is a neighborhood of Tokyo

Tokyo

, ; officially , is one of the 47 prefectures of Japan. Tokyo is the capital of Japan, the center of the Greater Tokyo Area, and the largest metropolitan area of Japan. It is the seat of the Japanese government and the Imperial Palace, and the home of the Japanese Imperial Family...

, located in the northeastern Minato Ward

Minato, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 1 March 2008, it had an official population of 217,335 and a population density of 10,865 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².Minato hosts 49 embassies...

. During the Edo Period

Edo period

The , or , is a division of Japanese history which was ruled by the shoguns of the Tokugawa family, running from 1603 to 1868. The political entity of this period was the Tokugawa shogunate....

, Aoyama was home to various temples, shrines, and samurai residences. The name Aoyama derived from a samurai named Aoyama Tadanari

Aoyama Tadanari

was a Tokugawa general and chief retainer at the end of the Sengoku and start of the Edo period. He was the father of Aoyama Tadatoshi, and the Aoyama region of Shibuya is named after him.-History:...

 who served the Tokugawa Shogunate and held his mansion in this area. Today, along with Shibuya

Shibuya, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2008, it has an estimated population of 208,371 and a population density of 13,540 persons per km². The total area is 15.11 km²....

 and Harajuku

Harajuku

Harajuku is the common name for the area around Harajuku Station on the Yamanote Line in the Shibuya ward of Tokyo, Japan....

, it is one of the most popular entertainment and shopping areas for young people in Tokyo. It is well known for its fashion houses, restaurants, and shopping. Chichibunomiya Rugby Stadium

Chichibunomiya rugby stadium

in the Aoyama district of central Tokyo is the spiritual home of Japanese rugby union and the headquarters of the Japan Rugby Football Union.-Facilities:...

 is in the North part of Aoyama.

Aoyama municipal cemetery

Aoyama is also the location of Japan's first municipal cemetery

Cemetery

A cemetery is a place in which dead bodies and cremated remains are buried. The term "cemetery" implies that the land is specifically designated as a burying ground. Cemeteries in the Western world are where the final ceremonies of death are observed...

, Aoyama Reien

Aoyama Cemetery

is a cemetery in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government. The cemetery is also famous for its cherry blossoms, and at the season of hanami, many people visit.-History:...

, which was opened in 1872. Famous Japanese buried here include General Nogi Maresuke, a war hero who joined his leader in death by committing suicide when Emperor Meiji

Emperor Meiji

The or was the 122nd emperor of Japan according to the traditional order of succession, reigning from 3 February 1867 until his death...

 died in 1912. Many noted foreigners are buried in the small foreign section of the cemetery, which is currently (2005) at risk of being cleared to make a park.
Famous non-Japanese buried at Aoyama Reien include the British minister plenipotentiary Hugh Fraser who died in the post in 1894, Captain Francis Brinkley

Francis Brinkley

Francis Brinkley was an Irish newspaper owner, editor and scholar who resided in Meiji period Japan for over 40 years, where he was the author of numerous books on Japanese culture, art and architecture, and an English-Japanese Dictionary...

, Guido Verbeck

Guido Verbeck

Guido Herman Fridolin Verbeck was a Dutch political advisor, educator, and missionary active in Bakumatsu and Meiji period Japan...

, Henry Spencer Palmer

Henry Spencer Palmer

Major General Henry Spencer Palmer was a British army military engineer and surveyor, noted for his work in developing Yokohama harbor in the Empire of Japan as a foreign advisor to the Japanese government-Biography:...

, Edoardo Chiossone

Edoardo Chiossone

Edoardo Chiossone was an Italian engraver and painter, noted for his work as a foreign advisor to Meiji period Japan, and for his collection of Japanese art.-Biography:...

, Joseph Heco

Joseph Heco

Joseph Heco was the first Japanese person to be naturalized as a United States citizen and the first to publish a Japanese language newspaper.-Early years:...

, Julius Scriba

Julius Scriba

Julius Karl Scriba was a German surgeon serving as a foreign advisor in Meiji period Japan, where he was an important contributor to the development of Western medicine in Japan.- Biography :...

 and several others.

The cemetery is dotted with some large trees including some big camphor trees.

Places in Aoyama

• Aoyama Hospital
• Aoyama Twin
• Blue Note Tokyo
  Blue Note Tokyo
  Blue Note Tokyo is a high-end jazz venue, the most expensive in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan. It is located about 400 metres east of the Aoyama Gakuin University. It is described as Tokyo's best venue for live jazz. A cousin to the famous Blue Note New York club, it was established in November 1988 by two...
  
  
• President Hotel
• Spiral
  Spiral (building)
  Spiral is a building by architect Fumihiko Maki in Aoyama, Tokyo, Japan. It was commissioned by lingerie company Wacoal and was completed in 1985. It is a multi-use building, with gallery space, multipurpose hall, cafe, restaurant and bar, salon, and shops...
  
