Western Tokyo

Western Tokyo, also called the Tama area, is a part of the Tokyo Metropolis made up of 30 smaller places like cities, towns, and one village. This area is different from the eastern part of Tokyo, which has 23 special wards.

Before 1893, the Tama area was part of Kanagawa Prefecture and was known as the “three Tama,” referring to the West, North, and South Tama counties. It later became a part of Tokyo.

Overview

In the eastern part of the Tokyo Metropolis, there are 23 special areas called special wards. These were once part of old Tokyo City. The western part is different. It has 30 smaller places: cities, towns, and one village.

Some towns like Hinode, Mizuho, and Okutama, along with the village of Hinohara, are grouped together in an area called the Nishitama District. Islands far from the main land, such as the Bonin, Volcano, Izu islands, and places like Okinotorishima and Minamitorishima, are not included in Western Tokyo.

No.	Flag	Name	Japanese (kanji)	Hiragana	Population (as of October 2016)	Density (/km²)	Area (km²)
01		Hachiōji	八王子市	はちおうじし	577,254	3,097	186.38
02		Tachikawa	立川市	たちかわし	180,214	7,398	24.36
03		Musashino	武蔵野市	むさしのし	147,607	13,443	10.98
04		Mitaka	三鷹市	みたかし	191,408	11,657	16.42
05		Ōme	青梅市	おうめし	134,857	1,305	103.31
06		Fuchū	府中市	ふちゅうし	263,835	8,965	29.43
07		Akishima	昭島市	あきしまし	111,942	6,456	17.34
08		Chōfu	調布市	ちょうふし	237,637	11,012	21.58
09		Machida	町田市	まちだし	433,938	6,065	71.80
10		Koganei	小金井市	こがねいし	124,712	11,036	11.30
11		Kodaira	小平市	こだいらし	194,757	9,496	20.51
12		Hino	日野市	ひのし	188,990	6,860	27.55
13		Higashimurayama	東村山市	ひがしむらやまし	150,101	8,757	17.14
14		Kokubunji	国分寺市	こくぶんじし	126,317	11,022	11.46
15		Kunitachi	国立市	くにたちし	75,022	9,205	8.15
16		Fussa	福生市	ふっさし	58,184	5,727	10.16
17		Komae	狛江市	こまえし	83,003	12,990	6.39
18		Higashiyamato	東大和市	ひがしやまとし	84,480	6,295	13.42
19		Kiyose	清瀬市	きよせし	75,400	7,370	10.23
20		Higashikurume	東久留米市	ひがしくるめし	116,309	9,030	12.88
21		Musashimurayama	武蔵村山市	むさしむらやまし	71,804	4,687	15.32
22		Tama	多摩市	たまし	147,822	7,036	21.01
23		Inagi	稲城市	いなぎし	90,774	5,051	17.97
24		Hamura	羽村市	はむらし	55,004	5,556	9.90
25		Akiruno	あきる野市	あきるのし	80,242	1,092	73.47
26		Nishitōkyō	西東京市	にしとうきょうし	203,258	12,905	15.75
27		Mizuho	瑞穂町	みずほまち	32,867	1,951	16.85
28		Hinode	日の出町	ひのでまち	17,226	614	28.07
29		Hinohara	檜原村	ひのはらむら	2,073	19.7	105.41
30		Okutama	奥多摩町	おくたままち	5,023	22.3	225.53
Overall:					4,233,493	3,650	1,160

History

Western Tokyo used to be part of an old area called Musashi Province. The important town was Fuchū, with a special temple in Kokubunji and a main shrine in Tama.

Long ago, Western Tokyo had three areas:

• Nishi-Tama District included places like Akiruno, Fussa, Hamura, and Ōme.
• Minami-Tama District covered Hachiōji, Hino, Inagi, Tama, and Machida. This area no longer exists because Inagi became a city in 1971.
• Kita-Tama District had many towns such as Akishima, Chōfu, and Fuchū. This area also no longer exists since Musashimurayama became a city in 1970. Some of its land is now part of Setagaya.