Get to KnowGet to Know

Fast-Facts Guidebook

Suginami City

SugiSuginaminami

Editing/Publishing: Suginami City General Affairs Department, Public Relations Division1-15-1 Asagaya-minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-8570Tel: 03-3312-2111 (Main)

Suginami City Administration Overview, Pocket Edition

Registered Print No.

2 9 - 0 1 1 0

Published in March 2018

Train to commemorate the closing of Tokyo Street Car Suginami Line

"Jeans" (City Hall)

Evacuation of school children (Bessho Onsen)

Construction of waste incineration plant

Opening of Sugimaru/ Keyaki route

Issuance of Suginami car registration numbers begins

Tower of declaration of city for safe tra�c(In front of Koenji Station)

Using the collective strength of Suginami residents for positive change! A peace movement initiated in Suginami.On March 1, 1954, the U.S. conducted a thermonuclear weapon test in the Bikini Atoll and a Japanese tuna fishing boat, the Daigo Fukuryu Maru (Lucky Dragon 5), was contaminated by nuclear fallout from the test. Hearing the news, the city’s fish dealers’ association was the first to start a movement. Women’s groups, a PTA group, and 24 other groups worrying about food contamination joined hands and launched the “Suginami conference signature campaign for the ban of thermonuclear weapons”. Nearly 270,000 signatures were collected, accounting for about 70% of Suginami’s entire population at the time. This movement began in Suginami, but went on to spread across the nation and by December 1954, in re-sponse, the government issued a statement assuring its coop-eration with the movement.

Suginami High Spring Festival (Zenpukuji River Greenland)

Signature campaign against nuclear weapons (1954)

1 2

Inviting Nakajima Aircraft Company’s Tokyo PlantIn 1907, under the order of Shugoro Uchida, the mayor of Iogi village, the villagers cooperat-ed in readjusting the entire village land of 880 hectares. In 1925, the Nakajima Aircraft Company of Gunma Pr e f e c tur e o p e n e d its Tokyo Plant in the village creating many employment opportunities.

The Great Kanto Earthquake is a turning pointIn 1923, the Great Kanto Earthquake occurred and survivors of the earthquake moved into the suburbs. Because of this, housing in Suginami developed rapidly and the number of shops that were to become an important part of people's livelihood, increased. Among the people who moved into the city after the earthquake there were many intellectuals and writers. An especially famous literary circle was the “Asagaya-kai”. It was a social gathering, where writers like Masuji Ibuse, Mizuho Aoyagi, and Akatsuki Kanbayashi gathered to play Japanese chess. Episodes about the “Asagaya-kai” and interac-tions among writers such as Osamu Dazai, as well as life in the Ogi-kubo area are mentioned in one of Ibuse’s works, Ogikubo Fudoki.

Birth of Suginami CityOn October 1, 1932, four towns: Suginami, Wadabori , Iogi , and Takaido merged, and Suginami City of Tokyo was established.

The aim of this publication

Get to Know Suginami is a handy fast-facts guide to the Suginami City administration. It introduces the city’s various activities to support the community, town, and people. The city’s kindness has always gathered support from the residents and companies of the city and has helped a great deal in the development of Suginami and its people, spreading smiles and happiness throughout the city. This kind of positive mindset is our asset that will be passed on to future generations.

Suginami residents’ movement for mosquito and fly exterminationIn the late 1950s to early 1960s, many mosquitoes and flies were generated in the city due to an increase in garbage and domestic wastewater caused by the rise in population and improvement of living standards. Residents of the city started a movement to exter-minate these pests. The sharp rise in the population also created the problems of commuter rush hour and traffic jams.