  

Companies and organizations based in Aoyama

• Oracle Corporation Japan
  Oracle Corporation
  Oracle Corporation is an American multinational computer technology corporation that specializes in developing and marketing hardware systems and enterprise software products – particularly database management systems...
  
  
• Berlitz (Asia Headquarters)
• Itochu
  ITOCHU
  , until 1992 "C. Itoh" in English, is a Japanese general trading concern based in Umeda, Kita-ku, Osaka and Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo. It has a common origin with Marubeni Corporation. Itochu is a Fortune 500 company.-History:...
  
   (Tokyo office)
• Honda Motor
  Honda
  is a Japanese public multinational corporation primarily known as a manufacturer of automobiles and motorcycles.Honda has been the world's largest motorcycle manufacturer since 1959, as well as the world's largest manufacturer of internal combustion engines measured by volume, producing more than...
  
  
• Sony Financial Holdings
  • Sony Life Insurance
• Nikka Whisky Distilling
  Nikka Whisky Distilling
  The is a producer of Japanese whisky headquartered in Tokyo. They have two malt whisky distilleries, one in Yoichi, Hokkaidō , and the other in Aoba-ku, Sendai, Miyagi Prefecture, Northern Honshū...
  
  
• Nippon Microscope Works, Ltd., also known as Nikken
• Avex Group Holdings, Inc. (AGHD) (Main Office)
• CSK
• Louis Vuitton
  LVMH
  LVMH Moët Hennessy • Louis Vuitton S.A., better known as LVMH, is a French multinational luxury goods conglomerate headquartered in Paris, Île-de-France, France. The company was formed after the 1987 merger of fashion house Louis Vuitton with Moët Hennessy, a company formed after the 1971 merger...
  
   Japan
• JCB
  Japan Credit Bureau
  Japan Credit Bureau is a credit card company based in Tokyo, Japan. Its English name is .Founded in 1961, JCB established dominance over the Japanese credit card market when it purchased Osaka Credit Bureau in 1968, and its cards are now issued in 20 different countries...
  
  
• Comme des Garçons
  Comme des Garçons
  Comme des Garçons, written コム・デ・ギャルソン in Japanese and French for "Like Boys," is a Japanese fashion label headed by Rei Kawakubo, who owns the company with her husband Adrian Joffe....
  
  
• RIAJ
  Recording Industry Association of Japan
  The Recording Industry Association of Japan is an industry trade group composed of Japanese corporations involved the music industry...
  
  
• Hip Land Music Corp.
  Hip Land Music Corp.
  , a subsidiary of small entertainment conglomerate Hip Land Group, is a Japanese record label formed in 1988. Its sublabels include RD Records, Motel Bleu, on the beach, basque, GrindHouse Recordings, MirrorBall, Plants Label, nest, Minor Swing, Middle Tempo Production and In the Garden...
  
  
• Victor Entertainment
  Victor Entertainment
  is a subsidiary of Japan Victor Company that produces and distributes music, movies and other entertainment products such as anime and television shows in Japan. It was formerly known as...
  
  
• Teikoku Databank
• Nional Federation of Health Insurance Societies
• Embassy of Brazil
  Brazil
  Brazil , officially the Federative Republic of Brazil , is the largest country in South America. It is the world's fifth largest country, both by geographical area and by population with over 192 million people...
  
   in Tokyo
• Italian Trade Commission Tokyo Office
• Italian State Tourist Board Tokyo Office
• Four Seeds (Pizza-La
  Pizza-La
  is the highest-grossing pizza chain in Japan. Franchises of the chain are located in 34 of Japan's 47 prefectures. The company has its headquarters in the in southern Aoyama, Minato, Tokyo....
  
  , etc.)

Subway stations

• Aoyama-itchōme Station
  Aoyama-itchome Station
  is a subway station in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.- History :* November 18, 1938: Ginza Line station opens.* August 1, 1978: Hanzōmon Line station opens.* December 12, 2000: Ōedo Line station opens.-Station layout:...
  
   (Ginza Line, Hanzōmon Line, Toei Ōedo Line)
• Omotesandō Station
  Omotesando Station
  is a Tokyo Metro station located at the intersection of Omotesandō and Aoyama-dori in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. -History:...
  
   (Chiyoda Line, Ginza Line, Hanzōmon Line)
• Gaiemmae Station
  Gaiemmae Station
  is a station on the Tokyo Metro Ginza Line located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan.-History:This station opened as Aoyama-yonchōme Station of Tokyo High-Speed Railway on November 18, 1938, and the name was changed to Gaiemmae in 1939....
  
   (Ginza Line)
• Nogizaka Station
  Nogizaka Station
  is a stop on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line located in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Nogizaka Station opened on 20 October 1972.-Station layout:-Adjacent stations:-Surroundings:*Aoyama Cemetery*Aoyama Sougisho*Nogi Shrine*The National Art Center, Tokyo...
  
  (Chiyoda Line)