Akishima, Tokyo

Akishima is in the foothills of the Okutama Mountains of western Tokyo, along the bank of the Tama River at an elevation between 76 and 171 meters above sea level. It is located approximately 35 kilometers from central Tokyo.

The area of present-day Akishima was part of ancient Musashi Province, and a center for sericulture. In the post–Meiji Restoration cadastral reform of July 22, 1878, the area became part of Kitatama District in Kanagawa Prefecture. Haiji, Nakagami, and Sotoyatsu villages were created on April 1, 1889, with the establishment of municipalities law. The entire district was transferred to the control of Tokyo Metropolis on April 1, 1893. The latter two villages merged on January 1, 1928, to form Shōwa Village.

Shōwa was elevated to town status on January 1, 1941, and through merger with the village of Haiji on May 1, 1954, became the city of Akishima. The name comes from the kun'yomi of the first kanji in the name of the former town of Shōwa, and the on'yomi of the second kanji in the name of the former village of Haijima.

Akishima was developed as an industrial suburb of Tokyo, and still has large factories operated by Hoya Corporation, JEOL, Japan Aviation Electronics, Fostex, Shōwa Aircraft Industry Co., and others. The city is also a bedroom community for the Tokyo metropolitan area.

Akishima has seven public and one private elementary school, six public and one private middle school and two public and one private high school.

• Showa Memorial Park
• Tamagawa Aqueduct
• Hajima Daishi Buddhist temple

• Takao Koyama, screenwriter and novelist
• Satoshi Koizumi, professional soccer player

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Akishima, Tokyo.

• Akishima City Official Website (in Japanese)