Tokyo Garbage WarAfter recovering from the war and host-ing the Tokyo Olympics, Tokyo started on its course of rapid economic growth. This rapid urbanization and concentra-tion of population resulted in a huge in-crease in the amount of disposed waste. In 1966, the Tokyo Metropolitan Govern-ment decided to build a waste incinera-tion plant in Takaido. However, the plan was opposed by a local citizens’ protest movement. While construction of waste incineration plants in Ota, Setagaya, Nerima, and Itabashi cities was under-way, Suginami was the only city whose construction plan was being stalled, causing discord with residents of Koto City, where a waste landfill and waste incineration facilities were concentrat-ed. Because of this, the mayor of Tokyo at the time, Ryokichi Minobe, declared the Tokyo waste war and repeatedly visited Takaido to talk with the residents there. Finally, in 1982, construction of the Suginami waste incineration plant was completed.

A town of 560,000 residentsThe population of Suginami City on October 1, 1932 immediate-ly after the city’s establishment was 146,560, and the number of households was 31,583. In the midst of changing social conditions caused by the war, the Olympics, and oth-er events, Suginami continued to develop, and as of January, 2018, the city’s population has climbed to more than 564,000. For the past 80 years, Suginami has continued to de-velop as a residential town. However, it also continues to treasure its rich, green environment, where traces of the Musashino Plain can still be seen.

In the past, Suginami was a rural district where vegetables and grains were grown. However, in 1911, a silkworm egg production plant, (later the sericulture experiment center) was established, followed by the establishment of a Salvation Army tuberculosis hospital, and the Nakajima Aircraft Company's Tokyo Plant and other facilities. These developments gradually changed Suginami from “village” to “town”.

A comfortable place to live“ Municipal development with an attitude of kindness”

Settlement of the waste incineration plant issue was

reached (1974)

Inspecting the planned site for the waste incineration

plant (1973)

Nakasugi Street

Kami Ogikubo undergoes land readjustment (1924)

Asagaya Station during commuter rush hour (1961)

Movement to exterminate mosquitoes and flies (1955)

Nishi Ogikubo Station south exit shopping district (Early Showa Era)

Parade celebrating the establishment of Suginami City (1932)

3 4

Suginami City is protecting green spotsThe city emblem set in 1952 con-sists of a geometrical design of the Chinese character for “cedar,” and the communication mark set in 1992 is also in the color of green. In the “Suginami Basic Vision (10-year vision)” established in 2012, the future image of the city is: “Suginami City, where people support each other to build a rich, green residential town that is safe and lively.” As such, the vision clearly calls for the city, residents, and businesses to cooperate in creating a residential town that is full of greenery.

Volunteer activities to protect green spacesIn order to increase green spaces in the city, we need cooperation from the resi-dents. There are many volunteer groups and projects in the city actively working to expand greenery in the city. One is the city’s “Green Belt Development Project”, which aims to create pleasant scenery throughout the entire city by connecting public areas such as parks and roads with private land, which will result in the formation of green belts. Another group is the “Flower Blossom-ing Squad” which conducts activities such as designing flower gardens, plant-ing and weeding the gardens. There is also the “Suginami Park Management Group”, which cleans and plants flowers in city parks.

Percentage of greenery increased!In the 2012 “Survey on the Condition of Greenery in Suginami City”, the percentage of greenery was 22.17%. This percentage is the third highest among Tokyo’s 23 cities following Nerima and Setagaya cities. In 1997, the percentage had dropped to 17.59%, but due to efforts in park management and rooftop greening, as well as coop-eration from city residents and businesses, the percentage has now

increased to the highest level since 1972, when the survey began. (This survey on greenery is conducted once every five years)

We also work on greening school grounds!Suginami City is working to make pub-lic elementary school grounds greener. Planting lawns in school grounds will prevent sand dust as well as having a cushioning effect, allowing more chil-dren to play actively outside without worrying about injuries. This in turn will help improve their physical fitness. By coming into contact with living creatures, such as insects and birds that

are attracted to the trees and plants, children develop an interest in life and nature. Working together with people in the community to manage lawns deepens local relationships and results in more sup-port for the schools.

Agricultural land is precious green spaceThere were 100 hectares of agri-cultural land in Suginami in 1985, but by 2014, it had diminished to 46 hectares and the number of farming households had decreased from 430 to 152. This is due to the aging of farmers and lack of succes-sors. However, we must recognize that agricultural lands play many important roles: They provide the precious greenery that helps sup-ply water to our town, as well as locally grown fresh vegetables.

