Arakawa荒川区

Arakawa-ku. The name ends in 区 (ku), the word for ward.

Arakawa (荒川区, Arakawa-ku) is one of Tokyo's 23 special wards, a local government. Population 217,475 (2020 census), area 10.16 km². Borders 5 places.

One of Tokyo's 23 special wards. It elects its own mayor and assembly and provides schools, welfare, and rubbish collection, so it works like a city. Tokyo Metropolitan Government keeps a few services that a city would normally provide itself, including the fire service, water, and sewerage.

A special ward is a local government. A ward inside a designated city, such as Osaka's Kita-ku, is not. It is an office of the city hall. Both are written 区 (ku) and both are translated "ward".

Open Arakawa on the map

Facts

Japanese name

荒川区

Reading

Arakawa-ku

Kind

Special ward (特別区): a local government

Prefecture

Tokyo 東京都

Region

Kantō 関東

Population

217,475 (2020 census)

Change since 2015

+2.5% from 212,264

Area

10.16 km²

Density

21,405 people per km²

Households

112,009

Under 15

11.3%

65 and over

23.2%

Foreign residents

17,827 (8.2%)

Code

13118 (団体コード, the municipality code)

Website

www.city.arakawa.tokyo.jp

Wikipedia

English / 日本語

Neighbouring municipalities

5 places share a land border with Arakawa. Borders across water are not counted.

• Bunkyō City文京区
• Taitō City台東区
• Sumida City墨田区
• Kita City北区
• Adachi City足立区

Questions about Arakawa

Is Arakawa a city?

Arakawa (荒川区) is one of Tokyo's 23 special wards. A special ward is a local government: it elects its own mayor and assembly and does most of what a city does. The Tokyo Metropolitan Government keeps the fire service, water, and sewerage for all 23. There is no Tokyo City; the wards are the municipalities at the centre of Tokyo.

Where is Arakawa?

Arakawa is in Tokyo Prefecture (東京都), in the Kantō region of Japan. The prefecture is a government; the region is a customary grouping of prefectures and elects nothing.

What is the population of Arakawa?

217,475 at the 2020 census, up 2.5% from 212,264 in 2015. The area is 10.16 km², which is 21,405 people per km². 112,009 households. 23.2% of residents are 65 or older and 11.3% are under 15.

Which municipalities border Arakawa?

Five: Bunkyō City (文京区), Taitō City (台東区), Sumida City (墨田区), Kita City (北区), and Adachi City (足立区). These are the municipalities that share a land border with Arakawa in the boundary data. Borders across water are not counted.

How is Arakawa written in Japanese?

荒川区, read Arakawa-ku. The last character, 区 (ku), is the word for ward, and the name is often used without it in English.

How does an address in Arakawa begin?

東京都荒川区… (Tōkyō-to, Arakawa-ku, …). The prefecture name is written first, then the special ward name. After that are written the named area, the chōme, the block, and the building number.