Chōfu

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

Tokyo Metropolis

Setagaya

Mitaka

Fuchū

Koganei

Komae

Inagi

Kanagawa Prefecture

Kawasaki

Climate

Chōfu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Chōfu is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C.

Demographics

Per Japanese census data, the population of Chōfu has grown steadily over the past century, and increased especially rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s.

History

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 origin of the city name "Chōfu" comes from the fact that it was allowed to pay taxes in cloth instead of in rice. There were two other places named Chōfu along the Tama River: west of the current city was Chōfu Village, now part of Ome; and to the east was Higashi Chōfu Village, now part of Ota Ward.

In the 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.

Government

Chōfu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 28 members. Chōfu, together with the city of Komae, contributes three members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tokyo 22nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.

Economy

Chōfu is primarily a regional commercial center, and a bedroom community ("bed town" ベッドタウン, beddotaun) for central Tokyo. The headquarters of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are also located in the city.

Transportation

Railway

Keio Corporation - Keiō Line

Sengawa – Tsutsujigaoka – Shibasaki – Kokuryō – Fuda – Chōfu – Nishi-Chōfu – Tobitakyū

Keio Corporation - Keiō Sagamihara Line

Chōfu – Keiō-tamagawa

Highway

Chūō Expressway

National Route 20 (Kōshū Kaidō)

Airport

Chofu Airport - domestic flights to Izu Islands.

Education

Colleges and universities:

University of Electro-Communications

Tokyo University of Foreign Studies

Toho Gakuen School of Music

Shirayuri Women's University

Jikei University School of Medicine

Primary and secondary education

Chōfu has 20 public elementary schools and eight public junior high schools operated by the city government and two private elementary schools and three private middle schools. The city has four public high schools operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Board of Education and three private high schools.

Metropolitan high schools:

Chofu-Kita High School

Chofu-Minami High School

Jindai High School

Nogyo High School

Municipal junior high schools:

Chofu Junior High School (調布中学校)

Jindai Junior High School (神代中学校)

No. 3 Junior High School (第三中学校)

No. 4 Junior High School (第四中学校)

No. 5 Junior High School (第五中学校)

No. 6 Junior High School (第六中学校)

No. 7 Junior High School (第七中学校)

Local attractions

Fudaten Shrine

Jindai Botanical Garden

Jindai Temple - famous for many soba noodle restaurants around the temple.

Nogawa Park

Sengawa Theater

Tokyo Stadium (commonly known as Ajinomoto Stadium) in Chōfu hosts soccer games for two J.League teams: FC Tokyo and Tokyo Verdy.

The Chōfu City Fireworks Festival, attended by as many as 300,000 people along the banks of the Tamagawa River.

Chōfu has a large cultural centre that supports many groups encouraging the integration of foreigners into Japanese society, providing free Japanese, Shodo, Ikebana, Karate (and many other) 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

Kondō Isami, Bakumatsu period samurai, born in the village of Kami-Ishihara in Musashi Province, now modern Chōfu

Shigeru Mizuki, cartoonist, born in Osaka and raised in Sakaiminato, Tottori but lived in Chofu for roughly 50 years

Saneatsu Mushanokōji, novelist, playwright, poet

Shutaro Oku, director

Yuki Soma, professional football player

Junji Takada, actor

Miho Yamada, former rhythmic gymnast