is one of the 23 special wards

Special wards of Tokyo

The are 23 municipalities that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo, Japan. Together, they occupy the land that was the city of Tokyo before it was abolished in 1943. The special wards' structure was established under the Japanese Local Autonomy Law and is unique to...

 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...

, Japan

Japan

Japan is an island nation in East Asia. Located in the Pacific Ocean, it lies to the east of the Sea of Japan, China, North Korea, South Korea and Russia, stretching from the Sea of Okhotsk in the north to the East China Sea and Taiwan in the south...

. In English, it calls itself Taito City.

As of April 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population

Population

A population is all the organisms that both belong to the same group or species and live in the same geographical area. The area that is used to define a sexual population is such that inter-breeding is possible between any pair within the area and more probable than cross-breeding with individuals...

 of 168,909, with 94,908 household

Household

The household is "the basic residential unit in which economic production, consumption, inheritance, child rearing, and shelter are organized and carried out"; [the household] "may or may not be synonymous with family"....

s, and a population density

Population density

Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...

 of 16,745.86 persons per km². The total area is 10.08 km².

History

The ward was founded on March 15, 1947. 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....

, the Yoshiwara

Yoshiwara

Yoshiwara was a famous Akasen district in Edo, present-day Tōkyō, Japan.In the early 17th century, there was widespread male and female prostitution throughout the cities of Kyoto, Edo, and Osaka. To counter this, an order of Tokugawa Hidetada of the Tokugawa shogunate restricted prostitution to...

 licensed quarter was in what is now Taitō.

Geography

Situated in the northeastern portion of the wards area of Tokyo, Taitō is surrounded by five other special wards: Chiyoda

Chiyoda, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards in central Tokyo, Japan. In English, it is called Chiyoda ward. As of October 2007, the ward has an estimated population of 45,543 and a population density of 3,912 people per km², making it by far the least populated of the special wards...

, Bunkyō

Bunkyo, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of 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 there...

, Arakawa

Arakawa, Tokyo

is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. The ward takes its name from the river, the Arakawa, though the Arakawa River does not run through or touch the ward. Its neighbors are the wards of Adachi, Kita, Bunkyo, Taito and Sumida. In English, the ward calls itself Arakawa City.Arakawa has...

, Sumida

Sumida, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. It calls itself Sumida City in English.As of 2008, the ward has an estimated population of 240,296 and a density of 17,480 persons per km²...

 and Chūō

Chuo, Tokyo

is one of the 23 special wards that form the heart of Tokyo, Japan. The ward refers to itself as Chūō City in English.Its Japanese name literally means "Central Ward," and it is historically the main commercial center of Tokyo, although Shinjuku has risen to challenge it since the end of World War II...

.

Districts

• Ueno
  Ueno, Tokyo
  is a district in Tokyo's Taitō Ward, best known as the home of Ueno Station and Ueno Park. Ueno is also home to some of Tokyo's finest cultural sites, including the Tokyo National Museum, the National Museum of Western Art, and the National Science Museum, as well as a major public concert hall...
  
  
• Akihabara
  Akihabara
  , also known as , is an area of Tokyo, Japan. It is located less than five minutes by rail from Tokyo Station. Its name is frequently shortened to in Japan...
  
  
• Ameyoko
• Yanaka
• Asakusa
  Asakusa
  is a district in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan, most famous for the Sensō-ji, a Buddhist temple dedicated to the bodhisattva Kannon. There are several other temples in Asakusa, as well as various festivals.- History :...
  
  
• Asakusabashi
  Asakusabashi
  Asakusabashi is a neighborhood of Taitō, Tokyo.The district is known for its large stores selling traditional Japanese dolls and it hosts a very large concentration of beads stores.The Ryuhoku campus of the Lycée...
  
  

Temples and shrines

• Sensō-ji
  Senso-ji
  is an ancient Buddhist temple located in Asakusa, Taitō, Tokyo. It is Tokyo's oldest temple, and one of its most significant. Formerly associated with the Tendai sect, it became independent after World War II. Adjacent to the temple is a Shinto shrine, the Asakusa Shrine.- History :The temple is...
  
   and Kaminarimon
  Kaminarimon
  The is the outer of two large entrance gates that ultimately leads to the Sensō-ji in Asakusa, Tokyo, Japan. The gate, with its lantern and statues, is popular with tourists. It stands 11.7 m tall, 11.4 m wide and covers and area of 69.3 m2.- History :The Kaminarimon was first...
  
   (Thunder Gate)
• Asakusa Shrine
  Asakusa Shrine
  , also known as Sanja-sama , is one of the most famous Shinto shrines in Tokyo, Japan. Located in Asakusa, the shrine honors the three men who founded the Sensō-ji. Asakusa Shrine is part of a larger grouping of sacred buildings in the area...
  
