Setagaya (世田谷区, Setagaya-ku; officially called Setagaya City or the City of Setagaya) is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the Zelkova serrata.
Setagaya has the largest population and second-largest area (after Ōta) of Tokyo's special wards. As of July 1, 2023, the ward has an estimated population of 940,071, and a population density of 16,194 persons per km2 with the total area of 58.06 km2.
Contents
Life expectancy
As of 2023, the female life expectancy in Setagaya is 88.9 years.
Geography
Setagaya is located at the southwestern corner of the Tokyo's special wards and the Tama River separates the boundary between Tokyo Metropolis and Kanagawa Prefecture.
Setagaya's residential population size is among the highest in Tokyo as there are many residential neighbourhoods within the ward. Setagaya is served by various rail services providing frequent two- to three-minute headway rush-hour services to the busiest train terminals of Shinjuku and Shibuya as well as through service trains which continue travelling on to the Tokyo Metro lines providing direct access to the central commercial and business districts. Most rail lines run parallel from east to west and there are no north to south rail services within Setagaya, except for Setagaya Line light rail.
The ward is divided into five districts. These are Setagaya, Kitazawa, Tamagawa, Kinuta and Karasuyama. The main ward office and municipal assembly (city hall) is located in Setagaya District, but other districts also have their own branch ward offices as a part of the administrative structure. Each branch office provides almost identical services as the main office, but does not provide the services related to municipal assembly.
Most of the land is in the Musashino Tableland. The parts along the Tama River to the south are comparatively low-lying.
History
The special ward of Setagaya was founded on March 15, 1947.
During the Edo period, 42 villages occupied the area. With the abolition of the han system in 1871, the central and eastern portions became part of Tokyo Prefecture while the rest became part of Kanagawa Prefecture; in 1893, some areas were transferred to Tokyo Prefecture. With the establishment of Setagaya Ward (an ordinary ward) in the old Tokyo City in 1932, and further consolidation in 1936, Setagaya took its present boundaries.
During the 1964 Summer Olympics, the district of Karasuyama-machi in Setagaya was part of the athletics marathon and 50 km walk event.
Landmarks
Nature
Tama River
Todoroki Valley (Yazawa River)
Parks
Futako Tamagawa Park
Hanegi Park
Kinuta Park
Kitami Friendship Square
Komazawa Olympic Park
Okura Sports Park
Roka Kōshun-en
Setagaya Park
Soshigaya Park
Tamagawa Nogemachi Park
Tokyo Equestrian Park
Cultural facilities
Gotoh Museum
Hasegawa Machiko Art Museum
Honda Theater
Oya Soichi Bunko, a private library of Japanese magazines for researchers and journalists
Setagaya Art Museum
Setagaya Daikan Yashiki, a daikan's office built in 1737, an Important Cultural Property of Japan
Setagaya Literary Museum
Setagaya Local History Museum
Setagaya Public Theatre
Tokyo University of Agriculture Food and Agriculture Museum
Religious facilities
Gōtoku-ji, a Zen temple known as birthplace of maneki-neko, with grave of Ii Naosuke who was assassinated in the Sakuradamon Incident in 1860
Kuhonbutsu Jōshin-ji, a Buddhist temple on Okusawa Castle ruins
Catholic Seta Church, Seta Monastery
Setagaya Hachimangū, a Shintō shrine, a major religious centre from the late Heian period to the end of the Edo period
Shōin shrine
Todoroki Fudōson
Zenyōmitsu-ji
Others
Carrot Tower
Futako-Tamagawa Rise
NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories
Setagaya Business Square (SBS)
Setagaya Castle ruins
Toho Studios
Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital
Districts and neighborhoods
Karasuyama Area
Kinuta Area
Kitazawa Area
Setagaya Area
Tamagawa Area
Notes:
a – 4-chōme (33-ban to 39-ban)
b – 1, 2, 3-chōme, 4-chōme (1-ban to 32-ban)
c – 1, 2-chōme
d – 3, 4-chōme
Transportation
Rail
Keio Corporation
Keiō Line: Daitabashi, Meidai-mae, Shimo Takaido, Sakura Josui, Kami Kitazawa, Hachiman Yama, Roka Koen, Chitose-Karasuyama Stations
Keio Inokashira Line: Ikenoue, Shimo-Kitazawa, Shindaita, Higashi-Matsubara, Meidaimae Stations
Odakyu Electric Railway
