is a special ward located in Tokyo, Japan. Situated in the middle of the ward area, Bunkyō is a residential and educational center. Beginning in the Meiji period, literati like Natsume Sōseki, as well as scholars and politicians have lived there. Bunkyō is home to the Tokyo Dome, Judo's Kōdōkan, and the University of Tokyo's Hongo Campus. Bunkyō has a sister-city relationship with Kaiserslautern in the Rhineland-Palatinate of Germany. It was formed in 1947 as a merger of Hongo and Koishikawa wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. The modern Bunkyo ward exhibits contrasting Shitamachi and Yamanote geographical and cultural division. The Nezu and Sendagi neighborhoods in the ward's eastern corner is attached to the Shitamachi area in Ueno with more traditional Japanese atmosphere. On the other hand, the remaining areas of the ward typically represent Yamanote districts. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has a population of 217,743 (including about 6,500 foreign residents), and a population density of 19,290 persons per km². The total area is 11.29 km². History Bunkyo was formed in 1947 as a merger of Hongo and Koishikawa wards following Tokyo City's transformation into Tokyo Metropolis. Geography Districts and neighborhoods There are approximately twenty districts in the area and these are as follows: Koishikawa Area Hakusan Kasuga Kohinata Koishikawa Kōraku Mejirodai Otowa Ōtsuka Sekiguchi Sengoku Suidō Hongō Area Hongō Honkomagome Mukōgaoka Nezu Nishikata Sendagi Yayoi Yushima Politics and government Bunkyo is governed by Mayor Hironobu Narisawa, an independent supported by the Liberal Democratic Party, Democratic Party of Japan and Komeito. The city council has 34 elected members. Economy The publishing company Kodansha has its headquarters in the ward, and Kodansha International has its headquarters in the Otowa YK Building in the ward. The drugstore chain Tomod's has its headquarters in the ward. Penta-Ocean, the construction firm specializing in marine works and land reclamation also has its headquarters in Bunkyo. The automobile manufacturer Toyota has its Tokyo headquarters in the ward. Landmarks Chinzan-so Garden Denzū-in Temple Gokoku-ji Temple Harimasaka Sakura Colonnade Hatoyama Hall Kisshō-ji Kodansha Noma Memorial Museum Kodokan Judo Institute Koishikawa Botanical Garden Koishikawa Kōrakuen Nezu Shrine Nippon Medical School Rikugien Garden Shin-Edogawa Garden Tokyo Cathedral (St. Mary's Cathedral) Tokyo Dome Tokyo Dome City Toshimagaoka Imperial Cemetery Toyo University Tōyō Bunko "Oriental Library", Japan's largest Asian studies library University of Tokyo Yanaka Cemetery Yushima Seidō Education Universities and colleges National Ochanomizu University University of