Setagaya

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

Setagaya has the largest population and second largest area (after Ōta) of Tokyo's 23 special wards. As of May 1, 2011, the ward has an estimated population of 837,185 and a population density of 14,414.34 persons per km² with the total area of 58.08 km².

Geography

Setagaya is located at the southwestern corner of the 23 special wards and 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 2 to 3 minutes 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.