Nakano is a district of the city of Tokyo.
To know
Geographical notes
| Orientation | ||
| Nerima | Toshima | |
| Suginami |  | Shinjuku |
| Shibuya | ||
The neighborhood of Nakano (中 野) (often called Nakano city in English), adjacent to Shinjuku, is the near edge of the boundless urban sprawl of western Tokyo.
How to orient yourself
Nakano (Tokyo): full screen map.How to get
Nakano is well connected by various railway lines. The neighborhood is on the lines 
is 
, where the JR Chuo rapid (orange) and JR Chuo-Sobu (yellow) trains stop. In addition, there are also local trains on the JR-Chuo Line during peak hours. 1 Nakano it is also the terminal stop for trains on the underground line 
. However, some Tozai Line trains continue on the JR Chuo Line as Chuo-Sobu Local Trains after reaching Nakano. Travelers reach Nakano faster with JR Chuo Line express trains, which operate on a frequent schedule from the Central Station. Shinjuku (1 stop, 5 minutes, ¥ 150) and Tokyo Station (5 stops, 20 minutes, ¥ 210). Nakano's main shopping area (meaning most of the shops and restaurants, including Nakano Sunmall and Nakano Broadway) is north of the station.
Please pay attention to the actual service before boarding a JR Chuo express train. The most frequent service, simply called rapid (orange), as well as the commuter rapid (purple) and the Ome special rapid (green) are the only ones to stop in Nakano. But the rapid special (turquoise), the commuter special rapid (pink) and the Chuo and Ome (both orange) outperform Nakano. Also on the JR Chuo Line is Higashi Nakano (East Nakano), but only local JR Chuo-Sobu trains stop here.
Further north of the Arai Yakushi-mae, Numabukuro, Nogata, Toritsu Kasei and Saginomiya district there are stops on the Seibu Shinjuku line, which does not end in Shinjuku (as the name might suggest for some) but in Seibushinjuku, i.e. Seibu station a little north of Shinjuku station.
The south of the district is connected by the Marunouchi line of the Tokyo subway with trains that stop at Nakano Sakaue where the line is split and most trains continue to Shin-Nakano but some continue on the Honancho section towards Nakano Shimbashi and Nakano Fujimicho. Trains run from Shinjuku and Tokyo stations from all of these stops.
In addition to these east-west oriented lines, there is a south-north line. The Toei Oedo Line stops at the aforementioned Nakano Sakaue and Higashi Nakano Station and Shin-Ekoda. Again, trains on this line also stop at Shinjuku Station.
Other stations on various lines (including those not mentioned above) stop just outside the neighborhood, providing further links to nearby places. Ochiai Station on the Tozai Line, while located in the nearby Shinjuku district, also has exits in the Nakano district.
| Connections |
| Hachioji ← Kokubunji ← | OR  IS | → Shinjuku→ verse  → Shibuya |
| Mitaka ← Kichijoji ← | OR  IS | → Akihabara → Ryogoku |
| Mitaka ← Kichijoji ← | OR  IS | → Takadanobaba → Nihonbashi |
How to get around
What see
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- 1 Baishoin (梅 照 院), 5-3-5 Arai, Nakano (From Nakano Station, follow the main road north until you reach a pedestrian bridge. Do not cross the bridge but instead turn right into the park / temple area. It's a 15 minute walk (~ 1km), you might as well choose to take one of the many buses that follow the same route. Exit at Kitano-jinja (北野 神社) and keep walking in the same direction until you reach said pedestrian bridge. During the sakura season, there are pink and white cherry lanterns along the way from Nakano Station to the temple grounds. Be aware that the lanterns continue to Nakano's northern border, so don't follow them to the end. Last but not least, you can also make the first half of the walk more enjoyable by walking through Sunmall and Broadway (see below) and then turn left to reach the main road again for the second half of the journey). Fifty-one weeks a year, this is just a small, unimportant, uninteresting temple connected to an equally uninteresting playground. But during one week of the year, in early April, this is where Nakano celebrates hanami. There are many white cherry trees already on the road, and some more sakura can be seen on the ground. There are also many food stalls right now and even a small stage with some traditional singing and dancing. If you want to be amazed by the number or size of cherry trees (or hanami parties), there are better places in Tokyo. But if you're in Nakano anyway, it's a nice place to see how the locals enjoy enjoying the sakura season and grabbing some typical Japanese produce.
What to do
Shopping
- 1 Nakano Sunmall (Right in front of the north exit of JR Nakano station.).
Many shops aren't open until late morning or early afternoon, especially on weekends. Most shops are open at least from 10:00 to 20:00. The center of the Nakano shopping area is a shopping street over 200 meters long with a wide variety of shops, cafes and restaurants. Directly to the east there are several back streets with various restaurants, including many Izakaya. 
- 2 Nakano Broadway and the Broadway Arcade, 5-52-15 Nakano (Go towards Nakano Sunmall (see above) and continue for about five minutes.). Many shops aren't open until late morning or early afternoon, especially on weekends. Most shops are open at least from 10:00 to 20:00. On the 2nd and 3rd floors of this suburban shopping complex is the Broadway Arcade. Renowned throughout Tokyo and beyond for its shops serving the "otaku" culture of comics, anime, collectible toys and the like. If you are looking for a two meter tall Godzilla figure, this is where you will find it. There are also a few shops for used and specialty audio and video equipment, along with a large variety of other shops catering to the general public at the lower levels. Note that no escalators go to the 2nd and 4th floors, but there are several stairs.
Many shops aren't open until late morning or early afternoon, especially on weekends. Most shops are open at least from 10:00 to 20:00. The center of the Nakano shopping area is a shopping street over 200 meters long with a wide variety of shops, cafes and restaurants. Directly to the east there are several back streets with various restaurants, including many Izakaya.
How to have fun
- 1 The Hangover, Chuo 1-51-4, Nakano (10 minutes walk south from Higashinakano station), ☎ 81 90-3721-6982.
Drink 600-1200 yen. This is a bar for microbrew enthusiasts. There are beers from Japan and other countries in bottles and on tap. The selection changes from week to week, which means that there is always something new at hand. Bar food is also available. We speak English.
Drink 600-1200 yen. This is a bar for microbrew enthusiasts. There are beers from Japan and other countries in bottles and on tap. The selection changes from week to week, which means that there is always something new at hand. Bar food is also available. We speak English.Where to eat
While you probably won't find excellent restaurants in Nakano, there are plenty of options if you're hungry while you're there. There are many restaurants (mainly chains) in Nakano Sunmall (see above) and dozens of restaurants and izakayas in the adjacent side streets. There is something for everyone, eg. Ramen, Sushi, Soba, Curry, Pizza, burger, etc.
Average prices
- 1 Marui's Restaurant (0101's 5F), 3-34-28 Nakano (Just south of Nakano station on the main road). 10:30-20:30. A couple of typical restaurants in the department stores, offering both Japanese and overseas food.
Where stay
How to keep in touch
Other projects
Wikipedia contains an entry concerning Nakano (Tokyo)
Commons contains images or other files on Nakano (Tokyo)
