Welcome to Tokyo Ota City―Home of Metal Otaku^＊

＊Metal Otaku is the name of a robotic city in the 3D virtual world, Second Life, symbolizing the collective of metal work companies in Ota City (Ota-ku)―one of the 23 wards of Tokyo.

Where is Ota City?

Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is located in approximately the center of the Japanese Archipelago.



The metropolis is divided into 23 administrative wards, called ku in Japanese. Ota City, one of these wards, is officially called Ota-ku.
Ota City covers 59.5 km² and is the largest of the 23 wards. With a population of 680,000 (as of January 1,2009), Ota City is the second most populated ward, after Setagaya.
Ota City enjoys a moderate climate with an annual rainfall of 1,259 mm (approx. 50″) and an average temperature of 16.8^oC (approx. 62^oF), ranging from a low of −1.8^oC (approx. 29^oF) to a high of 34.9^oC (approx. 95^oF).

Opening the Gateway for Asian Travelers

Situated on Tokyo Bay, Ota City is the southernmost ward of Tokyo and is home to Tokyo International Airport, more commonly known as Haneda Airport. Haneda Airport was Japan’s only international airport and served as the gateway to Japan for visitors from every corner of the world until the completion of Narita International Airport in 1973. Since then, all international routes, excluding the Taiwan route, were transferred to Narita Airport, leaving Haneda Airport as a key hub for domestic routes.

However, with the continued increase in international travel in recent years, Narita Airport has reached its capacity, so Haneda Airport was reinstated as an international airport with construction underway on a fourth runway that will extend into Tokyo Bay. To ensure this runway does not block the Tama River, a large river flowing between Ota City and Kawasaki City in Kanagawa Prefecture, engineers utilized an innovative construction method where multiple piles are erected under water for runway support―a world first. Once the runway is completed, Haneda Airport's list of international routes will expand to include Hong Kong and Guam.

Tokyo's bid to host the 2016 Olympics is currently in full force. If it succeeds, we can expect the number of visitors from around the world to increase. Haneda Airport, which provides easy access to downtown Tokyo and surrounding areas, will be the most convenient airport for visitors from all over Asia. In addition, travelers from Europe and North America will find their trip to Japan shortened by arriving at Haneda Airport via Korea or China.
http://www.metal-otaku.net/english/haneda.html

Good Things Come in Small Packages!

While Ota City may be well known thanks to Haneda Airport, it is most famous for its manufacturing industry. You will often hear the Japanese word monozukuri used to refer to small-scale manufacturing. Ota City is very prominent within the small-scale manufacturing industry for its high concentration of metal-processing companies.

Currently, there are over 4,000 small-scale manufacturers in this area alone. This is not merely a simple concentration of independent entities―these manufacturers jostle each other for technical superiority, and the local veteran industrial craftsmen are well known and respected throughout Japan for their work in high-precision parts. The superior technology honed by these small-scale manufacturers forms the very backbone of the Japanese industry.
http://www.metal-otaku.net/english/metalwork.html

Ota City, blessed with its proximity to the coastal industrial zone stretching from Kawasaki to Yokohama, developed as a manufacturing Mecca after the establishment of Tokyo Gas'factory here at the beginning of the 20th century. According to the Census of Manufacturers 2005, Ota City encompasses 4,778 factories, employing 37,641 people, and shipping approximately four billion US dollars (761 billion yen) worth of products. Of that total, 1,630 factories produce general mechanical parts, and 1,014 specialize in fabricated metal products. Nearly 80% of the 6,173 businesses located in Ota City are small-scale enterprises each employing a maximum of nine people.

Ota City's manufacturing industry is unique in that it operates as one large manufacturing plant thriving on the seamless and complementary collaboration between local small businesses that specialize in one process, one skill or one service.

Such a vast concentration of mutually benefiting medium- and small-scale businesses is rare―even in Japan―and comparable only to Higashi-Osaka City.

A Multifaceted City of Culture, Delicacies and Learning

Another face of Ota City is the Denen-Chofu area in the north, which is at the top of Tokyo's list of upscale neighborhoods. Many celebrities, movie stars, business executives and professional athletes choose Denen-Chofu as their permanent abode.

As an academic town, Ota City is home to many universities. Tokyo Institute of Technology, the top science and technical college in Japan, which is often compared to the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in the U.S., hosts more than 1,000 students from all over Asia. Other noteworthy educational institutions include Nihon Kogakuin College, a longstanding vocational college offering studies in computer technology, film, medicine and other fields; and Tokyo University of Technology, an institution recognized for its leading research facilities in many areas, including biotechnology, computers and film media.

One of Ota City's many cultural attractions is Ikegami Honmon-ji Temple, one of the main temples run by the Nichiren School of Buddhism. Nichiren followers are particularly found of this temple as the founder of the school, Nichiren himself, established it in 1282 and spent his final days here.

The Omori Coast, located in the southern area of Ota City, is the very birthplace of seaweed cultivation. The thin, black peculiar-looking sheets of seaweed―known in Japanese as nori―used in sushi shops to wrap rice, are now famous throughout the world. Nori, which is made from a type of sea alga called red alga Porphyra, has been consumed in Japan since ancient times and began to be cultivated during the Edo period (1603−1867). Papermaking techniques such as shredding and rack-drying processes were applied to seaweed processing to produce the paper-thin sheets. Seaweed cultivation technology spread quickly from Omori to the rest of Japan, and Omori remained the largest producer of nori until around 1950. Sadly, production gradually decreased due to encroaching landfills and pollution in Tokyo Bay. By 1962, all seaweed production in Omori had vanished.

Over 40 years later, in 2004, asakusa-nori, thought to be all but extinct in Tokyo Bay, was found growing at the mouth of the Tama River. By 2008, local nori wholesalers were successful in a trial cultivation of asakusa-nori gleaned from the Tama River. Many ideas for the revival of “Omori Nori” are now under consideration by those formerly involved in the industry.

To find out more, visit the world’s only seaweed museum, located right here in Omori!
http://www.city.ota.tokyo.jp/shisetsu/hakubutsukan/
oomori_norinofurusatokan/index.html

Revitalization and Recreation

Mayor Tadayoshi Matsubara is currently heading a vigorous revitalization plan for Ota City and surrounding areas. With the reinstatement of Haneda Airport as an international hub, plans include the revitalization of the commercial areas around the airport and the building of more recreational facilities for the enjoyment of local residents. In an effort to attract more overseas visitors, many tourist and sightseeing initiatives are also underway.

We heartily encourage travelers arriving at Haneda Airport to take a leisurely look at the Seaweed Museum and Honmon-ji Temple before rushing off to the hustle and bustle of Tokyo proper!