Minato, Tokyo

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

**Minato**
港区
Location
Country	Japan
Region	Kantō
Prefecture	Tokyo
Physical characteristics
Area	20.34 km²
Population (as of 2005)
Total	175,467
Density	8,627/km²
Symbols
Minato Hall
Mayor	Masaaki Takei
Official website: Minato

Image:Map Minato-ku en.png

Image:Tokyo Tower night.jpg Image:IMG 1614 rainbow bridge Tokyo.JPG Minato (港区, Minato-ku^?) is one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, Japan. As of 2005, it has an estimated population of 175,467 and a density of 8627 persons per km². The total area is 20.34 km².

Minato hosts 49 embassies. It is home to various companies, including Animax, Dentsu, Fuji Xerox, Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, Ltd. and Mitsubishi Motors Corporation, Morinaga & Co., Ltd. and Morinaga Milk Industry Co,. Ltd., NEC Corporation, Nippon Television, Toshiba and Vodafone (Japan).

1 Geography
2 History
3 Education
- 3.1 Colleges and universities
- 3.2 Primary and secondary schools
4 Places
5 Transportation
6 Famous people
7 External links

[edit] Geography

Minato is located southwest of the Imperial Palace and has boundaries with the special wards of Chiyoda, Chūō, Koto (in Odaiba), Shinagawa, Shibuya and Shinjuku.

[edit] History

The ward was founded on March 15, 1947 with the merger of Akasaka, Azabu and Shiba Wards.

[edit] Education

[edit] Colleges and universities

Jikei University School of Medicine Nishi Shinbashi campus
Kanazawa Institute of Technology Graduate school; Toranomon campus
Keio University
Kitasato University Shirokane campus
Kyoritsu University of Pharmacy
Meiji Gakuin University Shirokane campus
National Graduate Institute for Policy Studies (GRIPS)
Shibaura Institute of Technology
Temple University Japan
Tokyo University of Marine Science and Technology Shinagawa campus
United Nations University Tokyo headquarters
University of Tokyo Medical research laboratory

[edit] Primary and secondary schools

The city's public elementary and junior high schools are operated by the Minato City Board of Education ([1] in English, [2] in Japanese). The local public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.

[edit] Places

Akasaka (赤坂) - A large residential and commercial area in northern Minato which includes the Akasaka Palace, State Guest House and surrounding gardens, TBS radio and television studios, Ark Hills complex, National Art Center and the embassy of the United States.
Aoyama (青山) - Home to Aoyama Cemetery, one of Tokyo's largest graveyards, and the Chichibunomiya rugby stadium.
Azabu (麻布) - One of Tokyo's more upscale residential areas, home to many embassies.
Hamamatsucho (浜松町) - Hamamatsucho Station is the terminal for the Tokyo Monorail to Haneda Airport.
Mita (三田) - Home to Keio University and a large number of small Buddhist temples.
Odaiba (お台場) - One of Tokyo's most popular entertainment areas, featuring the Fuji TV studios, Palette Town shopping complex, Dream Bridge, Tokyo Big Sight, etc. Located on an artificial island in Tokyo Bay, and connected to central Tokyo by the Yurikamome transit line over the Rainbow Bridge.
Roppongi (六本木) - Tokyo's best-known nightlife district, especially popular among foreigners; also home to the Roppongi Hills complex, which houses the studios of TV Asahi, the J-Wave radio station, the Tokyo Grand Hyatt Hotel and a shopping complex.
Shiba Park 「芝公園」- Houses the Zojoji temple. Tokyo Tower is located one block away.
Shinbashi (新橋) - Shinbashi Station, the northern terminal of Japan's first railway line. Also home to the Shiosite office and entertainment complex, which houses Nippon Television studios.
Shirokanedai (白金台) - Home to Meiji Gakuin University.
Takanawa(高輪) - Home to the Soto temple of Sengaku-ji. Shinagawa Station, one of Tokyo's largest train stations, is located in Takanawa although it is associated with Shinagawa to the south. An area of many 1980's hotels including the Takanawa Prince Hotel, Shin Takanawa Prince Hotel and Pacific Meridian Hotel.
Toranomon (虎ノ門) - TV Tokyo studios and the Toranomon Station underground complex.
Tsuki no Misaki (月の岬) is a plateau.

[edit] Transportation

[edit] Rail

[edit] Road

Shuto Expressway:
- No. 1 Haneda Route (Edobashi JCT - Iriya)
- No.2 Meguro Route (Ichinohashi JCT - Togoshi)
- No.11 Daiba Route (Shibaura JCT - Ariake JCT)
- B Bayshore Route (Namiki - Kawasaki-ukishima JCT)
- C1 Inner Loop (Edobashi - Takaracho - Kyobashi - Ginza - Shiodome - Hamazakibashi - Shiba Park - Tanimachi - Kasumigaseki - Daikanmachi - Edobashi)
National roads:
- Route 1 (Sakurada-dori)
- Route 15 (Dai-Ichi Keihin)
- Route 246 (Aoyama-dori)
Other major roads:
- Atago-dori
- Kaigan-dori
- Kyu-kaigan-dori
- Gaien-higashi-dori
- Gaien-nishi-dori
- Hibiya-dori
- Roppongi-dori

[edit] Ferry

Tokyo's main ferry terminal is located adjacent to Takeshiba Station on the Yurikamome, due east of JR Hamamatsucho Station.

[edit] Famous people

Miyoko Asada: actress
Kenichi Enomoto (Enoken): singer, comic actor
Hirohito: previous Emperor of Japan
Satomi Ishihara: actress
Tetsuko Kuroyanagi: television personality
Tsutomu Sekine: comedian
Takashi Matsumoto: lyricist
Rentaro Taki: composer
Shunsuke Tsurumi: philosopher
Hiroko Yakushimaru: actress, singer

Minato-ku is the main physical setting for the Anime series Sailor Moon.

[edit] External links

Image:Commons-logo.svg	Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Minato, Tokyo

Minato City official website in English

Minato, Tokyo travel guide from Wikitravel

Image:Tokyo region shadow picture.png	Tokyo Metropolis

Wards: Adachi \| Arakawa \| Bunkyō \| Chiyoda \| Chūō \| Edogawa \| Itabashi \| Katsushika \| Kita \| Kōtō \| Meguro \| Minato \| Nakano \| Nerima \| Ōta \| Setagaya \| Shibuya \| Shinagawa \| Shinjuku \| Suginami \| Sumida \| Toshima \| Taitō
Cities: Akiruno \| Akishima \| Chōfu \| Fuchū \| Fussa \| Hachiōji \| Hamura \| Higashikurume \| Higashimurayama \| Higashiyamato \| Hino \| Inagi \| Kiyose \| Kodaira \| Koganei \| Kokubunji \| Komae \| Kunitachi \| Machida \| Mitaka \| Musashimurayama \| Musashino \| Nishi-Tōkyō \| Ōme \| Tachikawa \| Tama
Districts and Subprefectures: Nishitama District \| Hachijō Subprefecture \| Miyake Subprefecture \| Ogasawara Subprefecture \| Ōshima Subprefecture