| Aoba Ward,
Yokohama |
|
| Area |
35.06km² (13.54 sq. mi.) |
|
Population |
291,212
（2005）
|
| Floral
emblem |
Yamazakura cherry
(Prunus jamasakura)
|
| Tree
emblem |
Nashi pear (Pyrus pyrifolia) |
| Ward
Office |
| Address |
〒225-0024
Kanagawa,
Yokohama, Aoba,
Ichigao-cho 31-4
|
| Phone |
+81-45-978-2323 |
| Website |
Official web site
in English |
| Symbol |
 |
|
is one of the 18 ward which make up the city of Yokohama, Japan
. The area made up the northern part of Midori Ward
until 1994. It has an area of 35.06 km² and a population of 291,212 (2005 figures).
History
- April 1, 1889: were incorporated under the new municipality
law.
- April 1, 1939: The three villages were annexed to the city of
Yokohama; villages become part of .[193878]
- October 1, 1969: The ward of Kohoku was divided into two; the
area becomes part of .[193879]
- November 6, 1994: The wards of Kohoku and Midori were
recombined, then divided into four wards (Kohoku, Midori, [193880] and Aoba). The North Branch of the Midori
Ward Office in Ichigao becomes the Aoba Ward Office.
The division and re-division of wards in this region have much to
do with the way northern Yokohama have been developed by railroad
companies. Once a remote farming community, the northern part of
the (pre-1969) Kohoku had no railway access and comparably
primitive Highway 246. The only trains that used to run then were
on the JNR Yokohama Line (now JR East Yokohama Line), and as such
the closest train stations to what is now Aoba were Nagatsuta,
Toka-Ichiba, and Nakayama.
The construction and opening of the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line made a
way to a rapid suburban development in this region, and with the
growing population, the northwestern Kohoku Ward became Midori
Ward, with its ward office near the Nakayama Station.
Apart from and following much later than development, the
development took place during the 1980s and early 1990s.
Unlike the
Tama Den-en-toshi, the Kohoku New Town did not come with the
convenience of commuter rail lines until 1993; non-drivers had to
ride a Yokohama City Bus line to either Shin-Yokohama
Station
(JR) or Eda Station (Tokyu) first and transfer to a
train. The core of the Kohoku New Town became a significant
commercial centre once the City of Yokohama completed the
construction of its subway line extension between Shin-Yokohama and
Azamino in 1993. This resulted in the entire Kohoku New Town being
carved out as a new ward called Tsuzuki.
It is commonly misconstrued that the City of Yokohama divided
Midori Ward into two (Midori and Aoba) and Kohoku Ward into two
(Kohoku and Tsuzuki). This is not an accurate statement: These four
wards were technically recombined into one, then redivided into
four new wards. Hence some parts of the old Midori Ward went to
Tsuzuki instead of Aoba Ward (for example, Nakamachidai was part of
Midori Ward but now is part of Tsuzuki Ward, not Aoba).
Generally speaking, the post-1994 Kohoku ward encompasses the area
along the Tokyu Toyoko Line (Tsunashima, Kikuna, etc.) and around
Shin-Yokohama. The new Midori Ward includes the areas along the JR
East Yokohama Line (Nakayama, Toka-Ichiba, Nagatsuta), while the
new Aoba Ward loosely corresponds to the neighbourhoods on and near
the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line (Tama Plaza, Azamino, Eda, Ichigao,
Fujigaoka, Aobadai and Tana).
Economy
The major commercial centres are around the and stations. The
far-northern end of Aoba and the valley area retained their
semi-rural characters until recent years, but farming is in decline
as real-estate developers converted much of the farmlands and
orchards into subdivisions and condominiums since the early
1990s.
Neighbouring municipalities
- (to the north); (to the northeast).
- The City of (to the southeast); (to the south).
- (to the west).
Transportation
The national highway route 246 (R-246) runs across Aoba, in a
loosely parallel manner with the
Tokyu
Den-en-toshi Line. The highway is elevated and limited-access, but
is not a toll road. R-246 links the main commercial areas of Aoba
with Tokyo (via Futako-Tamagawa and
Shibuya).
In 1998, the Japan Highway Corporation opened the new Yokohama Aoba
Interchange in Shimo-Yamoto near Ichigao to improve local access to
and from the
Tomei
Expressway.
Much of the ward's development is a result of Tokyu Corporation's
1953 "Tama Den-en-toshi Concept." Under this plan, the railroad
company rapidly developed
suburban
residential subdivisions with the new rail line as its pillar.
Tokyu opened the rail service through what is now Aoba on April 1,
1966. The
Tokyu Den-en-toshi
Line has six stations (Aobadai, Fujigaoka, Ichigao, Eda,
Azamino, Tama Plaza) in Aoba. Aobadai, Azamino and Tama Plaza
stations are served by express trains. The
Yokohama Municipal Subway has its terminus
at Azamino. Additionally, the
Yokohama MinatoMirai
Railway Company owns two rail stations at Onda and
Kodomo-no-Kuni; these stations are operated by Tokyu under contract
and passengers can connect to the Den-en-toshi Line at Nagatsuta
(in Midori). It is believed among the residents, especially of
junior high school students and high school students of Aoba-ku,
that the Shinkansen, the Japanese bullet trains will one day pass
through Aoba-ku in the very future, although there is no evidence
that officials of four Japan Railways Group companies are aiming to
construct a new station in Aoba-ku for a new stop of Shinkansen.
The rumor that Shinkansen will pass through Aoba-ku has been spread
around about five years ago, however, nowadays many residents have
realized that the rumor was not trustworthy after all and only
among junior high school and high school students it is believed to
be true.
Education
Emblem of Aoba Ward
The emblem of Aoba Ward was officially announced on November 6,
1996 to commemorate the birth of Aoba Ward. The emblem was chosen
from a number of designs submitted by residents. The trees and
different shapes inside the green oval actually spell "AOBA." The
hill symbolizes the geographic location of Aoba Ward. This emblem
signifies the warmth that the nature gives to human beings.
[193881]
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