Ōkubo, Tokyo
Shin-Ōkubo (新大久保) is a neighborhood within Tokyo's Shinjuku ward known for its extensive Korean community.[1] It is built around Shin-Ōkubo Station and is accessible on the Yamanote Line. Shin-Ōkubo is home to both Korean residents in Japan as well as Korean immigrants, and has seen an upsurge in popularity due to Hallyu pop-culture. Unlike most of the Tokyo metropolitan area, where signs are bilingual Japanese and English, many signs in Shin-Ōkubo are trilingual: Korean, Japanese and English.
History
Shin Sang-yoon, the director of the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan, stated that Koreans began coming to Shin-Ōkubo around 1983 because at that time it was one of the most inexpensive areas of Tokyo. By July 2013 several nationalistic anti-Korean demonstrations done by Japanese have occurred in Shin-Ōkubo.[1]
Economy
As of July 2013, the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan stated that Shin-Ōkubo had 500 businesses, including around 350 restaurants.[1]
References
- 1 2 3 Ryall, Julian. "Big trouble in Little Korea: spiral of race hate grips Tokyo." (print title: "Big trouble in Little Korea") South China Morning Post. Wednesday 3 July 2013. Retrieved on 5 July 2013. "According to the Korean Chamber of Commerce and Industry in Japan, there are around 500 businesses in the Shin-Okubo district, which sprawls to the north of the bustling Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Of the total, around 350 are restaurants." and "Shin-Okubo began attracting the Korean community about 30 years ago, says Shin Sang-yoon, a director of the chamber of commerce, simply because it was then one of the cheapest areas of Tokyo."
Coordinates: 35°42′05″N 139°42′00″E / 35.701289°N 139.700049°E