| Chōfu | |
| Native Name Lang: | ja |
| Settlement Type: | City |
| Pushpin Map: | Japan |
| Pushpin Map Caption: | |
| Coordinates: | 35.6506°N 139.5407°W |
| Subdivision Type: | Country |
| Subdivision Name: | Japan |
| Subdivision Type1: | Region |
| Subdivision Name1: | Kantō |
| Subdivision Type2: | Prefecture |
| Subdivision Name2: | Tokyo |
| Established Title: | First official recorded |
| Established Date: | 80 AD (official) |
| Established Title2: | Town settled |
| Established Date2: | April 1, 1889 |
| Established Title3: | City settled |
| Established Date3: | April 1, 1955 |
| Leader Title: | Mayor |
| Leader Name: | Yoshiki Nagatomo (since July 2002) |
| Area Total Km2: | 21.58 |
| Population Total: | 238087 |
| Population As Of: | April 2021 |
| Population Density Km2: | auto |
| Timezone1: | Japan Standard Time |
| Utc Offset1: | +9 |
| Blank Name Sec1: | City symbols |
| Blank Info Sec1: | |
| Blank1 Name Sec1: | • Tree |
| Blank1 Info Sec1: | Cinnamomum camphora |
| Blank2 Name Sec1: | • Flower |
| Blank2 Info Sec1: | Lagerstroemia indica |
| Blank3 Name Sec1: | • Bird |
| Blank3 Info Sec1: | Japanese white-eye |
| Blank Name Sec2: | Phone number |
| Blank Info Sec2: | 042-481-7111 |
| Blank1 Name Sec2: | Address |
| Blank1 Info Sec2: | 2-35-1 Kojima-cho, Chōfu-shi, Tokyo-to 182-8511 |
is a city in the western side of Tokyo Metropolis, Japan., the city had an estimated population of 238,087, and a population density of 11,000 per km2. the total area of the city is 21.58sqkm.[1]
Chōfu is approximately in the south-center of Tokyo Metropolis, approximately 20 kilometers west from downtown Tokyo, on the Musashino Terrace bordered by the floodplains of the Tama River and the Iruma River.
Tokyo Metropolis
Chōfu has a humid subtropical climate (Köppen Cfa) characterized by warm summers and cool winters with light to no snowfall. The average annual temperature in Chōfu is 14.5 °C. The average annual rainfall is 1647 mm with September as the wettest month. The temperatures are highest on average in August, at around 26.0 °C, and lowest in January, at around 3.1 °C.[2]
Per Japanese census data,[3] the population of Chōfu has grown steadily over the past century, and increased especially rapidly in the 1950s and 1960s.
The area of present-day Chōfu has been inhabited since Japanese Paleolithic times, and numerous remains from the Jōmon, Yayoi and Kofun periods have been discovered. During the Nara period, it became part of ancient Musashi Province. During the Sengoku period, the area was frequently contested between the Later Hōjō clan and Uesugi clan. During the Edo period, the area prospered as a post station on the Kōshū Kaidō and as a center for sericulture. The origin of the city name "Chōfu" comes from the fact that it was allowed to pay taxes in cloth instead of in rice.
In the post-Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of April 1, 1889, Chōfu Town and neighboring Jindai Village were established within Kanagawa Prefecture. The entire district was transferred to the control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. Jindai was elevated to town status on November 3, 1952, and merged with Chōfu Town on April 1, 1955, to form the present city of Chōfu.
Chōfu has a mayor-council form of government with a directly elected mayor and a unicameral city council of 28 members. Chōfu, together with the city of Komae, contributes three members to the Tokyo Metropolitan Assembly. In terms of national politics, the city is part of Tokyo 22nd district of the lower house of the Diet of Japan.
Chōfu is primarily a regional commercial center, and a bedroom community ("bed town" ベッドタウン, beddotaun) for central Tokyo. The headquarters of the Japan Aerospace Exploration Agency (JAXA) are also located in the city.
40px Keio Corporation - Keiō Line
40px Keio Corporation - Keiō Sagamihara Line
Colleges and universities:
Primary and secondary education
Metropolitan high schools:
Municipal junior high schools:[4]
Municipal elementary schools:[4]
Private schools:
The Chōfu City Fireworks Festival, attended by as many as 300,000 people along the banks of the Tamagawa River.
Chōfu has a large cultural centre that supports many groups encouraging the integration of foreigners into Japanese society, providing free Japanese, Shodo, Ikebana, Karate (and many other) lessons.
There is a park and memorial hall commemorating the life of novelist Mushanokōji Saneatsu, a former resident of Chōfu.
For the 1964 Summer Olympics, the city served as part of the route for the athletic 50-kilometer walk and marathon events.[5]