kichijōten, Kisshoutennyo (吉祥天女), Kudokuten (功徳天) is a Japanese female deity, adapted via Buddhism from the Hindu goddess Lakshmi. Kisshoutennyo is sometimes named as one o ...

in Japan. During the Great fire of Meireki, the town in front of Suwazan Kichijō-ji Temple gate, Edo's Hongo Motomachi (now: Hongō 1-chome, Bunkyō, near

Suidōbashi Station is a railway station which straddles Tokyo's Chiyoda and Bunkyō wards, operated jointly by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation (Toei). Lines Suidōbashi Station is served by the following lin ...

) was destroyed by fire. Afterwards, based on town planning, the

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military dictators of Japan during most of the period spanning from 1185 to 1868. Nominally appointed by the Emperor, shoguns were usually the de facto rulers of the country, though during part of the Kamakur ...

rebuilt the area for

daimyō were powerful Japanese magnates, feudal lords who, from the 10th century to the early Meiji era, Meiji period in the middle 19th century, ruled most of Japan from their vast, hereditary land holdings. They were subordinate to the shogun and n ...

residences. Since the residents who used to live in front of Kichijo-ji gate had suffered great loss of residence and farm land, the shogunate's official reed lands named "Reno" and "Mureno" were provided as substitute land for them. Those hoping to apply were given a rice stipend and house construction loans with a 5 year limit. Kichijo-ji

samurai were the hereditary military nobility and officer caste of medieval and early-modern Japan from the late 12th century until their abolition in 1876. They were the well-paid retainers of the '' daimyo'' (the great feudal landholders). They h ...

, Sato Sadaemon and Miyazaki Jinemon, in cooperation with local farmer Matsui Jurozaemon, opened up the eastern district of present day Musashino and relocated the residents there. Soon after, with the opening of the

Tamagawa Aqueduct is a 43 km long Japanese aqueduct located in Tokyo. It was constructed by the Tokugawa shogunate to supply drinking and fire-fighting water from the Tama river to Edo, providing irrigation water around farm villages. The aqueduct was made foll ...

, the previously poorly watered uninhabited

Musashino Plateau The , also translated as Musashino Platform and also named as Musashino Region, is a large tableland (known as a fluvial terrace) in the Kantō region of Honshu, Japan. The Musashino Plateau is a plateau that extends between the Arakawa and Tama R ...

was cultivated, turning it into a vast farmland. In the process, the neatly partitioned thin rectangular shaped plots of land along

Itsukaichi Kaidō is the historic and current main road between former Itsukaichi, Tokyo, Itsukaichi (now Akiruno, Tokyo, Akiruno) and Suginami in Tokyo's central suburbs.ja) (currently Tokyo Metropolitan Route 7, Suginami Akiruno Line) were formed. Some migrants were granted great lengths of land of more than 1000 meters long in the land area extending from Itsukaichi Kaidō to the Tamagawa Aqueduct, up to where the Senkawa Aqueduct ( ja) divides. But the soil was not particularly fertile, so all of the farmland became dry soil fields, with no wet rice fields. Because of the residents who still had attachment to the former Kichijo-ji, the new fields were named Kichijōji Village.

Economy

The neighborhood is dominated by a shopping district centered on a covered street, Sun Road, which extends north from Kichijōji Station. This well organized and clean area includes amenities, shops, entertainment and restaurants. Halfway up this shopping street is the

Buddhist Buddhism ( , ), also known as Buddha Dharma and Dharmavinaya (), is an Indian religion or philosophical tradition based on teachings attributed to the Buddha. It originated in northern India as a -movement in the 5th century BCE, and ...

temple ''Gessō-ji'' (月窓寺), with graveyard, and at the northern end of it are

Shinto shrines A is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more ''kami'', the deities of the Shinto religion. Overview Structurally, a Shinto shrine typically comprises several buildings. The '' honden''Also called (本殿, meani ...