Save the precious nature spots for future generationsSuginami City used to be a green ag-ricultural village, but now urban areas have spread all over the city. The city has lost a considerable amount of green space due to urbanization, however, it is still the wish of many city residents to have a pleasant living environment. In order to preserve this precious green-ery which is an asset shared by all city residents, we designate valuable trees

that need to be protected so that they can be enjoyed in the future. In addition, to pass the greenery on to future generations, the city has established the “Suginami City Green Fund”. Donations from residents and companies are being used to conserve trees in the city and for other related purposes.

Rich greenery and riversSuginami is blessed with natural envi-ronments along the rivers. Especially along the Zenpukuji River which runs from east to west in the center of the city. There is also the Zenpukuji Park, which is the source of the river, and the Zenpukuji River Green area. You can find water birds, such as pintails, spot-billed ducks, and many other wild birds. Every year, a survey to determine the population is conducted with the participation of elementary school students.

People, plants, birds, and insects“ Nurturing the natural

environment with kindness”

In 1973 when green spaces began to diminish due to rapid urbanization in Suginami, the city enacted a “Green Ordinance”, doing so before any other municipality in the country. In 1999, it also set up the “Suginami basic plan for greenery” and is the only one of Tokyo’s 23 districts to make such efforts to protect and foster natural spots. Indeed, the very name of Suginami is taken from a type of a tree.

* Percentage of greenery: Percentage of the area covered by trees and plants within a set region.

0 5 10 15 20 25 30 (%)

1972

1977

1982

1987

1992

1997

2002

2007

2012

14.15

13.45

13.02

12.59

11.84

13.76

18.93

18.44

18.57

9.87 24.02

8.11 21.56

7.82 20.84

7.31 19.90

7.13 18.97

3.83 17.59

1.981.98 20.91

3.40 21.84

3.60 22.17

Percentage of greenery *Percentage of grassland / agricultural land

Suginami Number Seven Elementary School ground

Planting rice in a rice paddy in Hamadayama (1960)

Forest surrounding residences

Pre-schoolers digging up sweet potatoes

Water birds general survey (Zenpukuji Park)

Suginami Park Management Group

Green Belt Development Project

A garden managed by the Flower Blossoming Squad

5 6

It can be a burden trying to remember exactly which day of the week waste and recyclables are collected. But this app, “Namisuke the Master of Waste Disposal” for smart phones, can come in handy. You will not only be able to get access to the city’s waste calendar, but it will notify you with an alarm so that you won’t forget to take out the garbage and recyclables. The application also includes a waste sorting dictionary that tells you how to sort your garbage, and ways to apply for bulky waste pick-up. There is also a waste sort-ing game and picture card show to help you learn sorting and recycling garbage in a fun way.Available in English, Chinese, and Korean.The app will automatically start in the language set on your smart phone.

Suginami’s locally-generated energyThe city is setting up solar power generation sys-tems and energy storage batteries in elementary and junior high schools and other places that are designated as bases for earthquake disaster relief. The aim for this is also to raise awareness about the

importance of renewable energy and other environmental issues.

A town where residents, companies, and the city think and take action to protect the environmentSu g i n a m i i s w o r k i n g t o e nhance env ir o nm ent al education in schools and raise children’s awareness of volunteering. It is also offer-ing more opportunities for a wide range of citizens to learn about the environment.

The amount of waste is the lowest of Tokyo’s 23 districts!

With the understanding and support of local res-idents and companies, the amount of waste in Suginami has been de-creasing every year. In f iscal 2016, the amount of waste per person was 474 grams, marking the lowest among Tokyo’s 23 districts for six years in a row.

Group collectionThe city supports groups collecting resources in order to raise local residents’ awareness of recycling and the environment, as well as to conduct stable collection of good quality recyclable resources. In 2016, there were 468 active groups and the number is rising every year. By seeing an increasingly active collection of resources, the city will continue to make efforts to cut the amount of waste and pro-mote local environmen-tal activities.

