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Shinjuku (新宿区; -ku) is the capital
special ward located in western
Tokyo,
Japan and is a major commercial and administrative centre as well as
the location of one of Tokyo's largest public transport interchange,
Shinjuku Station. Shinjuku is home to the Tokyo Metropolitan
Government Office, Tokyo's tallest building, where political and public
administration of the city takes place.
Not only is Shinjuku convenient, but it is also often considered to be
a great place to hang out: there are many shopping malls, restaurants, and
movie theaters packed into the small city of Shinjuku.
The city of Shinjuku developed into its current form after the
Great Kanto earthquake (Kanto-daishinsai) in
1923, since the seismically stable area largely escaped the
devastation. Consequently, West Shinjuku is one of the few areas in Tokyo
with many
skyscrapers.
As of
2003, the ward has an estimated
population of 297,135 and the
density of 16,299.23 persons per
km². The total area is 18.23 km².
Major areas of the ward include
Ichigaya,
Kabukicho,
Okubo,
Shinanomachi,
Shinjuku ni-chome and
Takadanobaba. Shinjuku Ward is home to
Waseda University, the
Yakult Swallows baseball team, and a barracks of the
Self-Defense Forces.
The ward was founded on
March 15,
1947.
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