Location | JCLI Japanese Language School

Characteristics of Kita-Ku

One of the characteristics of Kita-Ku is historic city of arts and culture.

[The city of Culture and Industry”]…… Because of a location close to Japan’s highest school, Tokyo University and Tokyo University of the Arts, many cultural figures and researchers lived in Kita-ku.
The atromsphere at that time was like Greenwich Village in Japan! For example; Ryunosuke Akutagawa spent a lot of time of his live in Kita-ku. Sanjugo Naoki stayed at a boarding house in Tabata while he was a student. They are, of course, famous writers and Akutagawa Prize and Naoki Prize, the most famous literary Award in Japan, are named after them.
You can visit and know what the city was like at that time at the Tabata Memorial Museum of Writers.

Other examples of cultural figures related to Kita-Ku are;
– Tenshin Okakura who contributed to the establishment of Tokyo University of the Arts,
– Yamamoto Kanae who deserves to be called the starting point of contemporary Japanese prints,
– Suiho Tagawa, the author of “Norakuro”, who created the Japanese manga world, and
– Hiroshige Utagawa, one of the Japan’s three great Ukiyo-e-artists, who has create many works on the theme of Asukayama and the legend of Oji throughout his life.
Moreover, Shinobu Kochou, the popular character of “ Kimetsu no Yaiba”, is from Takinogawa, Kita-Ku, and the important scene of Makoto Shinkai’s “Weathering with You” is also set in Tabata, Kita-Ku.
From the Edo period to the present day, Kita-Ku is known as a place of Japanese culture and art.

In addition, Kita-Ku is not only the culture and art aspect but also other aspects.
Eiichi Shibusawa, whose portrait will be printed on Japan’s highest-value banknote10,000 yen from 2024, has a close relationship with Kita-Ku.
Asukayama Park also has a memorial hall due to his great contribution to the development of Japanese industry.

This map allows you to imagine your safe and secure life in Japan.

Please feel free to download and print it here.
Location MAP

Police station: Oji Police Station is the nearest polist station to JCLI. (2 minutes by bike)
Fire department: Oji Fire Department is the nearest fire department to JCLI. (2 minutes by bike)
Hospitals/Clinics: Here is a several hospitals/clinics close to JCLI.
Post office: Oji Post Office is the nearest post office to JCLI. (1 minute by bike)
Train station: Oji-Kamiya station is the nearest train station to JCLI (7 minues on foot)
City hall: Kita City Hall. You can resister as a resistant or the National Health Insurance here.
Shop: Samitt is the nearest supermarket to JCLI, acrossing the street. (Within 1 minute on foot)
Convenience Store: Family Mart Kita-ku Toshima Hacchoume shop is the nearest convenience store to JCLI. (2 minutes on foot)
Library: Kita-ku Toshima Library is the nearest library to JCLI. (6-7 minutes by bike)
Sightseeing attractions: Oji, Kita-Ku is considered as the birthplace of Western paper in Japan, and there are many remarkable sites to visit such as the Paper Museum and the National Printing Bureau.
Moreover, Oji Shrine, one of the ten Tokyo Shrines, is a shrine with a thousand-year history, and Oji is named after this Oji Shrine.
Kyu-Furukawa House, which has both Western-style and Japanese-style beautiful gardens, is also a place where you should visit.
There are a lot of photo spots for enthusiastic railway fans, where they enjoy visiting to Toden-Arakawa Line trams and Shinkansen General Rolling Stock Center.
Japanese-style sweets shop: You can buy traditional Japanese-style sweets(Wagashi) here.
Sakura cherry blossom spot: Sakura cherry blossoms fully bloom in the middle of March to the early April. You can walk and view Sakura street everywhere near JCLI.
Evacuation spot: Kita-ku Kamiyabori Park (5-28 Oji, Kita-ku Tokyo, 114-0002)
Events: We have a lot of traditional events in Kita-ku, and of course, international students can join in!!