is one of the 23 special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan. The ward refers to itself as Suginami City in English.
The total area is 34.06 km<sup>2</sup>. As of June 1, 2022, Suginami has an estimated population of 588,354 and a population density of 17,274 persons per km<sup>2</sup>.
Suginami's mascot is a green little dinosaur called Namisuke.
Suginami occupies the western part of the ward area of Tokyo. Its neighbors include these special wards: to the east, Shibuya and Nakano; to the north, Nerima; and to the south, Setagaya. Its western neighbors are the cities of Mitaka and Musashino.
The Kanda River passes through Suginami. The Zenpukuji river originates from Zenpukuji Park in western Suginami, and the Myà Âshà Âji River originates in Myà Âshà Âji Park, to the north of Ogikubo station.
The name Suginami dates back to the early Edo period and is a shortened version of Suginamiki ("avenue of cedars"). This name came about when an early land baron, Lord Tadayoshi Okabe, planted a row of cedar trees to mark the bounds of his property.
In 1970, 40 high school students in the area were exposed to photochemical smog and required hospitalization. The incident attracted national attention and increased awareness of the dangers of pollution.
The following neighborhoods make up Suginami-ku:
Historically, Suginami has leaned toward liberal activism. In 1954, local housewives launched the "Suginami Appeal" against nuclear weapons, a petition that spread nationwide and ultimately collected 20 million signatures. More recently in 2005, Suginami became part of Japan's fight against nationalist textbook revisionism when residents petitioned Tokyo's courts to prevent the adoption of a controversial textbook published by Fusosha Publishing which claimed to justify Japanese actions during World War II. The ward has also passed an ordinance placing limits on the installation of security cameras.
To combat burglaries, which reached a record number of 1,710 in 2002, the ward created an unconventional anti-crime program called Operation Flower. The ward urged residents to plant flowers facing the street, with the long-term goal of increasing neighborhood watchfulness (necessitated by watering and otherwise attending to the plants). In addition, 9,600 volunteers were recruited for neighborhood safety patrols, 200 security cameras were placed at crime-vulnerable areas, and a daily email update was created for residents. Subsequent to the start of the program, burglaries were down 80% to 390 in 2008.
Suginami refused to connect to Japan's Residents Basic Registry Network. As of 2005, it is implementing a measure to make registry optional.
On June 19, 2022, Satoko Kishimoto was elected mayor despite being a long-time resident of Belgium and not having any connections to the ward. She narrowly defeated 3-term incumbent Ryà  Tanaka by less than 200 votes. Kishimoto had come to prominence through online political debates during the COVID-19 pandemic. Kishimoto has opposed building new road extensions through Kà Âenji district and the privatization of public facilities. Kishimoto was the ward's first female leader, and at the time, one of only 3 female mayors of Tokyo's 23 special wards.
Public high schools are operated by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Board of Education.
Suginami City operates public elementary and junior high schools.
Municipal combined elementary and junior high schools:
Municipal junior high schools:
Municipal elementary schools:
International schools:
Higher Education:
There are approximately 46 hectares of farmland and nearly two hundred farmers in the hall, and vegetables, flowers, plants and fruits are produced.
Several animation studios are located in Suginami. Bones is headquartered in Igusa, while Sunrise has its headquarters near the Kami-Igusa Station on the Seibu Shinjuku Line. Bones was founded by former members of Sunrise, and staff at each company often help each other on projects. The Satelight studio, founded in Sapporo, relocated to the Asagaya neighborhood in 2006 (an earlier Tokyo office, at a different location in Suginami, had been in existence since 2003). In addition, many smaller studios are based here; as of 2006, over 70 studios (of 400 throughout Japan) were located in Suginami.
The communications and electronics giant Iwatsu Electric is headquartered in Kugayama.
American Express used to have its Japanese headquarters south of Ogikubo station, but it moved to Toranomon in central Tokyo in 2020.
Microsoft has a branch office in the Daitabashi Asahi Seimei Building in Izumi.
Prior to its disestablishment, Data East had its headquarters in Suginami.
Za Koenji Theater
Suginami has attracted artists for a long time. Among those living there : Hayao Miyazaki, writer and radio anchor Shoichi Ozawa, or painter Hiroshi Senju.
Koenji Engei Festival
Koenji Surprise Street Performance
Kogayama Bullring Festival - 1st Saturday and Sunday of June
Asatani Tanabata Festival - August 5th, 9th, Asatani Pearl Center
Tokyo Koenji Awa Odori - Around Koenji Station on the last Saturday and Sunday of August
Asagaya Jazz Street - October 3rd or 4th, Friday and Saturday
Koenji Festival - Adult Cultural Festival
Suginami Local Performing Arts Competition Ogikubo Music Festival Troll Forest - Outdoor Art Exhibition (Nishi-Ogikubo, Zenpukuji Pond) Suvarami Festa - Kumin Matsuri (festival) held in Momoiharabana Park