Bulky wasteIn o r d e r to r e du ce waste and promote recovery and effective utilization of natural resources, the city has been working on col-lecting and recycling useful metals (steel, a luminum, copp er, etc.) from bulky waste, small electric home appliances, and incom-bustible waste.

Friendly individual waste collectionThe city offers an “Individual Waste Collection” service to peo-ple age 65 and older who live alone, or disabled people living alone who have difficulty carry-ing waste to a nearby collection point. Having city staff members knock on the doors of individual houses to pick up waste will also contribute to protecting the el-derly and disabled.

A bridge to the future“ Being gentle to the environment”

It is necessary to have city residents, companies, and the Suginami City administration share the roles and responsibilities and take the necessary steps to solve environmental problems. Through the hard efforts of many residents and companies to separate and recycle waste and save energy, the environment of Suginami City is being protected.

▲ Android version▲ iOS version

Make use of our app for waste collection!

(g) (%)

(Fiscal Year)300

350

400

450

500

550

600

650

19.5

21.0

22.5

24.0

25.5

27.0

28.5

30.0

16

490498515528

28.128.528.4

10 11 12 13 14 15

474

28.4

09

554 548 541

The amount of disposed waste per local resident and rate of resource collection

27.3

08

565

2007

618

26.625.9

26.6 26.8

21.9

The amount of disposed wasteThe rate of resource collection

Solar power generation panel

Environment study (the natural way to grow rice)

Group collection

Individual waste collection

7 8

Building a town that is disaster-resistantIf an earthquake of M7.3 scale hit To-kyo directly at 6 p.m., it is estimated that 5,405 people would be killed or injured in Suginami. 23,028 houses and buildings would burn down forcing 114,640 people, or one-fifth of the city’s entire population, to live in shelters. Therefore, to protect the lives and properties of Suginami residents from major earthquakes, the city is working to promote a disaster-resistant town where buildings will not collapse or burn down.Source: “Damage assessment in Tokyo in case an earthquake directly hits To-kyo” (2012 Tokyo Disaster Reduction Conference)

Utilizing a fireproof zone system and widening narrow roadsBy utilizing Tokyo’s “Fireproof Promotion Special Development Zone (Fireproof Zone) System”, we are fireproofing an area of about 46.7 hectares within the Asagaya Minami / Koenji Minami districts. The city is also widening roads that are under 4 meters wide, in order to improve their fireproof performance. By assuring smooth transportation through these roads, the city aims to create a town that is both safe and comfortable.

Earthquake disaster relief stations to become bases for evacuation and relief activitiesIn the event of a major earthquake hitting Tokyo, public elementary and junior high schools would be designated as disaster relief stations. These stations will be operated by local residents, schools, and the city, and will be used as evacua-tion shelters for disaster victims. In addition, relief goods and disaster informa-tion will be provided there.

Citizens’ groups for disaster prevention protect the communitiesThese organizations are volunteer groups formed mainly through town or residents’ associations to conduct disaster prevention activities in the community. As of January, 2018, there are 164 groups conducting disaster drills, disseminating disaster preparedness informa-tion and working to improve the overall disaster preparedness of each community.

Volunteer fire corps and junior high school students’ rescue squad are forces the community can count onWhen disaster strikes, the first group that moves into action is the volunteer fire corps. In addition to fire fighting and rescue activities, the volunteer corps also fight floods and conduct awareness-raising activities on fire prevention. Since the organizations consist of local residents, members are familiar with the area and are pas-sionate about the community. This allows the group to make strong efforts in an emergency situation. Junior high school students’ rescue squads are organized at all of the city’s public junior high schools. They conduct joint emer-gency drills and joint training at fire stations. The members’ efforts displayed during training at earthquake disaster relief stations have drawn high expectations from local residents and ad-miration from elementary school students.

