Taitō, The Tōkyō Region, Kantō Region, Japan

🇯🇵 Taitō is a special ward located in Tokyo Metropolis, Japan. In English, it is known as Taitō City. It is the smallest of Tokyo's wards in area, and third-smallest in population.

History The ward was founded on March 15, 1947, with the merger of the old Asakusa and Shitaya wards when Tokyo City was transformed into Tokyo Metropolis. During the Edo period, the Yoshiwara licensed quarter was in what is now Taitō. Taitō shares the same Chinese characters, "台東" with Taitung, a city in Taiwan.

Geography Situated in the north-eastern portion of the wards area of Tokyo, Taitō is surrounded by five other special wards: Chiyoda, Bunkyō, Arakawa, Sumida and Chūō.

Districts and neighborhoods Asakusa : • Asakusa • Asakusabashi • Hanakawado • Hashiba • Higashi-Asakusa (East Asakusa) • Imado • Kaminarimon • Kiyokawa • Kojima • Komagata • Kotobuki • Kuramae • Matsugaya • Misuji • Motoasakusa • Nihonzutsumi (Japan dike) • Nishi-Asakusa (West Asakusa) • Torigoe • Yanagibashi. Shitaya : • Akihabara • Higashi-Ueno (East Ueno) • Ikenohata • Iriya • Kita-Ueno (North Ueno) • Minowa • Negishi  • Ryusen • Senzoku • Shitaya • Taito • Ueno • Ueno-koen (Ueno Park) • Uenosakuragi • Yanaka.

Landmarks Taitō is famous for its typical Shitamachi districts.

Temples and shrines • Sensō-ji and Kaminarimon (Thunder Gate) • Asakusa Shrine • Akiba Shrine • Kan'ei-ji • Kishibojin • Ueno Tōshō-gū • Zenshō-an.

Parks • Asakusa Park • Kyu-Iwasaki-tei Garden • Sumida Park • Ueno Park • Yanaka Park.

Museums and zoos • Amuse Museum • Asakura Sculpture Hall • Daimyo Clock Museum • National Museum of Western Art • National Museum of Nature and Science • Tokyo Metropolitan Art Museum • Tokyo National Museum • Ueno no Mori Museum • Ueno Zoo • Yokoyama Taikan Memorial Hall.

Entertainment • Suzumoto Engeijo (Suzumoto Vaudeville Hall) • Asakusa Vaudeville Hall.

Colleges and universities • Tokyo National University of Fine Arts and Music • Ueno Gakuen University.

Public libraries Taito operates several public libraries, including the Central Library, the Central Library Asakusabashi Branch, the Negishi Library, and the Ishihama Library. The Central Library is located in the first and second floors of the Lifelong Learning Center.

Other The city operates the Lifelong Learning Center, a complex including a multi-media room, a studio, and other facilities. The Central Library is on the first and second floors of the Lifelong Learning Center.

Economy Eiken Chemical, a clinical diagnostics and equipment manufacturer, has its headquarters in Taito. Tokyo Ricoh Office Solution and Ricoh Technosystems, divisions of Ricoh, are headquartered in Taitō as of 2008. Chikumashobo, a publisher, has its headquarters in the Kuramae (蔵前) area of the ward.

Economy: Retail • Matsuzakaya department store in Ueno • Matsuya department store in Asakusa.

Other • Taiyo Yuden, electronics and materials company in Ueno.

Events • Sumidagawa Fireworks Festival • Asakusa Samba Carnival • Torigoe Shrine Matsuri • Sanja Matsuri, one of the three great festivals of Tokyo.

Transport: Rail • JR East ◦ Tōhoku Shinkansen, Jōetsu Shinkansen, Akita Shinkansen, Yamagata Shinkansen: Ueno Station ◦ Tōhoku Main Line ◦ Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tōhoku Line: Okachimachi, Ueno, Uguisudani Stations. Also, Nippori Station (on the boundary with Taitō) ◦ Utsunomiya Line, Takasaki Line: Ueno Station ◦ Jōban Line: Officially, the line begins at Nippori Station, although most trains start/terminate at Ueno Station • Tokyo Metro ◦ Ginza Line: Ueno-Hirokoji, Inarichō, Tawaramachi, Asakusa Stations ◦ Hibiya Line: Okachimachi, Ueno, Iriya, Minowa Stations • Tokyo Metropolitan Bureau of Transportation ◦ Toei Asakusa Line: Asakusa-bashi, Kuramae, Asakusa Stations ◦ Toei Ōedo Line: Ueno-Okachimachi, Shin-Okachimachi, Kuramae Stations • Keisei Electric Railway Keisei Main Line: Keisei Ueno Station • Tobu Railway Skytree Line: Asakusa Station • Tsukuba Express: Shin-Okachimachi, Asakusa Stations.

Transport: Road • Shuto Expressway ◦ Ueno Route • National highways ◦ National Route 4 ◦ National Route 6.

Sports and recreation The City of Taito operates the Taito Riverside Sports Center. The centre includes a gymnasium, tennis courts, two baseball fields for adults, one baseball field for children, one large swimming pool, one children's pool, and an athletic field. The gymnasium includes two courts, two budo halls, a Japanese-style archery range, a sumo ring, a training room, a table tennis room, an air-rifle shooting range, and a meeting room.