Iwai Well, Iwai Shrine, Ota Ward
Article

13111 / おおたく

Tokyo

Ota Ward

A well said to go salty for the wicked.

Iwai Well, Iwai Shrine

Photo by Saigen Jiro (CC0)

01 / Nori tools

Hibi prepared in summer, set in autumn,nori picked and pressed in midwinter.

Nori tools in Ota Ward
Photo by 江戸村のとくぞう (Edomura no Tokuzo) (CC BY-SA 4.0)

In Omori, nori-making began in summer with preparing the wood and bamboo hibi on which nori grows. They were set out in autumn, the nori was picked and pressed in midwinter, and the hibi were pulled in spring. The 881 tools of this work, no longer practiced, are a nationally designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property.

  • 881 tools
  • Designated in 1993, additions in 1999
  • 123 farming tools, 258 processing tools

02 / Akiba black pine

A small Akiba Shrine stands at its base,and it is said to be about 300 years old.

Akiba black pine in Ota Ward
Photo by Sakaori (CC BY 3.0)

A black pine in Denenchofu 5-chome. The ward records it as about 17 meters tall with a trunk about 4 meters around. A small Akiba Shrine stands at its base, which gives the tree its name. It was designated a Tokyo natural monument in 1963.

  • About 17 m tall, trunk about 4 m around (ward)
  • Said to be about 300 years old
  • Tokyo-designated natural monument (1963)

03 / Mizudomenomai

Said to come from a prayer to stop long rains:straw dragons and three lion dancers.

Mizudomenomai in Ota Ward
Photo by KQuhen (CC BY-SA 4.0)

Mizudomenomai at Gonsho-ji Temple is said to come from a prayer to stop 50 days of rain in 1323. Straw-wrapped dragons clear the way as water is thrown on them, and three lion dancers in red, black and gold masks perform.

  • Prayer to stop rain, 1323
  • Three-lion dance
  • Tokyo-designated intangible folk cultural property (1963)

Ota Ward from the sky

Now and 1974–78. Tap a photo to zoom in.

Wide (about 6 km across)

Close (about 1.5 km across)

Now (shot June–August 2019)Shot 1974–78

Source: Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI) GSI Tiles(全国最新写真(シームレス)/国土画像情報(第一期:1974〜1978年撮影))

Open in GSI Maps (now)Open in GSI Maps (1974–78)

Living here

Tokyo to Kamata in 20 minutes on the Keihin-Tohoku Line.

  • about 750,000 people
  • 30 min to a city centre

On the JR Keihin-Tohoku Line, the fastest trip from Tokyo Station to Kamata Station takes 20 minutes (October 2026 timetable; daytime rapids take 21). Ota City Hall is about a minute's walk from the east exit of Kamata Station. On March 15, 1947, Omori Ward and Kamata Ward merged and took one character from each name to become Ota Ward.

People living here
748,081people
19952020

+4.3% since 2015

636,276 → 748,081

Area
61.86km²

61.86km² of it habitable

2024

Households
400,164households

1.9 people per household

2020

Rent (average for rentals)
84,489yen

National average 60,630 yen

2023

Healthcare
25 hospitals / 613 clinics

8.5 per 10,000 people

2023

Almost entirely flat.Almost all of it is habitable land (100.0%)
Area and habitable land at the same scalee-Stat B1101 / B1103
Children waiting for childcare
—105 nurseries and similar
Home purchase subsidy
—
Average annual temperature
—

These 3 items are waiting on a nationwide data source. We do not fill them with estimates.

ACCESS

Where you can go from here.

Ota Ward in Japan35.561°N 139.716°E
OsakaOta Ward
Kamata Station
蒲田駅2020
  • to TokyoJR Keihin-Tohoku Line20min

Travel times follow JR東日本の駅の時刻表(東京駅 京浜東北線・根岸線 南行〈tt1039/103914〉の平日・土曜休日ダイヤ、2026-10-22 取得。時刻表ページの日付は 2610 版)。docs/handoff/tools/jr_count.py と同じ読み方で、東京駅の時刻表に載る列車ページ(平日256本・土休日215本)の 東京の発 → 蒲田の着 と 品川の発 → 蒲田の着 を数えた (checked 2026-10-23). They vary by time of day.

Shape

Borders 6 municipalities across 1 prefectures.

Territory of Ota Ward
Boundaries: National Land Numerical Information (Administrative Area Data), MLIT. Processed by Machigatari.

North to south

9.4km

Kanagawa Prefecture
Kawasaki City

Ota Ward isthis kind of town.

  1. 01Iwai Well stands on the sidewalk beside Iwai Shrine in Omori-kita 2-chome. It is said that its water is clear for a righteous heart and salty for a wicked one. When the Tokaido was widened, it was left on the sidewalk outside the grounds. It is a ward-designated historic site
  2. 02The 881 nori-making tools of Omori, a nationally designated Important Tangible Folk Cultural Property, cover farming, processing and nori boats, and tell of a year's work from preparing hibi in summer to pulling them in spring
  3. 03The Akiba black pine in Denenchofu, said to be about 300 years old, is a Tokyo natural monument. Mizudomenomai at Gonsho-ji Temple in Omori-higashi, said to come from a prayer to stop long rains, is a Tokyo intangible folk cultural property

See the town as it is now.

Source: Wikidata (P2002, P2003, P2013, P2397)

If something caught your eye, ask the town itself.

From this town's themes