School streets are protected by security cameras and the watchful eyes of local residents

On July 1, 2004, Suginami enacted a “Bylaw on the Installment and Utilization of Security Cameras”. Installation of security cameras alone can be effective in preventing crimes, and since the enactment of the bylaw, the number of identified criminal offenses has dropped by 40%. However, because we are continuing to see incidents and accidents throughout the country where small children and students become victims, we are making further efforts to install security cameras in school zones near all elementary schools. In

addition to the security cameras, community groups are also keep-ing alert to protect children walking to and from schools.

Patrolling city bordersCity borders are places where it is diffi-cult for municipalities and police to con-duct sufficient safety patrols. To over-come this problem, Suginami conducts joint patrols with neighboring Setagaya, Nakano, and Musashino cities. Many local residents participate in these joint patrols and send out warnings about thieves and bank transfer fraud.

Financial institutions and elementary school children take a role in preventing fraudIn Suginami, there were 174 cases of special fraud, such as bank transfer fraud, with damage totaling 276 million yen in 2017. The city’s three police stations and local crime prevention organizations have joined forces with f inancial institutions in order to wipe out special fraud. Elementary school children have also written slogans to prevent such crime. As a result, their warm thoughts for protecting elderly people are spreading all over the city.

Bringing smiles to children of Minamisoma CityIn the libraries of elementary and junior high schools in Minamisoma City, there is a book collection called “Suginami bunko,” which was established with donations from Suginami residents after the Great East Japan Earthquake. At the space where the collection is set up, there is a display to introduce the exchange programs and activi-ties between Suginami and Minamisoma. The collection includes books by writers and famous figures from or in association with Suginami City, such as Masuji Ibuse, Shuntaro Tanikawa, and Momoko Ishii, as well as books on radiation, disaster preven-tion, and environmental educa-tion.

A safe and secure life“ Kindness protects the community”

We can realize a safe and secure city only when the gears of both the hardware and software engage with each other. We introduce to you the disaster prevention and crime prevention activities carried out together with residents and companies.

Junior high school students’ rescue squad

Citizens’ group for disaster prevention(Tokyo and cities joint comprehensive

disaster prevention drills)

Volunteer fire corps (Manipulation technique

competition)

From Ogikubo toward Shinjuku

Narrow roads

City border patrol

Security cameras in a school zone

Meeting to eradicate bank transfer fraud

Suginami Bunko (Minamisoma City)

9 10

How to lead a lively old-age lifeSuginami is carrying out various measures leading up to 2025, when the so-called baby-boomers will become 75 and older. In this aging society, the city launched the “Long life support point” system in Oc-tober 2009 to encourage seniors to spend a healthy and fulfilling elderly life, and to actively partici-pate in society and become a part of the community’s mutual sup-port system. In this system, elderly people will gain points whenever they participate in volunteer activ-ities or health promotion activities. Once they have accumulated enough points, they will be able to exchange them with coupons used within the city or spend them to make donations. 20% of the points in the system will be sent to the longevity promotion fund which is used to support organizations that contribute to communities.

Training supporters for people with dementiaIn order to have the entire com-munity look after elderly people with dementia, the city is training supporters for people with de-mentia. The training includes a program for conducting classes in elementary and junior high schools so that people of all gen-erations, including children, will be able to support people with dementia. It also offers training to people who work at local shopping districts, public trans-portation companies, and finan-cial institutions where chances of coming into contact with elderly people are high. By this, we aim to create a community where you will find many people prepared to help those with dementia.

Construction of special nursing homes for the elderlyIn Suginami, there were approximately 1,000 people on the waiting list for special nursing homes at the end of December 2017. Further-more, it is estimated that in urban areas, the population of those above 75 years of age will increase rapidly in the future. In Suginami, the number of elderly wishing to enter a home is also expected to rise. In this situation, the city is aggressively moving to construct

sp e cia l nur s ing homes in order to allow elderly peo-ple, who need full-time care but can no longer live in their own homes, to live in a secure place.