, the latter holding the occasional festival, with amusements such as fishing for gold fish, sweet food stalls, and typical dishes. On the north, east, and south sides of the station is a large nightlife area with many restaurants, bars,

izakaya An () is a type of informal Japanese bar that serves alcoholic drinks and snacks. are casual places for after-work drinking, similar to a pub, a Spanish tapas bar, or an American saloon or tavern. Etymology The word entered the English la ...

, and "live" houses. On the north-east side of the station lies a

red-light district A red-light district or pleasure district is a part of an urban area where a concentration of prostitution and sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light districts are particu ...

on the Chūō Line between Tachikawa and Shinjuku, containing numerous cabarets, bars, and pink salons. The anime and manga companies

Coamix Coamix Co., Ltd. is a Japanese manga and anime production company headquartered in the in Kichijōji, Musashino, Tokyo.事 ...

and

Bee Train , commonly referred to simply as Bee Train, is a Japanese animation studio founded by Kōichi Mashimo in 1997. Since their involvement with '' Noir'', '' .hack//Sign'', and ''Madlax'' (among other series) they have a strong following in the yuri f ...

have their headquarters in Kichijōji.

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio headquartered in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It is best known for its animated feature films, and ha ...

was previously located in Kichijōji."The Animerica Interview: Takahata and Nosaka: Two Grave Voices in Animation." ''

Animerica ''Animerica'' was a monthly magazine published by Viz Media containing news, feature articles, and reviews on manga, anime, and related media, as well as a section that serialized manga published by Viz. After an initial November 1992 preview is ...

''. Volume 2, No. 11. Page 11. Translated by ''Animerica'' from: Takahata, Isao. ''Eiga o Tsukurinagara, Kangaeta Koto'' ("Things I Thought While Making Movies") ''

Tokuma Shoten is a publisher in Japan, headquartered in Shinagawa, Tokyo. The company was established in 1954 by Yasuyoshi Tokuma in Minato, Tokyo. The company’s product portfolio includes music publishing, video game publishing, movies, anime, magazines, m ...

'', 1991. Originally published in ''

Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine which Tokuma Shoten began publishing in July 1978. Hayao Miyazaki's internationally renowned manga, ''Nausicaä of the Valley of the Wind'', was serialized in ''Animage'' from 1982 through 1994. Oth ...

'', June 1987. This is a translation of a 1987 conversation between Takahata and

Akiyuki Nosaka was a Japanese novelist, singer, lyricist, and member of the House of Councillors. As a broadcasting writer he used the name and his alias as a chanson singer was . Early life Nosaka was born in Kamakura, Kanagawa, the son of Sukeyuki Nosak ...

. "Kichijoji is the Tokyo area where "Studio Ghibli," frequent Takahata collaborator Hayao Miyazaki's studio, is located. ..��Ed."

Inokashira Park

, the source of the

Kanda River The stretches 24.6 km from Inokashira Park in Mitaka to the Sumida River under the Ryōgoku Bridge at the boundary of Taitō, Chūō, and Sumida. Its entire length lies within Tokyo, Japan. It drains an area of 105.0 km². The go ...

(神田川 Kanda-gawa), is located south of Kichijōji Station, and is a favorite spot for springtime ''

hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around ...

'', or cherry-blossom viewing. Public-opinion surveys consistently designate Kichijōji one of Tokyo's most desirable residential neighborhoods. It features a large center lake, petting zoo, small cafes, food vendors, and street performers around the perimeter of the park. Nearby is the

Ghibli Museum The is a museum showcasing the work of the Japanese animation studio Studio Ghibli. It is located in Inokashira Park in Mitaka, a western city of Tokyo, Japan. The museum combines features of a children's museum, technology museum, and a fine a ...

, which is part of the neighboring city Mitaka.

Education

Seikei University is a private university in the Kichijōji area of the city of Musashino, Tokyo, Japan. Its name derives from a passage in the Records of the Grand Historian by Sima Qian. Its campus is noted for its rows of zelkova trees, which is listed as on ...

(成蹊大学) is a private university in the northwestern area of the district. It is part of a wider educational institute—an escalator school—which teaches from elementary school right through to university level, and is situated amongst rows of large trees in that area of Kichijōji.

