Street blossoming cherry trees Yakushidai

is a

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 ...

located in the western portion of the

Tokyo Metropolis Tokyo, officially the Tokyo Metropolis, is the capital of Japan, capital and List of cities in Japan, most populous city in Japan. With a population of over 14 million in the city proper in 2023, it is List of largest cities, one of the most ...

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 ...

. , the city had an estimated

population Population is a set of humans or other organisms in a given region or area. Governments conduct a census to quantify the resident population size within a given jurisdiction. The term is also applied to non-human animals, microorganisms, and pl ...

of 428,851, and a

population density Population density (in agriculture: Standing stock (disambiguation), standing stock or plant density) is a measurement of population per unit land area. It is mostly applied to humans, but sometimes to other living organisms too. It is a key geog ...

of 6,000 persons per km². The total area of the city was . Due to geographical and other reasons, Machida is often regarded as having more connection to Kanagawa Prefecture than to Tokyo Metropolis, to which it administratively belongs.

Geography

Machida is located in the

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. The Tama River marks its northeastern boundary. The Tama Hills border th ...

of southern Tokyo Metropolis, bordered by Kanagawa Prefecture on the west, south, and east approximately 40 to 50 kilometers from the center of Tokyo. The highest point is Mount Kusato (elevation 364 meters) at the western end. There are few flatlands near Machida Station, the Sakai River flows to the west and south, and the Tsurumi River flows almost in the center of the city.

Surrounding municipalities

Kanagawa Prefecture is a Prefectures of Japan, prefecture of Japan located in the Kantō region of Honshu. Kanagawa Prefecture is the List of Japanese prefectures by population, second-most populous prefecture of Japan at 9,221,129 (1 April 2022) and third-dens ...

* Kawasaki * Sagamihara *

Yamato was originally the area around today's Sakurai, Nara, Sakurai City in Nara Prefecture of Japan, which became Yamato Province and by extension a Names of Japan, name for the whole of Japan. Yamato is also the dynastic name of the ruling Imperial ...

Yokohama is the List of cities in Japan, second-largest city in Japan by population as well as by area, and the country's most populous Municipalities of Japan, municipality. It is the capital and most populous city in Kanagawa Prefecture, with a popu ...

* Hachioji * Tama

Climate

Machida has a

humid subtropical climate A humid subtropical climate is a subtropical -temperate climate type, characterized by long and hot summers, and cool to mild winters. These climates normally lie on the southeast side of all continents (except Antarctica), generally between ...

(Köppen ''Cfa'') characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Machida is 14.0 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1621 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.3 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.8 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Machida has seen consistent but uneven growth over the past century.

History

The area of present-day Machida was part of ancient

Musashi Province was a Provinces of Japan, province of Japan, which today comprises Tokyo, Tokyo Metropolis, most of Saitama Prefecture and part of Kanagawa Prefecture. It was sometimes called . The province encompassed Kawasaki, Kanagawa, Kawasaki and Yokohama. ...

. In the post-

Meiji Restoration The , referred to at the time as the , and also known as the Meiji Renovation, Revolution, Regeneration, Reform, or Renewal, was a political event that restored Imperial House of Japan, imperial rule to Japan in 1868 under Emperor Meiji. Althoug ...

cadastral reform of July 22, 1878, the area became part of Minamitama District in

. The village of Machida was created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of modern municipalities system. Minamitama District was transferred to the administrative control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Tama was elevated to town status on April 1, 1913. The town was bombed by American forces on May 24, 1945, during

World War II World War II or the Second World War (1 September 1939 – 2 September 1945) was a World war, global conflict between two coalitions: the Allies of World War II, Allies and the Axis powers. World War II by country, Nearly all of the wo ...

. Machida expanded through annexation of the neighboring village of Minami on April 1, 1954, followed by the villages of Tsurukawa, Tadao and Sakai on February 1, 1958, to become the city of Machida. A

USMC The United States Marine Corps (USMC), also referred to as the United States Marines or simply the Marines, is the maritime land force service branch of the United States Department of Defense. It is responsible for conducting expeditionary ...

