Itabashi

Itabashi Ward is the "board ward." Itabashi's name origin is "board bridge." A board bridge that crossed the Shakujii River. For Itabashi residents, "Itabashi" is history. But modern Itabashi is an "ordinary residential area." Itabashi's population is about 580,000. 6th most populous among Tokyo's 23 wards. Many Itabashi residents are office workers. Morning, commute to city center by train. Evening, return to Itabashi. For Itabashi residents, "Itabashi" is where they sleep. Not where they work. Not where they play. Itabashi has no "characteristics." Not a youth city like Shibuya. Not a downtown like Shinjuku. Not an upscale residential area like Setagaya. Itabashi is "ordinary." For Itabashi residents, being "ordinary" is Itabashi's identity. For Itabashi residents, "cars" are unnecessary. Tokyo's car ownership rate is 0.32 cars per household. Itabashi is similar. Why? Trains are convenient. No parking. Parking fees are expensive (over 30,000 yen per month). For Itabashi residents, no reason to "own a car." Itabashi has no circuit. Nearest is Tsukuba Circuit (Ibaraki Prefecture, about 70km). For Itabashi residents, motorsport is "another world." Itabashi residents live "ordinarily." Work ordinarily. Sleep ordinarily. Spend time ordinarily. The "special culture" called motorsport has no room to enter Itabashi residents' "ordinary lives."