Little Angels International School Musashi International School Tokyo (MIST), formerly Little Angels International School and Academy (LAIS リトルエンジェルス・インターナショナルスクール; formerly リトルエンジェルス学園 ''Ritoru Enjerusu Gakuen''), ...

, a private international school, previously had a campus in Kichijōji.Spring School Program 2011 Application Form
"
Archive
.

. Retrieved on March 9, 2015. "Little Angels International School 4-9-15, Honcho, Kichijoji, Musashino-shi, Tokyo 180-0004 (〒180-0004 東京都武蔵野市吉祥寺本町4-9-15)"
Axis International School
is a private school accepting children from the age of 1 to the second year of university.

Kichijōji in popular culture

Kichijōji is often portrayed in a variety of television shows, motion pictures, literature, and other media.

Video games

* ''

Shin Megami Tensei ''Megami Tensei'', marketed internationally as ''Shin Megami Tensei'' (formerly ''Revelations''), is a Japanese media franchise created by Aya Nishitani, Kouji Okada, Kouji "Cozy" Okada, Ginichiro Suzuki, and Kazunari Suzuki. Primarily developed ...

'': The protagonist lives in Kichijōji along with his mom and his dog. * ''

First Kiss Story is a romance visual novel developed by HuneX. It was originally released for the PC-FX on April 24, 1998, and was the last game to be released for the system. It received a port to the PlayStation in the same year on November 26. The PlayStation ...

'': The town in which the game takes place is modeled after Kichijōji. * ''

Persona 5 is a 2016 role-playing video game developed by Atlus. It takes place in modern-day Tokyo and follows a high school student known by the pseudonym Joker who transfers to a new school after being falsely accused of assault and put on probation. ...

'':

is one of the hangout spots in the game. In the ''Royal'' edition, Kichijōji is added as a fully explorable area allowing players to visit popular spots such as Sun Road, Harmonica Yokocho (alley) and Daiyagai mall. * NG: Visual novel game for PS Vita and PS4 taking place in Kissōji, a fictional town based on Kichijōji.

Anime

Kujibiki Unbalance is a three-episode original video animation spin-off of ''Genshiken'' series, as well as a series of three light novels by ''Genshiken'' anime collaborator Michiko Yokote. Within the world of ''Genshiken'', however, ''Kujibiki Unbalance'' ...

Ocean Waves In fluid dynamics, a wind wave, water wave, or wind-generated water wave, is a surface wave that occurs on the free surface of bodies of water as a result from the wind blowing over the water surface. The contact distance in the direction of t ...

: The first and last scene of the film take place at

Kichijōji station is an interchange passenger railway station serving Kichijōji in the city of Musashino, Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company (JR East) and the private railway operator Keio Corporation. Lines Kichijōji Station is located on ...

. *

Code-E ''Code-E'' is a Japanese anime television series animated by Studio Deen. It is based on an original concept by Ichirō Sakaki and directed by Toshiyuki Katō. The first season consists of twelve episodes and first aired in Japan from July ...

Ultimate Girls is a Japanese anime television series produced by m.o.e. which parodies the genres of tokusatsu, kaiju, and superheroes; mainly themes from the Ultra Series and Kyodai Hero subgenre. It was broadcast in Japan from January 10, 2005, to Ma ...

(1st episode) *

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a companion series, while also being the second season to '' Full Metal Panic!'' by Gonzo and takes place between the first season and the third '' The Second Raid.'' Markedly different in tone to the first series, ''Fumoffu'' emphasizes th ...

: "Uncontrollable Bluebird" *

Yawara! ''Yawara!'' (also stylized as ''YAWARA!'') is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Naoki Urasawa. It was serialized in ''Big Comic Spirits'' from 1986 to 1993, with the chapters collected into 29 ''tankōbon'' volumes by pu ...

(14th episode) *

Maria-sama ga Miteru , often shortened to , is a Japanese light novel series written by with illustrations by Reine Hibiki. Originally written as a short story in 1997, Shueisha published 37 light novel volumes from April 1998 to April 2012. The story f ...

