is one of the 23 special wards in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English.

The total area is 34.06&nbsp;km<sup>2</sup>.

As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 persons per km<sup>2</sup>.

Suginami's mascot is a green little dinosaur called Namisuke.

Geography

Suginami occupies the western part of the ward area of Tokyo. Its neighbors include these special wards: to the east, Shibuya and Nakano; to the north, Nerima; and to the south, Setagaya. Its western neighbors are the cities of Mitaka and Musashino.

The Kanda River passes through Suginami. The Zenpukuji river originates from Zenpukuji Park in western Suginami, and the Myōshōji River originates in Myōshōji Park, to the north of Ogikubo station.

History

The name Suginami dates back to the early Edo period and is a shortened version of Suginamiki ("avenue of cedars"). This name came about when an early land baron, Lord Tadayoshi Okabe, planted a row of cedar trees to mark the bounds of his property.

In 1970, 40 high school students in the area were exposed to photochemical smog and required hospitalization. The incident attracted national attention and increased awareness of the dangers of pollution. In 1954, local housewives launched the "Suginami Appeal" against nuclear weapons, a petition that spread nationwide and ultimately collected 20 million signatures.

Suginami refused to connect to Japan's Residents Basic Registry Network. Kishimoto has opposed building new road extensions through Kōenji district and the privatization of public facilities.

Transportation

Rail

  • JR East
  • Chūō Main Line (Chūō-Sobu Line): Koenji, Asagaya, Ogikubo, Nishi-Ogikubo Stations
  • Keio Corporation
  • Keio Line: Hachiman-yama Station, Roka-kōen Station
  • Keio Inokashira Line: Eifuku-cho, Nishi Eifuku, Hamada-yama, Takaido, Fujimi-ga-oka, Kuga-yama Stations
  • Seibu Railway
  • Seibu Shinjuku Line: Shimo-Igusa, Iogi, Kami-Igusa Stations
  • Tokyo Metro
  • Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line: Honancho (branch line); Higashi Koenji, Shin-Koenji, Minami Asagaya, Ogikubo Stations

Road

  • National highways: Route 20, the Kōshū Kaidō
  • Kan-nana Dori (Number 7 Ring Road)
  • Kan-pachi Dori (Number 8 Ring Road)
  • Itsukaichi Kaidō (Suginami Akiruno Line, Tokyo Metropolitan Road Route 7)
  • Ōme Kaidō

Shopping streets and commercial facilities

  • Koenji Station Plaza
  • Koenji Junjo Shopping Street - Koenji Station. This is also the title of the novel of the same name by Shoichi Nishime.
  • Asagaya Pearl Center - It is also famous as the venue for the Asagaya Tanabata Festival every summer.
  • Ogikubo Lumine - JR Ogikubo Station
  • City Seven - Ogikubo Ekimae

Education

thumb|Bunka Suginami Canadian International School and Bunka Gakuen Junior and Senior High Schools

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

  • Nishi High School

Suginami City operates public elementary and junior high schools.

Municipal combined elementary and junior high schools:

  • Koenji Gakuen (高円寺学園)
  • Suginami Izumi Gakuen (杉並和泉学園)

Municipal junior high schools:

  • - North Korean school

Higher Education:

  • Meiji University, Izumi Campus

Economy

Agriculture

There are approximately 46 hectares of farmland and nearly two hundred farmers in the hall, and vegetables, flowers, plants and fruits are produced.

Animation

Several animation studios are located in Suginami. Bones is headquartered in Igusa, while Sunrise has its headquarters near the Kami-Igusa Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line. Bones was founded by former members of Sunrise, and staff at each company often help each other on projects. The Satelight studio, founded in Sapporo, relocated to the Asagaya neighborhood in 2006 (an earlier Tokyo office, at a different location in Suginami, had been in existence since 2003). In addition, many smaller studios are based here; as of 2006, over 70 studios (of 400 throughout Japan) were located in Suginami.

Foreign operations

American Express used to have its Japanese headquarters south of Ogikubo station, but it moved to Toranomon in central Tokyo in 2020.

Microsoft has a branch office in the Daitabashi Asahi Seimei Building in Izumi.

Former economic operations

Prior to its disestablishment, Data East had its headquarters in Suginami.

Culture

thumb|Asagaya Tanabata Festival, held in August

  • Ōmiya Hachiman Shrine
  • Suginami Kokaido: a concert hall and the home of the Japan Philharmonic Orchestra.
  • Suginami Animation Museum: a small museum which includes a screening theater, library, and historical overview of Japanese animation, with English language explanations.

Za Koenji Theater

Suginami has attracted artists for a long time. Among those living there : Hayao Miyazaki, writer and radio anchor Shoichi Ozawa, or painter Hiroshi Senju.

Annual Events

February

Koenji Engei Festival

April

Koenji Surprise Street Performance

June

Kogayama Bullring Festival - 1st Saturday and Sunday of June

August

Asatani Tanabata Festival - August 5th, 9th, Asatani Pearl Center

Tokyo Koenji Awa Odori - Around Koenji Station on the last Saturday and Sunday of August

October

Asagaya Jazz Street - October 3rd or 4th, Friday and Saturday

Koenji Festival - Adult Cultural Festival

November

Suginami Local Performing Arts Competition

Ogikubo Music Festival

Troll Forest - Outdoor Art Exhibition (Nishi-Ogikubo, Zenpukuji Pond)

Suvarami Festa - Kumin Matsuri (festival) held in Momoiharabana Park

References

  • Suginami City Official Website