  
• Akiba Shrine
• Kan'ei-ji
  Kan'ei-ji
  -External links:** * National Diet Library: ; *...
  
  
• Kishibojin

Parks

• Asakusa Park
• Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden
  Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden
  is located in Taitō, Tokyo. It is the former estate of the Iwasaki clan who were the founders of Mitsubishi; the name Kyu-Iwasaki-tei means Old Iwasaki house...
  
  
• Sumida Park
• Ueno Park
  Ueno Park
  is a spacious public park located in the Ueno section of Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It occupies the site of the former Kan'ei-ji, a temple closely associated with the Tokugawa shoguns, who had built the temple to guard Edo Castle against the north-east, then considered an unlucky direction...
  
  
• Yanaka Park

Museums and zoos

• Asakura Sculpture Hall
• Daimyo Clock Museum
• National Museum of Western Art
• National Science Museum of Japan
  National Science Museum of Japan
  The is located in the northeast corner of Ueno park in Tokyo. Opened in 1871, the museum has had several names, including Ministry of Education Museum, Tokyo Museum, Tokyo Science Museum, the National Science Museum of Japan, and currently the National Museum of Nature and Science as of 2007...
  
  
• Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
  Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum
  The is an art museum in Tokyo, Japan. It is located in Ueno Park.-External links:**...
  
  
• Tokyo National Museum
  Tokyo National Museum
  Established 1872, the , or TNM, is the oldest and largest museum in Japan. The museum collects, houses, and preserves a comprehensive collection of art works and archaeological objects of Asia, focusing on Japan. The museum holds over 110,000 objects, which includes 87 Japanese National Treasure...
  
  
• Ueno no Mori Museum
• Ueno Zoo
  Ueno Zoo
  The is a zoo, managed by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, and located in Taitō, Tokyo, Japan. It is Japan's oldest zoo, opening on March 20, 1882. It is a five-minute walk from the Park Exit of Ueno Station, with convenient access from Tokyo's public-transportation network...
  
  
• Yokoyama Taikan
  Yokoyama Taikan
  was the pseudonym of a major figure in Meiji, Taishō and early Shōwa period Japanese painting. He is notable for helping create the Japanese painting technique of Nihonga. His real name was Yokoyama Hidemaro.-Early life:...
  
   Memorial Hall

Entartainment place

• Suzumoto Engeijo (Suzumoto Vaudeville Hall)
• Asakusa Vaudeville Hall

Colleges and universities

• Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
  Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music
  or is one of the oldest and most prestigious art schools in Japan. Located in Ueno Park, it also has facilities in Toride, Ibaraki, Yokohama, Kanagawa, and Kitasenju, Adachi, Tokyo...
  
  
• Ueno Gakuen University

Primary and secondary schools

Taito operates public elementary and junior high schools.

Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education

Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education

The Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education is the board of education in Tokyo, Japan. The board manages the individual school systems within the metropolis. The board also directly manages all of the public high schools in Tokyo...

.

• Hakuo High School
• Kuramae Technical High School
• Shinobugaoka High School
• Taito Commercial High School
• Taito Chuyakan High School
• Ueno High School
• Ueno Shinobugaoka High School

The school district of the metropolis also operates one metropolitan junior high school:

• Hakuo Junior High School

Public libraries

Taito operates several public libraries, including the Central Library, the Central Library Asakusabashi Branch, the Negishi Library, and the Ishihama Library. The Central Library is located in the first and second floors of the Lifelong Learning Center.

Other

The city operates the Lifelong Learning Center, a complex including a multi-media room, a studio, and other facilities. The Central Library is on the first and second floors of the Lifelong Learning Center.

Economy

The headquarters of Bandai

Bandai

is a Japanese toy making and video game company, as well as the producer of a large number of plastic model kits. It is the world's third-largest producer of toys . Some ex-Bandai group companies produce anime and tokusatsu programs...

 and Bandai Channel

Bandai Channel

Bandai Channel Co., Ltd. is a distributor and broadcaster of anime by broadband access. It was established on March 1, 2002 by Bandai in coordination with Sunrise Inc., Bandai Visual Co., Ltd. and Bandai Networks Co., Ltd...

 are located in Taitō. Tokyo Ricoh Office Solution and Ricoh Technosystems, divisions of Ricoh

Ricoh

or Ricoh, is a Japanese company that was established in 1936 on February 6th, as , a company in the RIKEN zaibatsu. Its headquarters is located in Ricoh Building in Chūō, Tokyo....

, are headquartered in Taitō as of 2008.