Aura Battler Dunbine is an anime television series created by Yoshiyuki Tomino and produced by Sotsu and Sunrise. ''Dunbine'' is set in Byston Well, a parallel world that resembles the countryside of medieval Europe with kingdoms ruled by monarchs in castles, ...

: The main protagonist lives in Kichijōji. *

Genma Wars is a Japanese science fiction manga and novel franchise that began in 1967. It was a collaboration in ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' by science fiction writer Kazumasa Hirai and manga artist Shotaro Ishinomori. It was adapted into a 1983 ...

Megazone 23 is a four-part Japanese cyberpunk original video animation created by Noboru Ishiguro, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama and Emu Arii, and directed by Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai, and Shinji Aramaki. The series debuted in 1985. It ...

To Love-Ru is a Japanese manga series written by Saki Hasemi and illustrated by Kentaro Yabuki. The manga was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from April 2006 to August 2009, and the chapters collected into 18 ''tank� ...

DD Fist of the North Star is a manga series written and illustrated by Kajio. It is an adaptation of Buronson and Tetsuo Hara's ''Fist of the North Star'' in a chibi art style. Plot The story takes place in an alternative world in which the nuclear war of 199X (in t ...

Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono is a Japanese anime television series. The series is animated using the program MikuMikuDance. The series began airing on NTV NTV may refer to: Television * NTV (Bangladesh), a Bengali-language satellite television channel in Bangladesh ...

*Happy Jozy: A comedic family of Americans experience life in Japan taking place in Kichijōji. *

Occultic;Nine is a Japanese light novel series written by Chiyomaru Shikura, and is a part of the '' Science Adventure'' franchise. It was later adapted into a visual novel and published by Mages in November 2017. The light novel series is licensed in E ...

Brothers Conflict , also known as ''BroCon'', is a Japanese novel series created by Atsuko Kanase, written by Takeshi Mizuno and Kanase, and illustrated by Udajo. It has been adapted into two PlayStation Portable video games by Idea Factory, a yonkoma mang ...

(Noticeable in episode 1) *

Shirobako ''Shirobako'' is a 24-episode anime television series produced by P.A. Works and directed by Tsutomu Mizushima. It aired in Japan between October 9, 2014 and March 26, 2015. A manga adaptation began serialization in ASCII Media Works's ''D ...

Manga

*Kichijōji Catwalk *

Tokyo Tribes ''Tokyo Tribes'', known in Japanese as , is a Japanese ''seinen'' manga series written and illustrated by Santa Inoue. A previous series titled was published into a single-volume in 1993. ''Tokyo Tribes'' was originally serialized from 19 ...

(

Santa Inoue is a Japanese manga artist and entrepreneur. His most notable manga was the '' Tokyo Tribe'' series of which the manga installment '' Tokyo Tribe2'' (also known as ''Tokyo Tribes'') ran from 1997 to 2005, and was made into an anime series as wel ...

) *Fourteen (

Kazuo Umezu is a Japanese manga artist, musician and actor. He is among the most famous authors of horror manga and has been vital for its development since the 1960s. Life Umezu was born in Kōya, Wakayama Prefecture, but raised in the mountainous Go ...

) *Nantoka Narudesho! (

Hisashi Eguchi is a Japanese manga artist and one of Japan's most prominent illustrators of female characters. He made his professional manga debut with in the manga anthology ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' in 1977. Other notable works include (adapted into an ani ...

) *Cher Gou Gou ... Mon Petit Chat, Mon Petit Ami (

Yumiko Ōshima is a Japanese manga artist and is associated with the Year 24 group that heavily influenced the development of shōjo manga in the 1970s. Career She made her debut as a professional manga artist in 1968 with the short story "Paula no Namida" ...

) * I"s (

Masakazu Katsura is a Japanese manga artist, known for several works of manga, including ''Wing-Man'', ''Shadow Lady'', ''DNA²'', '' Video Girl Ai'', '' I"s'', and '' Zetman''. He has also worked as character designer for '' Iria: Zeiram the Animation'', ''Ti ...