Odawara Line: Higashi-Kitazawa, Shimo-Kitazawa, Setagaya-Daita, Umegaoka, Gōtokuji, Kyōdō, Chitose-Funabashi, Soshigaya-Ōkura, Seijōgakuen-Mae, Kitami Stations
Tokyu Corporation
Den-en-toshi Line: Ikejiri Ohashi, Sangen-Jaya, Komazawa Daigaku, Sakura Shinmachi, Yōga, Futako-Tamagawa Stations
Meguro Line: Okusawa Station
Oimachi Line: Midorigaoka, (Jiyūgaoka), Kuhon-butsu, Oyamadai, Todoroki, Kaminoge, Futako-Tamagawa Stations
Setagaya Line (LRT): Sangen-Jaya, Nishi Taishido, Wakabayashi, Shoin Jinja-mae, Setagaya, Kami Machi, Miyanosaka, Yamashita, Matsubara, Shimo Takaido Stations
Toyoko Line: (Jiyūgaoka Station)
Road
Tōmei Expressway ( Asian Highway 1)
Chūō Expressway
Daisan Keihin Road
Shuto Expressway
No. 3 Shibuya Route
No. 4 Shinjuku Route
National Route 20 "Kōshū Kaidō"
National Route 246 "Tamagawa Dōri"
National Route 466
Tokyo Metropolitan Road 3 "Setagaya Dōri"
Tokyo Metropolitan Road 311 "Kanpachi Dōri"
Tokyo Metropolitan Road 312 "Meguro Dōri"
Tokyo Metropolitan Road 318 "Kan-nana Dōri"
Tokyo Metropolitan Road 416 "Komazawa Dōri"
Politics
On April 25, 2011, amid national concern over the safety of nuclear power triggered by the March 11 earthquake and Fukushima I nuclear accidents, former Social Democratic Party House of Representatives legislator Nobuto Hosaka was elected mayor on an anti-nuclear platform. Prior to becoming mayor, Hosaka was also well known for his staunch opposition of the death penalty and his defense of Japan's Otaku culture.
Economy
Rakuten has its headquarters building "Rakuten Crimson House" in Setagaya.
Toho has studio facilities in Setagaya.
OLM, Inc. has its studios in Setagaya.
Education
Primary and secondary education
These are schools operated by agencies of the central Government of Japan.
The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education operates following senior high schools in Setagaya.
The Setagaya City Board of Education operates 29 junior high schools in Setagaya.
They are:
Former schools:
The Setagaya City Board of Education operates 61 elementary schools in Setagaya.
They are:
Former schools:
Hanamido Elementary School (花見堂小学校)
Higashi Ohara Elementary School (東大原小学校)
Kitazawa Elementary School (北沢小学校)
Moriyama Elementary School (守山小学校)
International schools
Former international schools:
Tokyo No. 8 Korean Elementary School (東京朝鮮第八初級学校) – North Korean school
International relations
Sister cities
Bunbury City in Australia (since 1992)
Döbling District, Vienna City in Austria (since 1985)
Winnipeg City in Canada (since 1970)
Diplomatic missions in Setagaya
Embassy of the Republic of Angola
Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon
Embassy of Mozambique
Embassy of Rwanda
Embassy of Tanzania
Honorary Consulate-General of the Central African Republic in Tokyo
Notable people from Setagaya
Politics
Yasuo Fukuda, Politician, 91st Prime Minister
Akiko Santō, Politician, 32nd President of the House of Councillors
Hiroya Masuda, Politician, Governor of Iwate Prefecture, Minister for Internal Affairs and Communications
Akira Koike, Politician, Secretary-General of the Japanese Communist Party
Economics
Nobuyuki Idei, Former CEO of Sony
Culture
Kuniko Mukōda, Screenwriter, Novelist, Essayist
Kōki Mitani, Playwright, Screenwriter, Theatre director
Shirō Sagisu, Composer
Kyoko Okazaki, Manga artist
Motoka Murakami, Manga artist
Hideo Kojima, Video game designer best known as the creator of the Metal Gear franchise
Satoshi Tajiri, Video game designer and director best known as the creator of the Pokémon media franchise
Sports
Fighting Harada, World boxing champion
Emi Watanabe, Figure skater
Yuki Kawauchi, Marathon runner
Shūichi Gonda, Professional football player
Naoto Arai, Professional football player
Yoshinori Muto, Professional football player
Kaz Hayashi, Professional wrestler
Shota Umino, Professional wrestler
Yuki Kunii, Motorcycle racer
Entertainment
Akiko Kojima, Miss Universe 1959
Kiichi Nakai, Actor
Yoshino Kimura, Actress
Eiko Koike, Actress
Sayaka Kanda, Singer, Actress
Keigo Oyamada, Musician
Shinji Sato, Musician
Noritake Kinashi, Comedian, Actor, Singer, Artist
Mika Kanai, Voice actress
Rei Sakuma, Voice actress
Shino Kakinuma, Voice actress
Ichirou Mizuki, Singer, Voice actor
Matt Kuwata, Model, Musician, Media personality
Mariko Kawana, Porn actress, Erotic novelist, Human rights activist
Others
Fusako Shigenobu, Terrorist, Leader of the Japanese Red Army
Akihiko Hoshide, Astronaut