Komaba

Komaba is the area about 30 minutes’ walk from Shibuya to the northwest. You can take Inokashira line from Shibuya, getting off at the second station called Komaba Todai-Mae. “Todai” is the short name of the University of Tokyo, and ” Todai-Mae” means “in front of the University of Tokyo”.

Yes, the most famous facility in Komaba area is the University of Tokyo, the second campus after that in Hongo. But I dared to avoid featuring it , because I think the most distinctive characteristic of this area is the high-schools which have the highest ranks not only in Tokyo but also in Japan. Along the street in the photo are three such high-schools located, each of which are independent. Why does such thing happen? One of the reasons can be attributable to the proximity to the University of Tokyo, but another may be that this area has attracted highly educated wealthy people since before WWII.