Setagaya, The Tōkyō Region, Kantō Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Setagaya (世田谷区, Setagaya-ku, officially called Setagaya City or the City of Setagaya) is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the Zelkova serrata.

Setagaya has the largest population and second-largest area (after Ōta) of Tokyo's special wards. As of July 1, 2023, the ward has an estimated population density of 16,194 persons per km² with the total area of 58.06 km².

Life expectancy In 2020, life expectancy of Setagaya is 86.05. This record is no 1 in the world considering its large population.

Geography Setagaya is located at the south-western corner of the Tokyo's special wards and the Tama River separates the boundary between Tokyo Metropolis and Kanagawa Prefecture.

Residential population is among the highest in Tokyo as there are many residential neighbourhoods within Setagaya. Setagaya is served by various rail services providing frequent two- to three-minute headway rush-hour services to the busiest train terminals of Shinjuku and Shibuya as well as through service trains which continue travelling on to the Tokyo Metro lines providing direct access to the central commercial and business districts. Most rail lines run parallel from east to west and there are no north to south rail services within Setagaya, except for Setagaya Line light rail.

The ward is divided into five districts. These are Setagaya, Kitazawa, Tamagawa, Kinuta and Karasuyama. The main ward office and municipal assembly (city hall) is located in Setagaya District, but other districts also have their own branch ward offices as a part of the administrative structure. Each branch office provides almost identical services as the main office, but does not provide the services related to municipal assembly.

Most of the land is in the Musashino Tableland. The parts along the Tama River to the south are comparatively low-lying.

History The special ward of Setagaya was founded on March 15, 1947.

During the Edo period, 42 villages occupied the area. With the abolition of the han system in 1871, the central and eastern portions became part of Tokyo Prefecture while the rest became part of Kanagawa Prefecture; in 1893, some areas were transferred to Tokyo Prefecture. With the establishment of Setagaya Ward (an ordinary ward) in the old Tokyo City in 1932, and further consolidation in 1936, Setagaya took its present boundaries.

During the 1964 Summer Olympics, the district of Karasuyama-machi in Setagaya was part of the athletics marathon and 50 km walk event.

Landmarks: Nature • Tama River • Todoroki Valley  (Yazawa River)

Parks • Futako Tamagawa Park • Hanegi Park • Kinuta Park • Kitami Friendship Square • Komazawa Olympic Park • Roka Kōshun-en  • Okura Sports Park • Setagaya Park • Soshigaya Park • Tamagawa Nogemachi Park • Tokyo Equestrian Park

Cultural facilities • Gotoh Museum • Hasegawa Machiko Art Museum • Honda Theater • Oya Soichi Bunko, a private library of Japanese magazines for researchers and journalists • Setagaya Art Museum • Setagaya Literary Museum

Religious facilities • Gōtoku-ji, a Zen temple known as birthplace of maneki-neko, with grave of Ii Naosuke who was assassinated in the Sakuradamon Incident in 1860 • Shōin shrine • Jōshin-ji (Kuhonbutsu) • Catholic Seta Church, Seta Monastery • Zenyōmitsu-ji • Todoroki Fudōson • Hachimangu Shinto shrine, a major religious centre from the late Heian period to the end of the Edo period.

Others • Carrot Tower • NHK Science & Technology Research Laboratories • Setagaya Business Square (SBS) • Setagaya Castle ruins • Tokyo Metropolitan Matsuzawa Hospital

Karasuyama Area • Hachimanyama • Kamikitazawa • Kamisoshigaya • Kitakarasuyama • Kasuya • Kyūden • Minamikarasuyama

Kinuta Area • Chitosedai • Funabashi • Kamata • Kinuta • Kinutakōen • Kitami • Okamoto • Ōkura • Seijō • Soshigaya • Unane

Kitazawa Area • Akatsutsumi • Daita • Daizawa • Gōtokuji • Hanegi • Ikejiri • Kitazawa (including Shimokitazawa) • Matsubara • Ōhara • Sakurajōsui • Umegaoka