Diversified ways of constructing special nursing homes As the number of people on the waiting list increases we are car-rying out construction projects by utilizing land owned by the city, which became available through a facility reorganization plan and other plans, in order to accelerate construction of special nursing homes for the elderly. In addition, in December 2014, an agreement was reached between Suginami, Minamiizu town and Shizuoka Prefecture to construct special nursing homes in Minamiizu town, Shizuoka Prefecture. This is the first such collaboration between mu-nicipalities to build a nursing home facility.

Lively Club is a source of energy!Lively Club, where people aged 60 and over join voluntarily, has various programs, including hobbies, sports, and volunteer activities to help se-niors lead a rich and fulfilling life. In the fall, the club holds a ground golf competition with Higashiagatsuma town of Gunma Prefecture, one of Suginami’s exchange municipalities, to deepen friendship among resi-dents.

Looking forward to bathing after the games!Sentos (public baths), which have huge bathtubs that attract many people, are also engaged in pro-moting the health of elderly peo-ple. In Suginami, the number of sentos has fallen to only 22, due to the diffusion of private baths and changes in society. Still, these re-maining sentos are often crowded with visitors, because events, such as aerobics and the towel exercise held in the changing rooms before the bath opens have become popular. People who participate in these exercises also enjoy bath-ing after a good sweat.

Visiting elderly people to offer securityTo prevent the isolation of elderly people and let them live in peace in an area they are used to, the city offers a service in which the community general support center staff, volunteer welfare commis-sioners and others visit these elderly people to offer general consul-tation and act as the liaison for obtaining necessary assistance.

Staying healthy in old age“ Kindness for healthy living”

Aiming to provide facilities where residents can remain healthy and lively within the community even in old age and to enhance nursing care services, Suginami is working to construct facilities for elderly people. The kindness of those in the community caring for elderly people has helped Suginami remain a city of health and longevity

Dementia supportersTraining program

Fiscal Year

Training course

Number of classes

Number of supporters to

be trained

2007 2 times 42

2008 32 times 704

2009 67 times 1,610

2010 43 times 1,127

2011 32 times 931

2012 54 times 1,816

2013 95 times 2,106

2014 165 times 3,514

2015 186 times 4,141

2016 143 times 2,190

Total 819 times 18,181

The nursing home site in Minamiizu town

Public baths health promotion project

Ground golf competition

Special nursing home in Koenji Kita 1-chome

11 12

Give the next generation a future with dreams!In 2012, we established the Next Generation Development Fund to help children expand their dreams and goals for the future. The fund is used to offer overseas and do-mestic exchange programs, as well as cultural, arts, and sports programs. We want to encourage children to participate in these programs, so that each of them will be able to expand his/her vision to build a dream for the future. This fund is operated with the understanding and coopera-tion of many local residents.

Junior high school students rise to wipe out bullyingIn order to wipe out bullying, which has become a serious social problem, junior high school students have voluntarily stood up to deal with the issue. In all the city’s 23 junior high schools, a project to stop bullying is being carried out. In the “Suginami Junior High School Students’ Summit”, students representing each school gave a presentation of the school’s project and discussed ways to expand the projects.

Inter-junior high school relay raceThis is a relay race in which the fastest junior high school students are chosen for participation. Ath-letes run through the city for their school’s honor and prestige. This race started in 2000 and has now become one of Suginami’s biggest winter events. Many local resi-dents come out to cheer for the young athletes so that they will be able to pass the sash safely.

School management supported by communityFor the purpose of supporting educational activities in schools, the School Support Headquarters, a volunteer organization formed by local residents, has been set up for each school. This volunteer group provides educational support by community volunteers during the time before regular classes begin. Furthermore, the number of schools designated as community schools, which are schools managed with involvement of the community, is also increasing. These community schools go beyond volunteer educational sup-port. Through each school’s joint committee, families, communities, and schools work together as one to improve education and create schools that are open to the community.

