is a neighborhood in the

city A city is a human settlement of a substantial size. The term "city" has different meanings around the world and in some places the settlement can be very small. Even where the term is limited to larger settlements, there is no universally agree ...

of Musashino in

Western Tokyo Western Tokyo, known as the , or locally, in the Tokyo Metropolis consists of 30 ordinary municipalities ( cities (市 shi), towns (町 machi) and one village (村 mura)), unlike the eastern part which consists of 23 special wards. Before i ...

Japan Japan is an island country in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean off the northeast coast of the Asia, Asian mainland, it is bordered on the west by the Sea of Japan and extends from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea ...

. It is centered on a compact commercial area to the north and south of Kichijōji 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 and Inokashira Park Zoo. Kichijōji 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 Chūō–Sōbu Line, a Tozai Line through service and is also a terminus of the Keiō Inokashira Line, which takes passengers as far as

Shibuya is a Special wards of Tokyo, special ward in Tokyo, Japan. A major commercial center, Shibuya houses one of the busiest railway stations in the world, Shibuya Station. As of January 1, 2024, Shibuya Ward has an estimated population of 230,60 ...

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 wards of Tokyo, special ward in the Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis in 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 ...

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

Lakshmi Lakshmi (; , , sometimes spelled Laxmi, ), also known as Shri (, , ), is one of the principal goddesses in Hinduism, revered as the goddess of wealth, fortune, prosperity, beauty, fertility, sovereignty, and abundance. She along with Parvat ...

, known as Kichijōten in Japan. During the

Great fire of Meireki The , also known as the Great Furisode Fire, destroyed 60–70% of Edo (now Tokyo), then ''de facto'' capital city of Japan, on 2 March 1657, the third year of the Meireki Era. The fire lasted for three days and, in combination with a severe b ...

, the town in front of Suwazan Kichijō-ji Temple gate, Edo's Hongo Motomachi (now: Hongō 1-chome, Bunkyō, near Suidōbashi Station) was destroyed by fire. Afterwards, based on town planning, the

shogunate , officially , was the title of the military rulers 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, except during parts of the Kamak ...

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 no ...

residences. Since the residents who used to live in front of Kichijō-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. Kichijō-ji

samurai The samurai () were members of the warrior class in Japan. They were originally provincial warriors who came from wealthy landowning families who could afford to train their men to be mounted archers. In the 8th century AD, the imperial court d ...

, 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, the previously poorly watered uninhabited

Musashino Plateau The , also translated from Japanese as Musashino Platform and also named Musashino Region, is a large tableland that sits between the Arakawa and Tama rivers in the Kantō region of Honshu, Japan. The plateau consists of an alluvial fan formed ...

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 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 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 Kichijō-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 Buddhadharma and Dharmavinaya, is an Indian religion and List of philosophies, philosophical tradition based on Pre-sectarian Buddhism, teachings attributed to the Buddha, a wandering teacher who lived in the 6th or ...

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

Shinto shrines A Stuart D. B. Picken, 1994. p. xxiii is a structure whose main purpose is to house ("enshrine") one or more kami, , the deities of the Shinto religion. The Also called the . is where a shrine's patron is or are enshrined.Iwanami Japanese dic ...

, 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 (establishment), 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 e ...

, 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 industry, sex-oriented businesses, such as sex shops, strip clubs, and adult theaters, are found. In most cases, red-light district ...

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

Coamix is a Japanese manga and anime production company headquartered in the in Kichijōji, Musashino, Tokyo.事業概要
...

and Bee Train have their headquarters in Kichijōji.

Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation studio based in Koganei, Tokyo."Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment". ''Studio Ghibli Collection - Madman Entertainment''. Retrieved 2020-12-14. It has a strong presence in the animation industry and has exp ...

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

Animerica ''Animerica'' was a monthly magazine A magazine is a periodical literature, periodical publication, print or digital, produced on a regular schedule, that contains any of a variety of subject-oriented textual and visual content (media), ...

''. 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, man ...

