Japan · Tokyo Prefecture · Tokyo
Arakawa, Tokyo — Area Guide & Where to Stay
Arakawa is a special ward of Tokyo named for a river that never touches it, with the Sumida River along one edge.
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Where to stay in Arakawa
Where the beds are, and what that means for the visit.
Arakawa keeps its beds local. Rooms sit among ordinary streets rather than a visitor quarter, and the reasons to choose this side of Tokyo are the Sumida River bank, the Shirahige Bridge crossing and the ward's own small museums. Five wards press in around it. Adachi, Kita, Bunkyo, Taito and Sumida all adjoin Arakawa, so a night here trades the pull of a famous district for short hops into whichever of them the day needs.
Find hotels in Arakawa
Direct booking searches for these neighbourhoods.
The Sumida River side
The water edge of Arakawa City, where Shirahige Bridge carries the road over to Sumida. Beds are limited here, so book early.Find hotels in The Sumida River sideLocal history at the Arakawa Furusato Museum and the Ichiyo Memorial MuseumThe museum streets
Inner blocks of the ward holding the Arakawa Furusato Museum and the Ichiyo Memorial Museum. Lodging is scarce in this area; reserve in advance.Find hotels in The museum streetsWorking streets near the Mikawashima Water Reclamation CenterMikawashima
Utility and workshop ground around the Mikawashima Water Reclamation Center, out towards the Taito boundary. Beds are limited here, so book early.Find hotels in MikawashimaHotel links are affiliate links: booking through them may earn us a commission, at no extra cost to you. It never affects how places are ranked. How this works
About Arakawa
What are the main landmarks in Arakawa?
Memorial collections do the work here. The Yoshimura Akira Commemorative Museum of Modern Literature and the Ichiyo Memorial Museum give the district two of them, while the Arakawa Furusato Museum carries the ward's own name and its own collection. Shirahige Bridge crosses the Sumida River at the boundary, and the Mikawashima Water Reclamation Center makes the least ornamental entry on any list of what Arakawa City has to show.
What is the history of Arakawa?
A name outlived its river. Arakawa took its title from the Arakawa River, yet that water runs neither through the ward nor along it, and the river at its edge is the Sumida instead. The Sumida once formed the lower course of the Arakawa itself, which is how the two came to share a name that now sits on the wrong bank.
The ward dates from 1943. In English it is styled Arakawa City.
Where is Arakawa?
The ward runs along the Sumida River between Adachi, Kita, Bunkyo, Taito and Sumida, while the Arakawa River it is named for stays outside its edge.
Common questions
What is the best area to stay in Arakawa?
The Sumida River side: Riverbank walks out to the Shirahige Bridge crossing. The museum streets: Local history at the Arakawa Furusato Museum and the Ichiyo Memorial Museum. Mikawashima: Working streets near the Mikawashima Water Reclamation Center.
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Updated October 2026