Promoting integrated education In order to consistently educate children over the nine years of compulsory education, the city of Suginami is promoting integrated education between all of its elementary and junior high schools. By focusing on the systematics and continuity of learning and going beyond the frame of elementary and junior high schools to cooper-ate in conducting educational activities, it aims to improve children’s academic and physical abilities, foster more compassion, and ensure they have built a solid foundation for their lives. In April 2015, “Sugin-ami Izumi Gakuen”, which is the city’s first integrated school where the facilities are also integrated, has opened.

Children are a community treasure“ Fostering dreams with kindness”

0

50

100

150

200(cases)

(Fiscal Year)2013

128

2012

178

2011

104

2010

100

2009

90

Identi�ed cases of bullying in public junior high schools in Suginami(From a survey on problem behavior, the Minister of Education,

Culture, Sports, Science and Technology)

A healthy and sound upbringing of children is everybody’s hope. In Suginami, we are working to enhance childcare services and setting up more after-school facilities as part of our efforts to create an environment where mothers will be able to bear and raise children without worries. With our slogan of “A good town makes good schools”, we are pouring our energy into developing community schools with the participation of city residents, and next-generation development programs operated by donations.

Junior high school student overseas exchange program (Willoughby City)

Junior high school friendly baseball match (Taipei City)

Ogasawara Nature Experience and Exchange (Chichijima Island)

Inter-junior high school relay race

Suginami Izumi Gakuen

13 14

A flamboyant performance that attracts a big audience “Koenji Street Performance”

Every year in late April, the city’s shopping districts, station front squares, Za Koenji (Suginami’s public theater), and other places around town, become a stage for street per-formers from all over the world. The event has become popular as a new kind of festival.

The “Friendly Sports Festival” with a 50-year history

The Friendly Sports Festival is an event that started in 1963 and is held every October at the school ground of Suginami No. 10 Elemen-tary School. It aims to be an event where, regardless of disabilities, people can enjoy sports and rec-reation together and deepen ties. Participants enjoy taking part in games, such as a ball-tossing game, beach ball relay race, and wheel-chair relay race.

Live performances of casual classical music. The “Ogikubo Music Festival”

The “Ogikubo Music Fes-tival” started in 2000 and is held every mid-Novem-ber. It is one of the events helping to make Ogikubo a place where people can lead rich and comfortable lives; a place that makes people want to live there and want to continue living there. Classical music is usually performed in concert halls, however, this festival offers a casual way to enjoy such music, in places such as open spac-es in front of the station, in parks and at cafes, churches, hospitals, galleries, and gyms. Musicians and organizers of the festival are all volunteers, and the costs are covered by donations from contribu-tors in addition to admission fees.

Enliven the town with dance! The “Suginami Dance Festival”

The Suginami Dance Festival is an event where children put on energetic performances of different kinds of dance, including hip-hop, hula, and cheerleading. It is held in October every year and the number of participants has been growing every year. It has become a popular new seasonal event in Suginami.

Historic picture scroll “Yabusame”

Yabusame is held once every five years at Igusa Hachiman-gu Shrine, which is associated with Minamotono Yoritomo. Many visitors come to watch the coura-geous performance of shooting arrows at a target while on horseback. The event is treasured by local residents.

Known only to a few! Nishi Ogikubo Morning Market

This morning market started in 1975 by young people who wanted to enliven the shopping district. Ever since, it has been held from 8 a.m. to 11 a.m. every third Sunday of the month. The market becomes crowded with people who come to buy breads, dried foods, pork miso soup, and other goods offered at about 30 participating shops.

Enka (Japanese balad) and eisa (Okinawan dance) connect people!

Every year at the end of August, a music event, the “Suginami Honan popular song festival & Let’s dance Eisa together” is held at the Hon-an Ginza shopping district in front of Honan-cho Station. The main attractions of the event are fabulous performances by local resi-dents and a concert by professional singers. But the part that cannot be missed is the “Eisa” dance, which is a traditional Okinawan dance, in which a total of more than 130 local residents, from children to adults, participate to help each other and liven up the town.

Contributing to community building“ Building connections between people with kindness”

In Suginami, shopping areas and local residents cooperate to hold various events. Although each event has a different purpose and history, they are always filled with many smiling faces.