Setagaya Area • Shimouma • Ikejiri • Kamiuma • Komazawa • Kyōdō • Mishuku • Miyasaka • Nozawa • Sakura • Sakuragaoka • Sangenjaya • Setagaya • Taishidō • Tsurumaki • Wakabayashi

Tamagawa Area • Fukazawa • Higashitamagawa • Kaminoge • Kamiyōga • Komazawa • Komazawakōen • Nakamachi • Noge • Okusawa • Oyamadai • Sakurashinmachi • Seta • Shinmachi • Tamazutsumi • Tamagawa • Tamagawadai • Tamagawa-Den'enchōfu • Todoroki • Yōga • Futako-Tamagawa

Transport: Rail • Keio Corporation ◦ Keiō Line: Daitabashi, Meidai-mae, Shimo Takaido, Sakura Josui, Kami Kitazawa, Hachiman Yama, Roka Koen, Chitose-Karasuyama Stations ◦ Keio Inokashira Line: Ikenoue, Shimo-Kitazawa, Shindaita, Higashi-Matsubara, Meidaimae Stations • Odakyu Electric Railway ◦ Odawara Line: Higashi-Kitazawa, Shimo-Kitazawa, Setagaya-Daita, Umegaoka, Gōtokuji, Kyōdō, Chitose-Funabashi, Soshigaya-Ōkura, Seijōgakuen-Mae, Kitami Stations • Tokyu Corporation ◦ Den-en-toshi Line: Ikejiri Ohashi, Sangen-Jaya, Komazawa Daigaku, Sakura Shinmachi, Yōga, Futako-Tamagawa Stations ◦ Meguro Line: Okusawa Station ◦ Oimachi Line: Midorigaoka, (Jiyūgaoka), Kuhon-butsu, Oyamadai, Todoroki, Kaminoge, Futako-Tamagawa Stations ◦ Setagaya Line (LRT): Sangen-Jaya, Nishi Taishido, Wakabayashi, Shoin Jinja-mae, Setagaya, Kami Machi, Miyanosaka, Yamashita, Matsubara, Shimo Takaido Stations ◦ Toyoko Line: (Jiyūgaoka Station)

Transport: Road Expressways • Tōmei Expressway (Asian Highway 1) • Chūō Expressway • Daisan Keihin Road • Shuto Expressway ◦ No. 3 Shibuya Route ◦ No. 4 Shinjuku Route

National highways • National Route 20 "Kōshū Kaidō" • National Route 246 "Tamagawa Dōri" • National Route 466

Prefecture roads • Tokyo Metropolitan Road 3 "Setagaya Dōri" • Tokyo Metropolitan Road 311 "Kanpachi Dōri" • Tokyo Metropolitan Road 312 "Meguro Dōri" • Tokyo Metropolitan Road 318 "Kan-nana Dōri" • Tokyo Metropolitan Road 416 "Komazawa Dōri"

Economy • Rakuten has its headquarters building "Rakuten Crimson House" in Setagaya. • Toho has studio facilities in Setagaya. • OLM, Inc. has its studios in Setagaya. • Ivan Ramen restaurant: a ramen shop owned by an American chef.

Education: University • Central Theological College, Tokyo • Japan Women's College of Physical Education • Kokushikan University • Komazawa University • Nihon University • Nippon Sport Science University • Sanno Institute of Management • Seijo University • Showa Women's University • Tama Art University Kaminoge Campus • Temple University Japan Campus • Tokyo City University • Tokyo Healthcare University Setagaya Campus • Tokyo University of Agriculture.

Diplomatic missions • Embassy of the Republic of Angola • Embassy of the Republic of Cameroon • Embassy of Mozambique • Embassy of Rwanda • Embassy of Tanzania • Honorary Consulate-General of the Central African Republic in Tokyo • Honorary Consulate-General of the Republic of Malta in Tokyo.