Mita
Mita
Station is located in the
Mita district of Minato Ward of
Tokyo and serves the subway lines
of Toei Mita and Toei Asakusa.
The main thoroughfare of the district
of Mita is Mita Dori
(street). This four-lane avenue
was once a shopping center, but
now is home to a large number of
office buildings and condominiums.
Tokyo Tower, which is located at
the north end of the avenue, can
be seen from any point of the avenue.
On the west side of Mita Dori, Saiseikai
Central Hospital,
Mita International Building,
and Keio University are
located; and on the east side are
Mita Library, Mita
Police Station, and Fushimi
Sanpo Inari Shrine.
Fushimi Sanpo Inari Shrine
Located on Mita Dori, a short distance
from Mita Station, is Fushimi Sanpo
Inari Shrine. This Shinto Shrine
was established to worship Inari,
the popular Japanese deity of fertility,
rice, agriculture, foxes, industry,
and worldly success. A relatively
new shrine, the structure is made
of concrete and the roof is of copper.
Keio University
Situated a 7-minute walk from Mita
Station, is the Mita Campus of Keio
University. Keio University is Japan’s
first private institution of higher
learning, having been founded by
Yukichi Fukuzawa in 1858 as a school
for Dutch studies. Today it has
grown into an internationally known
and respected Japanese university
ranking second in prestige only
after the public University of Tokyo.
The Mita Campus has been the main
site of Keio University since it
was moved here in 1871. It houses
four of the nine faculties of the
university - Business & Commerce,
Economics, Law (including Political
Science), and Letters – with
more than 11,000 students enrolled
here. The gothic red brick library
of the Campus, built in 1912, is
a symbol of Keio University and
has been recognized as an Important
Cultural Property by the Japanese
Government.