) *

Video Girl Ai ''Video Girl Ai'', known in Japan as simply , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Masakazu Katsura. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 1989 to April 1992. It was followed by a short seq ...

(

) *Ellie My Love (Mako Takami) *

Itazura na Kiss is a Japanese '' shōjo'' manga series written and illustrated by Kaoru Tada. ''Itazura na Kiss'' was first serialized and published in 1990 by Shueisha through ''Bessatsu Margaret'' magazine. It became successful very quickly and became ...

(

Kaoru Tada , (September 25, 1960 – March 11, 1999) was a Japanese manga artist. Biography Tada made her debut in 1977, when still a high school student, on Shueisha's "Deluxe Margaret" magazine. Tada's stories belong to the shōjo genre of manga and fea ...

) *Kodoku no Gourmet *Restore Garage 251 (Ryuji Tsugihara) *Kichijōji Gang (Sachiko Nagahama) *Café Kichijōji de *

Great Teacher Onizuka ''Great Teacher Onizuka'', officially abbreviated as ''GTO'', is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Tooru Fujisawa. It was originally serialized in Kodansha's ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from January 1997 to February 2 ...

( Toru Fujisawa) *

Cat's Eyes Cat's Eyes are an alternative pop duo formed in early 2011 by vocalist Faris Badwan (known for his work with English indie rock band the Horrors) and Italian-Canadian soprano, composer and multi-instrumentalist Rachel Zeffira. History The band ...

(2010) *Chūō-sen Drops (Natsuo Motomachi) *

Rokudenashi Blues is a Japanese boxing-themed ''yankī'' manga series written and illustrated by Masanori Morita. It was serialized in Shueisha's ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from May 1988 to February 1997, with its chapters collecte ...

(Masanori Morita) *

Sgt. Frog ''Sgt. Frog'', known in Japan as , is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Mine Yoshizaki. It was launched in ''Monthly Shōnen Ace'' in April 1999. The story follows the attempts of a platoon of frog-like alien invaders to c ...

(

Mine Yoshizaki is a Japanese mangaka, manga creator. His most well known works are ''Sgt. Frog'', a manga he created which later received an anime adaption, and ''Kemono Friends'', a multimedia franchise for which Yoshizaki serves as concept designer. Career ...

) *Is Kichijōji the Only Place to Live? (Hirochi Maki) *

Hinako Note is a Japanese four-panel manga series by Mitsuki. It has been serialized since August 2014 in Media Factory's ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Comic Cune'', which was originally a magazine supplement in the ''seinen'' manga magazine ''Monthly Co ...

(Mitsuki)

Film

*Sebastian (Sōkichi Miyata) *Amacchoroi Love Song (Sōkichi Miyata) *The Mirage Flowers (Tadaaki Horai) *Sayonara Kēki to Fushigina Ranpu (Jun'ichi Kanai) *Kichijōji no Asahina-kun (Shōichi Katō) *Rinjō (Hajime Hashimoto) *Parks (Natsuki Seta)

Gallery

File:Entrance to Inokashira.JPG, Entrance to Inokashira Park File:KichijojiBlossom.JPG, Cherry blossoms in Inokashira park File:KICHITEMPLE.jpg, White Temple Gates in a busy shopping town at the opposite side of Kichijoji station to Inokashira Park File:Mikoshii.jpg, Kichijoji's gold and platinum plated

Mikoshi A is a sacred religious palanquin (also translated as portable Shinto shrine). Shinto followers believe that it serves as the vehicle to transport a deity in Japan while moving between main shrine and temporary shrine during a festival or when ...

File:Cherry Blossom Inokashira.JPG, Cherry blossoms during

Hanami is the Japanese traditional custom of enjoying the transient beauty of flowers; in this case almost always refer to those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around ...

File:Kichijoji band.jpg, Big band giving a concert just outside a department store in the middle of the shopping district Kichijoji

References

External links

*
Official site of the City of Musashino
{{DEFAULTSORT:Kichijoji Entertainment districts in Japan Neighborhoods of Tokyo Musashino, Tokyo