In August 1991, the Bandai Visual

Bandai Visual

, is a Japanese anime, film production and distribution enterprise, established by Bandai Co., Ltd. and a subsidiary of Namco Bandai Holdings, Inc., which is based in Minato, Tokyo, Japan. Since the reorganisation of Namco Bandai Holdings in 2006, Bandai Visual now heads the group's Visual and...

 headquarters moved to Taitō. In March 1994, the headquarters moved to another location in Taitō. In September 2004, the headquarters moved to its current location in Shiodome

Shiodome

Shiodome is an area in Minato, Tokyo, Japan, located adjacent to Shinbashi and Ginza, near Tokyo Bay and the Hamarikyu Gardens. Formerly a railway terminal, Shiodome has been transformed into one of Tokyo's most modern areas...

, Minato, Tokyo

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...

.

Retail

• Matsuzakaya
  Matsuzakaya
  is a major Japanese department store chain operated by Daimaru Matsuzakaya Department Stores, a subsidiary of J. Front Retailing. When the chain was an independent company, , it had its headquarters in Naka-ku, Nagoya.- History :...
  
   department store in Ueno
• Matsuya department store in Asakusa

Events

• Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival
  Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival
  The Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival is an annual fireworks festival held on the last Saturday in July, over the Sumidagawa near Asakusa. Unlike fireworks displays in other parts of the world, the Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai follows the Japanese tradition of being an intense competition between rival...
  
  
• Asakusa Samba Carnival
• Torigoe Shrine Matsuri
• Sanja Matsuri
  Sanja Matsuri
  , or Sanja Festival, is one of the three great Shinto festivals in Tokyo, along with the Kanda Matsuri and Sannō Matsuri. It is considered one of the wildest and largest. The festival is held in honor of Hinokuma Hamanari, Hinokuma Takenari and Hajino Nakatomo, the three men who established and...
  
  , one of the three great festivals of Tokyo

Rail

• JR East
  East Japan Railway Company
  is the largest passenger railway company in the world and one of the seven Japan Railways Group companies. The company name is officially abbreviated as JR East in English, and as in Japanese. The company's headquarters are in Yoyogi, Shibuya, Tokyo....
  
  
  • Tōhoku Shinkansen
    Tohoku Shinkansen
    The is a Japanese high-speed Shinkansen rail line, connecting Tokyo with Aomori in Aomori Prefecture for a total length of 674 km, Japan's longest Shinkansen line. It runs through the more sparsely populated Tōhoku region of Japan's main island Honshu. It has two spur lines, Yamagata...
    
    , Jōetsu Shinkansen
    Joetsu Shinkansen
    The is a high-speed railway line connecting Tokyo and Niigata, Japan, via the Tōhoku Shinkansen, operated by the East Japan Railway Company .-History:The program was initiated in 1971 by Niigata-born prime minister Tanaka Kakuei...
    
    , Akita Shinkansen
    Akita Shinkansen
    The is a Mini-shinkansen high-speed rail line in Japan. Serving the Kantō and Tōhoku Regions of the country, it links Tokyo and Akita in Akita prefecture with direct service. From Tokyo to Morioka in Iwate prefecture, it operates on the Tōhoku Shinkansen tracks. From there to Ōmagari, it uses the...
    
    , Yamagata Shinkansen
    Yamagata Shinkansen
    The is a Mini-shinkansen route in Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company . It provides service between Tokyo and Shinjō in Yamagata Prefecture over the tracks of the Tōhoku Shinkansen and the Ōu Main Line....
    
    : Ueno Station
    Ueno Station
    is a major railway station inTokyo's Taitō ward. It is the station used to reach the Ueno district and Ueno Park -- which contains Tokyo National Museum, The National Museum of Western Art, Ueno Zoo, Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music and other famous cultural facilities...
    
    
  • Tōhoku Main Line
  • Yamanote Line
    Yamanote Line
    The is commuter rail loop line in Tokyo, Japan, operated by East Japan Railway Company . It is one of Tokyo's busiest and most important lines, connecting most of Tokyo's major stations and urban centres, including the Yūrakuchō/Ginza area, Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Ikebukuro, with all but two of its...
    
    , Keihin-Tōhoku Line
    Keihin-Tohoku Line
    The , is a railway line in Japan which connects the cities of Saitama, Kawaguchi, Tokyo, Kawasaki, and Yokohama. It is part of the East Japan Railway Company network. The line's name is derived from the characters for , and the...
    
    : Okachimachi, Ueno, Uguisudani Stations. Also, Nippori Station (on the boundary with Taitō)
  • Utsunomiya Line
    Utsunomiya Line
    The is the name given to a 159.9 kilometre section of the Tōhoku Main Line between Ueno Station in Tokyo and Kuroiso Station in Nasushiobara, Tochigi, Japan...
    