RF-8A crashed in a residential area Machida on April 1, 1964, killing four people. From 1973, the

Tama New Town 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 long stretching east-west, and between and wide, loc ...

development resulted in a rapid increase in population, turning the city into a

bedroom community A commuter town is a populated area that is primarily residential rather than commercial or industrial. Routine travel from home to work and back is called commuting, which is where the term comes from. A commuter town may be called by many o ...

for Tokyo and Yokohama.

Government

Machida has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a

unicameral Unicameralism (from ''uni''- "one" + Latin ''camera'' "chamber") is a type of legislature consisting of one house or assembly that legislates and votes as one. Unicameralism has become an increasingly common type of legislature, making up nearly ...

city council of 36 members, whose members are elected for a four-year term. Machida contributes four members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tokyo 23rd district of the

lower house A lower house is the lower chamber of a bicameral legislature, where the other chamber is the upper house. Although styled as "below" the upper house, in many legislatures worldwide, the lower house has come to wield more power or otherwise e ...

of the

Diet of Japan , transcription_name = ''Kokkai'' , legislature = 215th Session of the National Diet , coa_pic = Flag of Japan.svg , house_type = Bicameral , houses = , foundation=29 November 1890(), leader1_type ...

Mayors

# Tokichiro Aoyama (1958–1970, 3 terms) # Katsumasa Oshita (1970–1990, 5 terms) # Kazuo Terada (1990–2006, 4 terms) # Joichi Ishizaka (2006–present, 4th term incumbent)

Education

Universities and colleges

J. F. Oberlin University ''Ōbirin daigaku'' -- note that "Ōbirin" is written in the kanji for "beautiful cherry orchard". is a private university in Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The university was founded by Yasuzo Shimizu. Its name is derived from that of pastor and phi ...

* Kokushikan University *

Showa Pharmaceutical University is a private university at Machida, Tokyo, Japan. The predecessor, Showa Women's Pharmaceutical Junior College, was founded in 1930, and it was chartered as a university in 1949. History The university was originally founded as the Showa Women's ...

* Tamagawa University * Tokyo Kasei-Gakuin University * Tokyo Jogakkan College *

Hosei University formerly known as Tokyo University of Law (東京法学社, Tokyo Hogakusha) is a top research university in Chiyoda, Tokyo, Japan. Hosei University and four other private universities in Tokyo are collectively known as "MARCH (Japanese univers ...

- Machida campus * Wako University * Tsurukawa Women's Junior College

Primary and secondary education

Machida has seven public high schools operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education, including: * Machida High School * * * * * * The Machida city government operates 20 public junior high schools and 42 elementary schools. Combined municipal elementary and junior high schools: * Yukinoki Gakuen (ゆくのき学園) - For elementary, it occupies Oto Elementary (大戸小学校). For junior high, it occupies Musashigaoka Junior High School (武蔵岡中学校) Municipal junior high schools: * Kanai ( 金井中学校) * Kiso (木曽中学校) * Machida No. 1 (町田第一中学校) * Machida No. 2 (町田第二中学校) * Machida No. 3 ( 町田第三中学校) * Minami ( 南中学校) * Minaminaruse ( 南成瀬中学校) * Minamiotani (南大谷中学校) * Narusedai ( 成瀬台中学校) * Oyama ( 小山中学校) * Oyamada (小山田中学校) * Sakai ( 堺中学校) * Shinkoji (真光寺中学校) * Tadao (忠生中学校) * Tsukushino ( つくし野中学校) * Tsurukawa (鶴川中学校) * Tsurukawa No. 2 ( 鶴川第二中学校) * Yakushi (薬師中学校) * Yamasaki (山崎中学校) Municipal elementary schools: * Aihara (相原小学校) * Fujinodai (藤の台小学校) * Honmachida ( 本町田小学校) * Honmachida Higashi (本町田東小学校) * Kanai (金井小学校) * Kiso Sakaigawa (木曽境川小学校) * Kogasaka (高ヶ坂小学校) * Machida No. 1 (町田第一小学校) * Machida No. 2 (町田第二小学校) * Machida No. 3 (町田第三小学校) * Machida No. 4 (町田第四小学校) * Machida No. 5 (町田第五小学校) * Machida No. 6 ( 町田第六小学校) * Minami No. 1 (南第一小学校) * Minami No. 2 ( 南第二小学校) * Minami No. 3 ( 南第三小学校) * Minami No. 4 ( 南第四小学校) * Minaminaruse (南成瀬小学校) * Minamioya (南大谷小学校) * Minami Tsukushino ( 南つくし野小学校) * Miwa (三輪小学校) * Nanakuniyama (七国山小学校) * Naruse Chuo ( 成瀬中央小学校) * Narusedai ( 成瀬台小学校) * Ogawa (小川小学校) * Okura (大蔵小学校) * Oyama ( 小山小学校) * Oyama Chuo (小山中央小学校) * Oyamada (小山田小学校) * Oyamada Minami (小山田南小学校) * Oyama Gaoka (小山ヶ丘小学校) * Tadao (忠生小学校) * Tadao No. 3 (忠生第三小学校) * Takagasaka (高ヶ坂小学校) * Tsukushino (つくし野小学校) * Tsurukawa No. 1 (鶴川第一小学校) * Tsurukawa No. 2 ( 鶴川第二小学校) * Tsurukawa No. 3 ( 鶴川第三小学校) * Tsurukawa No. 4 ( 鶴川第四小学校) * Tsuruma (鶴間小学校) * Yamazaki (山崎小学校) * Zushi (図師小学校) The city also operates one special education school for the handicapped. There are also seven private high schools, including: * Tamagawa Gakuen * Third Junior & Senior High School of Nihon University There are also five private junior high schools and three private elementary schools. ;International schools * - North Korean schoolウリハッキョ一覧

