Kabutocho

Kabutochō (Japanese: 兜町) or more formally Nihonbashi Kabutochō (Japanese: 日本橋兜町) is a neighborhood of Nihonbashi, Chuo-ku, Tokyo, where the Tokyo Stock Exchange and many securities companies are located, so that it is considered Japan's equivalent of Wall Street in New York City.

Kabutochō

兜町
Neighborhood in Chūō
Tokyo Stock Exchange
Country Japan
Prefecture Tokyo
Special ward Chūō
Population
 (1 October 2020)
 • Total723[1]
Time zoneUTC+09:00
ZIP code
103-0026
Telephone area code03
A street car runs in front of the Tokyo Stock Exchange.
The Tokyo Stock Exchange during the 1960s

History

The name of Kabutochō, literally the town of Kabuto (ancient helmet), is said to come from a legend that Minamoto no Yoshiie, upon his return from having conquered the north-eastern provinces in the eleventh century, buried his helmet there.[2] It used to be a swampy area till the early 17th century, when the Daimyo who were forced to participate in the building of the Edo Castle built their residences.[3]

By the Meiji period, the Kabutochō area came to be owned by the Mitsui family. In 1871, Eiichi Shibusawa established there First National Bank that later would become Mizuho Bank. As the Tokyo Stock Exchange was established there in 1878, the area soon became Japan's financial center, with many securities companies and banks setting up their headquarters and/or branch offices.

Revitalization

Recently, as securities trading has become electronic, larger securities firms have already left Kabutochō to other premier locations in Tokyo. Heiwa Real Estate, the owner of the Tokyo Stock Exchange and Osaka Exchange buildings, has kicked off a Kabutochō Revitalization project.[4] In 2020 Time Out named Kabutochō as the coolest neighborhood in Tokyo.[5]

See also

References
  1. "町丁目別世帯数男女別人口". Chuo Ward. Retrieved 20 October 2020.
  2. The origin of the name, Nihonbashi Kabutochi (in the Chuo-ku official site) (in Japanese)
  3. The history of Nihonbashi kabutocho (in the Chuo-ku official site) (in Japanese)
  4. The Nihonbashi Kabutochō and Kayabachō Revitalization Concept Heiwa Real Estate
  5. Kabutocho in Nihonbashi is named Tokyo’s coolest neighbourhood in 2020: The 'former wall street of Tokyo' is reinventing itself with cool, independent restaurants and bars Emma Steen, Time Out, 7 October 2020

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