Integrated into Tokyo City in 1920, Shinjuku (New Lodge) became in 1947 one of the 23 special wards of Tokyo, that together make up the core and the most populous part of Tokyo Metropolis. It's a major commercial and administrative centre, housing the world's busiest train station (Shinjuku Station) and the administration centre for the government of Tokyo.Among its notable areas are Golden Gai (with tiny shanty-style bars and clubs frequented by artists), Kabukichō (a red-light district), Kagurazaka (once one of Tokyo's last remaining geisha districts), Shin-Ōkubo (Tokyo's historic ethnic Korean neighborhood), Shinjuku Gyoen (a large park), Shinjuku Ni-chōme (Tokyo's best-known gay district), and Nishi-Shinjuku.
The Tokyo air raids conducted by U.S. Air Forces in 1945 destroyed almost 90% of the buildings in the area in and around Shinjuku Station, but in nowadays the business district Nishi-Shinjuku is home to Tokyo's largest concentration of skyscrapers (as can be seen in the postcard). Several of the tallest buildings in Tokyo are located in this area, including Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building (242.9m tall, completed in 1991), Park Tower (235m tall, completed in 1994), Tokyo Opera City Tower (234m, completed in 1996), Mitsui Building (224.9 m, completed in 1974), Center Building (223m, completed in 1979), Sumitomo Building (210.3 m, completed in 1974), and Mode Gakuen Cocoon Tower (204m tall, completed in 2008). In the background can be seen Mount Fuji, which was added to the World Heritage List of UNESCO on this year.
About the stamp
The stamp, depicting Hirumokin Gold Slug, Sekishugin Silver Slug, Yuzurihakin Gold Plate / 16c, is part of the series World Bank Annual Meeting 2012 IMF, about which I wrote here.
References
Shinjuku, Tokyo - Wikipedia
sender: Akiko Watanabe (direct swap)
sent from Kitakyushu (Japan), on 12.12.2012
photo: Aflo
No comments:
Post a Comment