Chōfu, Tokyo


Chōfu is a city in the Tokyo Metropolis, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 228,663, and a population density of 10,590 per km². Its total area is.

Geography

Chōfu is approximately in the south-center of Tokyo Metropolis, approximately 20 kilometers west from downtown Tokyo, on the Musashino Terrace bordered by the floodplains of the Tama River and the Iruma River.

Surrounding municipalities

The area of present-day Chōfu has been inhabited since Japanese Paleolithic times, and numerous remains from the Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun periods have been discovered. During the Nara period, it became part of ancient Musashi Province. During the Sengoku period, the area was frequently contested between the Later Hōjō clan and Uesugi clan. During the Edo period, the area prospered as a post station on the Kōshū Kaidō and as a center for sericulture.
The in post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of April 1, 1889, Chōfu Town and neighboring Jindai Village were established within Kanagawa Prefecture. The entire district was transferred to the control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Jindai was elevated to town status on November 3, 1952, and merged with Chōfu Town on April 1, 1955, to form the present city of Chōfu.

Economy

Chōfu is primarily a regional commercial center, and a bedroom community for central Tokyo. The headquarters of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency are also located in the city.

Transportation

Railway

Colleges and universities:
Primary and secondary education
Every July, Chōfu hosts the Chōfu City Fireworks Festival, attended by as many as 300,000 people along the banks of the Tamagawa River. The tiny Fuda Station on the Keio Line is inundated on this one day with tens of thousands of visitors.
Chōfu has a large cultural centre that supports many groups encouraging the integration of foreigners into Japanese society, providing free Japanese, Shodo, Ikebana, Karate lessons.
There is a park and memorial hall commemorating the life of novelist Mushanokōji Saneatsu, a former resident of Chōfu.
For the 1964 Summer Olympics, the city served as part of the route for the athletic 50-kilometer walk and marathon events.

Notable people from Chōfu