. Chongryon. Retrieved on October 14, 2015.

Transportation

Railway

60px Odakyu Electric Railway - Odakyu Odawara Line * - - 30px Tokyu Corporation - Tōkyū Den-en-toshi Line * - -

JR East The is a major passenger railway company in Japan and the largest of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR-EAST or JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in ...

- Yokohama Line * - <'' - - - - ''> - -

40px 4 (four) is a number, numeral and digit. It is the natural number following 3 and preceding 5. It is a square number, the smallest semiprime and composite number, and is considered unlucky in many East Asian cultures. Evolution of the H ...

Keio Corporation is a private railway operator in Tokyo, Japan and the central firm of the that is involved in transport, retailer, retail, real estate and other industries. The Keio railway network connects western suburbs of Tokyo (Chōfu, Tokyo, Chōfu, Fuc ...

- Keiō Sagamihara Line *

Highway

* Tōmei Expressway * *

Notable people from Machida

* Yū Kobayashi, football player * Taiten Kusunoki, voice actor * Ami Onuki, half of the J-pop group Puffy *

Satoshi Tajiri is a Japanese video game designer and Creative director, director who is the creator of the ''Pokémon'' franchise and the co-founder and president of video game developer Game Freak. A fan of arcade games in his youth, Tajiri wrote for and ed ...

, creator of ''

Pokémon is a Japanese media franchise consisting of List of Pokémon video games, video games, Pokémon (TV series), animated series and List of Pokémon films, films, Pokémon Trading Card Game, a trading card game, and other related media. The fran ...

''; based Pallet Town on this town in the original ''Pokémon Red'' and ''Blue'' * Masashi Takeda, Japanese professional wrestler and

mixed martial artist Mixed martial arts (MMA) is a full-contact fighting sport based on striking and grappling; incorporating techniques from various combat sports from around the world. In the early 20th century, various inter-stylistic contests took place t ...

Megumi Toyoguchi is a Japanese voice actress affiliated by 81 Produce. Some of her starring roles are Yao Sakurakouji in '' Miami Guns'', Ran Kotobuki in '' Super Gals!'', Winry Rockbell in '' Fullmetal Alchemist'' (first anime), Sei Sato in ''Maria-sama ...

, voice actress

Local attractions

* Buaisō museum, former residence of the Shirasu family * Grandberry Park (Grandberry Mall closed in Feb 2017, redeveloped and re-opened in November 2019) * Machida City Museum of Graphic Arts * Machida Squirrel Garden * Tadao Park * Snoopy Museum

Sports

* F.C. Machida Zelvia, a football club based in Machida * Pescadola Machida, a

futsal Futsal is a variant of association football played between two teams of five players each on a court smaller than a football pitch. Its rules are based on the Laws of the Game (association football), Laws of the Game of association football, and i ...

club based in Machida

References

External links

* *
Machida City Official Website
{{Authority control Cities in Tokyo Western Tokyo