Tachikawa (立川市, Tachikawa-shi) is a city located in the western portion of the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. As of 1 March 2021[update], the city had an estimated population of 184,383 in 93,428 households, and a population density of 7,600 persons per km2.[1] The total area of the city is 24.36 square kilometres (9.41 sq mi).
Tachikawa
立川市 | |
|---|---|
 Tama Intercity Monorail viewed from Green Springs | |
 Flag  Seal | |
 Location of Tachikawa in Tokyo | |
  Tachikawa | |
| Coordinates: 35°41′39.2″N 139°25′10.8″E / 35.694222°N 139.419667°E | |
| Country | Japan |
| Region | Kantō |
| Prefecture | Tokyo |
| First official recorded | 8th century (official) |
| Town settled | December 1, 1924 |
| City settled | December 1, 1940 |
| Government | |
| • Mayor | Daishi Sakai (from September 2023) |
| Area | |
• Total | 24.36 km2 (9.41 sq mi) |
| Population (March 1, 2021) | |
• Total | 184,383 |
| • Density | 7,600/km2 (20,000/sq mi) |
| Time zone | UTC 9 (Japan Standard Time) |
| Symbols | |
| • Tree | Zelkova serrata |
| • Flower | Magnolia kobus |
| Phone number | 042-523-2111 |
| Address | 1156-9 Izumi-cho, Tachikawa-shi, Tokyo 190-8666 |
| Website | city.tachikawa.lg.jp |
Geography
editTachikawa is located on the Musashino Terrace of western Tokyo, approximately 40 km west of the center of Tokyo. The Tama River flows between Tachikawa and the neighboring city of Hino. The Tamagawa-jousui (Tamagawa Aqueduct) flows north of the city, with a great promenade on both banks.
Surrounding municipalities
editClimate
editTachikawa has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Tachikawa is 13.9 °C.[2] The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm with September as the wettest month.[3] The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 25.4 °C, and lowest in January, at around 2.4 °C.[4]
Demographics
editPer Japanese census data,[5] the population of Tachikawa has increased steadily over the past century.
| Year | Pop. | ±% |
|---|---|---|
| 1920 | 9,987 | — |
| 1930 | 19,275 | 93.0% |
| 1940 | 41,070 | 113.1% |
| 1950 | 63,218 | 53.9% |
| 1960 | 81,951 | 29.6% |
| 1970 | 117,057 | 42.8% |
| 1980 | 142,675 | 21.9% |
| 1990 | 152,824 | 7.1% |
| 2000 | 164,709 | 7.8% |
| 2010 | 179,668 | 9.1% |
| 2020 | 183,581 | 2.2% |
History
editThe area of present-day Tachikawa was part of ancient Musashi Province and was controlled from the Heian period through the Sengoku period by the Tachikawa clan. In the Edo period, it was little more than a village along the Koshu Kaido. In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of July 22, 1878, the area became part of Kitatama District in Kanagawa Prefecture In the Meiji period, the opening of what would later become the Chuo Main Line in 1889 led to a large-scale land development and on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of the modern municipalities law, the village of Tachikawa was created. Kitatama District was transferred to the administrative control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Tachikawa Airfield Was established in 1922 by the Imperial Japanese Army, and Tachikawa was elevated to town status the following year. On December 1, 1940, Tachikawa was elevated to city status. Before the war, Tachikawa was a military town centered on Tachikawa Airfield, and even after the war, it was a major base for the U.S. military until 1977.
Notable events
editOn May 12, 2011, the robbery of the largest amount of money in Japanese history took place in the city. At 3 a.m. that day, two men wearing masks broke into the office of a security company, bound the sole security guard, beat him until he revealed the code to the company's vault, and then made off with 70 bags of cash containing ¥604 million. The security guard, 36, was seriously injured. Hideaki Ueki, 31, Yutaka Watanabe, 41, Tsutomu Sakuma, 37, and three others were later arrested and charged with perpetrating the crime. All the men allegedly had ties to the Yakuza.[6][7]
Notable people
edit- Alan Hale (astronomer) co-discovered Comet Hale–Bopp[8]
- Diana DeGette
Government
editTachikawa has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 28 members. Tachikawa contributes two members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tokyo 21st district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Economy
editTachikawa is a regional commercial center, and is also a commuter town for downtown Tokyo. It is the central city of the populous "Tokyo Santama district", and commercial facilities such as department stores and offices are concentrated around Tachikawa Station. Agriculture is now largely vestigial, but Tachikawa was formerly known for its production of udo.