    , Takasaki Line
    Takasaki Line
    The is a Japanese railway line which runs between Ōmiya Station in Saitama, Saitama Prefecture and Takasaki Station in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture. It is owned and operated by the East Japan Railway Company ....
    
    : Ueno Station
  • Jōban Line
    Joban Line
    The is a railway line in Japan operated by East Japan Railway Company . It begins at Nippori Station in Taitō, Tokyo and follows the Pacific coasts of Chiba, Ibaraki, and Fukushima Prefectures before the line officially ends at Iwanuma Station in Iwanuma, Miyagi...
    
    : Officially, the line begins at Nippori Station, although most trains start/terminate at Ueno Station
• Tokyo Metro
  Tokyo Metro
  is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Toei. It is the most used subway system in the world in terms of annual passenger rides.-Organization:...
  
  
  • Ginza Line
    Tokyo Metro Ginza Line
    The is a subway line located in Tokyo, Japan. It is part of the of Tokyo Metro network. The official name is . It is 14.3 km long and serves the wards of Shibuya, Minato, Chūō, Chiyoda, and Taitō....
    
    : Ueno-Hirokoji, Inarichō, Tawaramachi, Asakusa Station
    Asakusa Station
    is a railway station in the Asakusa district of Taito, Tokyo, Japan.-Lines:* Tobu Isesaki Line* Toei Asakusa Line '* Tokyo Metro Ginza Line 'The Tsukuba Express Asakusa Station is located about 600 m to the west.-Tobu Railway:...
    
    s
  • Hibiya Line
    Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line
    The is a metro line owned and operated by Tokyo Metro located in Tokyo, Japan. The line was named after the district of Hibiya, under which it passes.-Overview:The Hibiya Line runs between in Meguro and in Adachi...
    
    : Okachimachi, Ueno, Iriya, Minowa Stations
• Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation
  Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation
  The is Tokyo's public transportation authority. Its subway lines are commonly described as 都営 Toei, meaning "operated by the metropolitan government ." It is one of two rapid transit systems making up the Tokyo subway system, the other being Tokyo Metro.-Toei Subway:The lines were originally...
  
  
  • Toei Asakusa Line: Asakusa-bashi, Kuramae, Asakusa Stations
  • Toei Ōedo Line
    Toei Oedo Line
    The is a subway line in Tokyo, Japan operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation . It commenced full operations on December 12, 2000; using the Japanese calendar this reads "12/12/12" as the year 2000 equals Heisei 12...
    
    : Ueno-Okachimachi, Shin-Okachimachi, Kuramae Stations
• Keisei Electric Railway
  Keisei Electric Railway
  The is a major private railway in Chiba and Tokyo, Japan. The name Keisei is the combination of the kanji 京 from and 成 from , which the railways main line connects. The combination uses different readings than the ones used in the city names. The railway's main line runs from Tokyo to Narita and...
  
   Keisei Main Line: Keisei Ueno Station
• Tobu Railway
  Tobu Railway
  is a Japanese commuter railway company in the Greater Tokyo Area as well as an intercity and regional operator in the Kantō region. It operates in Tokyo, Saitama, Chiba, Tochigi, and Gunma Prefectures...
  
   Isesaki Line: Asakusa Station
• Tsukuba Express: Shin-Okachimachi, Asakusa Stations

Highways

• Shuto Expressway
  Shuto Expressway
  is a network of toll expressways in the Greater Tokyo Area of Japan. It is operated and maintained by the .Most routes consist of elevated roadway above other roads or over water, and have many sharp curves which require caution to drive safely...
  
   No. 1 Ueno Route
• National Highways
  National highways of Japan
  Japan has a nationwide system of distinct from the expressways. The Ministry of Land, Infrastructure and Transport and other government agencies administer the national highways. Beginning in 1952, Japan classified these as Class 1 or Class 2. Class 1 highways had one- or two-digit numbers, while...
  
  
  • Route 4
  • Route 6

Sports and recreation

The City of Taito operates the Taito Riverside Sports Center. The center includes a gymnasium, tennis courts, two baseball fields for adults, one baseball field for children, one large swimming pool, one children's pool, and an athletic field. The gymnasium includes two courts, two budo halls, a Japanese-style archery range, a sumo ring, a training room, a table tennis

Table tennis

Table tennis, also known as ping-pong, is a sport in which two or four players hit a lightweight, hollow ball back and forth using table tennis rackets. The game takes place on a hard table divided by a net...

room, an air-rifle shooting range, and a meeting room.

External links

• Taitō official website in English
• Taitō official website in Japanese
• Taito Culture Guide Book "Bunka Tabou" in English
• Wikitravel: Tokyo/Taito