Get to KnowGet to Know

Fast-Facts Guidebook

Suginami City

SugiSuginaminami

Editing/Publishing: Suginami City General Affairs Department, Public Relations Division1-15-1 Asagaya-minami, Suginami-ku, Tokyo 166-8570Tel: 03-3312-2111 (Main)

Suginami City Administration Overview, Pocket Edition

Registered Print No.

2 9 - 0 1 1 0

Published in March 2018

Train to commemorate the closing of Tokyo Street Car Suginami Line

"Jeans" (City Hall)

Evacuation of school children (Bessho Onsen)

Construction of waste incineration plant

Opening of Sugimaru/ Keyaki route

Issuance of Suginami car registration numbers begins

Tower of declaration of city for safe tra�c(In front of Koenji Station)

Suginami’s history October 1932: Suginami City is established. August 1933: Inokashira Line opens October 1935: Completion of Iogi land adjustment union project July 1943: Tokyo Prefecture and Tokyo City merge to establish

Metropolitan Tokyo August 1944: Group evacuation to Nagano and Miyagi prefec-

ctures June 1947: Town associations are closed down and city branch

offices newly opened October 1952: City emblem is decided May 1954: Suginami Conference to fight against nuclear weap-

ons is launched August: The first Asagaya Tanabata Festival August 1955: Suginami residents’ movement for extermination of

mosquitoes and flies August 1957: The first Koenji Awa Odori January 1962: Marunouchi Subway Line opens December 1963: Tokyo streetcar Suginami Line gets abolished and

Loop 7 opens March 1965: Safe traffic city declaration November 1966: Announcement of plan to construct a waste incinera-

tion plant in Takaido September 1973: Green regulation is established Suginami City’s symbol tree is decided March 1981: Opening ceremony of Nakasugi Dori August 1982: Suginami city song and Suginami city dance song are

established January 1983: Suginami waste incineration plant begins full opera-

tion January 1987: Loop 7 roadside environment maintenance plan be-

gins March 1988: Peaceful city declaration March 1990: “Jeans” peaceful city declaration commemoration

statue erected October 1991: Group collection project begins April 1992: Communication mark established December 1997: Gender equality city declaration October 1999: Official website of Suginami City opens July 2000: Friendly individual waste collection (individual

collection of waste for people who have difficulty putting out waste) begins

November: Operation of south-north bus “Sugimaru” begins; Inter-junior high school relay race is held

October 2002: National summit of gender equality declaration cities January 2003: Nobel prize for physics recipient, Masatoshi Koshiba,

becomes first honorary citizen of Suginami City October: Safe and clean regulation / District for non-smoking

on street begins July 2004: Enactment of bylaw to install security cameras (First

in the country) October: Sakura route of south-north bus Sugimaru begins

operation July 2005: “Suginami Teachers’ Hall” is established as Suginami

City’s unique training institute for teachers. (First in the country)

April 2006: Support system for crime victims begins (First in the country)

September: Suginami City’s animation character, “Namisuke” is adopted

June 2007: “Suginami Child-raising Support Ticket” project is launched

December 2008: Kaede route of south-north bus Sugimaru opens October 2009: Longevity support point project begins September 2010: Junior high school environment summit begins March 2011: The Great East Japan Earthquake (Assistance to Min-

amisoma City) Municipality Scrum Support Meeting established

by domestic municipalities having exchange with Suginami

July: Anshin Otassha (Safe and well-being) visit program for the elderly begins

April 2012: Next Generation Development Fund is established August: Mayor of Suginami joins Mayors for Peace Confer-

ence November 2014: Issuance of Suginami car registration number begins December: Agreement for the construction of special nursing

homes under municipality collaboration with Min-amiizu town (First in the country)

September 2015: Issuance of Namisuke registration number for 50cc scooters begins

November: Formulation of Suginami City “City/People/Job Cre-ation General Strategy”

May 2016: Formulation of urgent countermeasures to eliminate children on nursery school waiting lists

July: Ordinance to widen narrow roads comes into opera-tion