Education
editUniversities and colleges
edit- Kunitachi College of Music
- Tokyo Health Care University - Tachikawa campus
Primary and secondary schools
editThe city has two public high schools and one public junior-senior high school operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
- Tachikawa High School
- Sunagawa High School
- Tachikawa Kokusai Secondary Education School - "Kokusai" means international
Tachikawa has 19 public elementary and nine public junior high schools operated by the city government.
Municipal junior high schools:[9]
Municipal elementary schools:[10]
- Tachikawa Daiichi (No. 1) Elementary School (第一小学校)
- No. 2 Elementary School (第二小学校)
- No. 3 Elementary School (第三小学校)
- No. 4 Elementary School (第四小学校)
- No. 5 Elementary School (第五小学校)
- No. 6 Elementary School (第六小学校)
- No. 7 Elementary School (第七小学校)
- No. 8 Elementary School (第八小学校)
- No. 9 Elementary School (第九小学校)
- No. 10 Elementary School (第十小学校)
- Kamisunagawa Elementary School (上砂川小学校)
- Kashiwa Elementary School (柏小学校)
- Matsunaka Elementary School (松中小学校)
- Minamisuna Elementary School (南砂小学校)
- Nishisuna Elementary School (西砂小学校)
- Oyama Elementary School (大山小学校)
- Saiwai Elementary School (幸小学校)
- Shinsei Elementary School (新生小学校)
- Wakabadai Elementary School (若葉台小学校)
There are also three private high schools.
International schools
edit- Tachikawa International Secondary Education School.[11]
- West Tokyo Korean 1st Elementary and Junior High School (西東京朝鮮第一初中級学校) - North Korean school[12]
Public libraries
editThe Tokyo Metropolitan Library Tama Library opened in Tachikawa in 1987 to relieve municipal libraries.[13]
Transportation
editRailway
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- Tachikawa - Nishi-Tachikawa
- Tachikawa - Nishi-Kunitachi
- Seibu Railway - Seibu Haijima Line
- Sunagawa-Nanaban - Izumi-Taiikukan - Tachihi - Takamatsu - Tachikawa-Kita - Tachikawa-Minami - Shibasaki-Taiikukan
Highway
editTachikawa is not served by any national expressways or national highways.
Local attractions
edit- Showa Memorial Park, an expansive leisure and recreational facility operated by the national government, occupies 1.49 square kilometres of land that was formerly part of Tachikawa Air Base in Tachikawa and neighboring Akishima.
- Tachikawa Velodrome
Sister cities
edit
San Bernardino, California, United States, since December 23, 1959
References
edit- ^ "Tachikawa city official statistics" (in Japanese). Japan.
- ^ "Tachikawa climate: Weather Tachikawa & temperature by month". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ "Tachikawa climate: Weather Tachikawa & temperature by month". en.climate-data.org. Retrieved 2024-05-23.
- ^ Tachikawa climate data
- ^ Tachikawa population statistics
- ^ Kyodo News, "Man arrested, another wanted in nation's biggest cash robbery case", Japan Times, 2 June 2011, p. 1.
- ^ Kyodo News, "Sixth man apprehended over cash heist in Tachikawa", Japan Times, 1 August 2011.
- ^ "IAUC 6187: 1995 O1". cbat.eps.harvard.edu. IAU Central Bureau for Astronomical Telegrams. Archived from the original on August 7, 2017. Retrieved September 16, 2016.
- ^ "中学校一覧". Tachikawa City. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ "小学校一覧". Tachikawa City. Retrieved 2022-12-03.
- ^ http://www.tatikawa-chukou-j.metro.tokyo.jp/ [dead link]
- ^ "ウリハッキョ一覧" (Archive). Chongryon. Retrieved on October 14, 2015.
- ^ Tokyo Metropolitan Tama Library