'', 1991. Originally published in ''

Animage is a Japanese anime and entertainment magazine published by Tokuma Shoten since July 1978. Notable works serialized in the magazine include Hayao Miyazaki is a Japanese animator, filmmaker, and manga artist. He co-founded Studio Ghibli a ...

'', June 1987. This is a translation of a 1987 conversation between Takahata and Akiyuki Nosaka. "Kichijoji is the Tokyo area where "Studio Ghibli," frequent Takahata collaborator Hayao Miyazaki's studio, is located. ..��Ed."

Inokashira Park

Inokashira Park, the source of the

Kanda River The stretches 24.6 km from Inokashira Park in Mitaka, Tokyo, Mitaka to the Sumida River under the Ryōgoku Bridge at the boundary of Taito, Tokyo, Taitō, Chūō, Tokyo, Chūō, and Sumida, Tokyo, Sumida. Its entire length lies within Tok ...

(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 mean those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the s ...

'', 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, 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 ...

(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. Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education operates area high public schools. Musashino City operates public elementary and junior high schools. Little Angels International School, a private international school, previously had a campus in Kichijōji." " (). Little Angels International School. 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 mother 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 PlayStati ...

'': The town in which the game takes place is modeled after Kichijōji. * '' Persona 5 Royal:'' the protagonist, known as Joker can hang out with Kasumi Yoshizawa, and Goro Akechi in Kichijōji. * 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 (media), 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, ''Kuji ...

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

: The first and last scene of the film take place at Kichijōji station. * Code-E *

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 Marc ...

(1st episode) *

Full Metal Panic? Fumoffu is a spin-off season of '' Full Metal Panic!'' by Gonzo. The series takes place between the first and the second season. Markedly different in tone to the first series, ''Fumoffu'' emphasizes the high school romantic comedy aspects of ''Full ...

: "Uncontrollable Bluebird" * Yawara! (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. Forty-nine episodes aired on Nagoya TV from February 5, 1983, to January 21, 1984. A three-episode anime OVA sequel entitled ''New Story of Aura ...

: The main protagonist lives in Kichijōji. * Genma Wars *

Kimagure Orange Road is a Japanese manga series written and illustrated by Izumi Matsumoto. It was serialized in ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' magazine from 1984 to 1987, with the chapters collected in 18 ''tankōbon'' volumes by Shueisha. The story follows teen ...

: Ano hi ni kaeritai *

Megazone 23 is a Japanese animated mecha cyberpunk film series created by Noboru Ishiguro, written by Hiroyuki Hoshiyama and Emu Arii, and directed by Ishiguro, Ichiro Itano, Kenichi Yatagai, and Shinji Aramaki. The three-part original video anima ...

* To Love-Ru * DD Fist of the North Star * Tesagure! Bukatsu-mono *: 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

Manga

*Kichijōji Catwalk *

Tokyo Tribes ''Tokyo Tribes'', known in Japanese as , is a Japanese seinen manga, ''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 seria ...

(

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

) *Fourteen (

Kazuo Umezu was a Japanese manga artist, musician and actor. Starting his career in the 1950s, he is among the most famous artists of horror manga and has been vital for its development, considered the "god of horror manga". In 1960s manga like ''Rept ...

) *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 anim ...

) *Cher Gou Gou ... Mon Petit Chat, Mon Petit Ami ( Yumiko Ōshima) * 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'', '' ...

) *

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 ''shōnen'' manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Jump'' from December 1989 to April 1992. ...

(

) *Ellie My Love (Mako Takami) *

Itazura na Kiss is a Japanese ''shōjo manga, 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 quick ...

( Kaoru Tada) *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 manga magazine ''Weekly Shōnen Magazine'' from January ...

( Toru Fujisawa) * Cat's Eyes (2010) *Chūō-sen Drops (Natsuo Motomachi) * Rokudenashi Blues (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 t ...

(

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 (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 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 mean those of the or, less frequently, trees. From the end of March to early May, cherry trees bloom all over Japan, and around the s ...

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