Where the name Koiwa comes from, what stood here before the station, and what you can still spot on a walk today. Then the events near the station that we have checked on the official pages.
One theory traces Koiwa's name to Kowa, a settlement recorded more than thirteen centuries ago. A population register dated 721, preserved among the ancient Shosoin documents, mentions Kowa-ri in the former Katsushika District of Shimosa Province. The record lists 454 inhabitants. Historians suggest that the pronunciation of Kowa gradually changed into Koiwa, although this linguistic connection has not been conclusively demonstrated.
Walk east from Koiwa Station toward the Edo River and you will notice the almost level terrain. This district belongs to Tokyo's eastern floodplain, where rivers deposited soil and repeatedly altered the landscape. Settlements formed on slightly raised ground, while fields and drainage channels spread across the lower areas.
During the Edo period, the Sakura road passed through the district toward the Koiwa-Ichikawa ferry. Another historic route, the Moto-Sakura road, also led toward the crossing. Travelers heading between Edo and the towns of Shimosa followed these roads. Today, busy shopping streets dominate the station area, but the ancient name and the roads toward the river preserve a much older story of settlement and travel.
→ Leave Koiwa Station by the south exit and walk east through the shopping streets toward Keisei-Edogawa Station. From the Edo River embankment, observe the wide river and surrounding lowlands. Nearby old roads lead toward the former Koiwa-Ichikawa ferry crossing.
Sources (in Japanese): 江戸川区「小岩地区の紹介・地名の由来」, 江戸川区「小岩地区景観形成ガイドライン」
Walk east from Koiwa Station, continue beyond Keisei-Edogawa Station, and you approach the site of the Koiwa-Ichikawa checkpoint. During the Edo period, there was no bridge across the Edo River at this crossing. Travelers heading toward Shimosa had to take a ferry. Officials monitored the passage, and a checkpoint developed beside the landing place. Inns and roadside teahouses lined the approach, forming a neighborhood known as Gobanshocho, the Checkpoint Quarter.
Several important routes converged here. The Sakura road arrived from Senju and Shinjuku, while the Moto-Sakura road came from Komatsugawa. Another route connected the crossing with Shinozaki. Pilgrims heading to Naritasan Temple joined merchants and other travelers waiting to cross the river. Beyond the busy roadside settlement, farmland spread across the flat lowlands.
Koiwa Station opened in 1899, gradually shifting the district's commercial center away from the ferry toward the railway. Land readjustment after the Great Kanto Earthquake encouraged the development of shops and housing. In 1972, the Sobu Line was expanded to four tracks through the station area. The old river crossing lost its central role, but traces of the checkpoint survive along the streets leading to the embankment.
→ Walk east from Koiwa Station toward Keisei-Edogawa Station, then explore the former Gobanshocho road to the south. Look for the old stone direction marker, the traditional lantern, and the riverside information board marking the Koiwa-Ichikawa ferry. These traces reveal the route taken by Edo-period travelers.
Sources (in Japanese): 江戸川区「江戸に通じる東の関所・小岩市川関所跡と御番所町跡」, 江戸川区「JR小岩駅周辺地区の歩み」
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We list events we could confirm on the official page or official Instagram of the venue or organiser. Details can change, tickets sell out and venues close, so check the official page before you go. Distances are straight-line and travel times are rough estimates. Photos show the venue or its surroundings, not the event itself. Titles and descriptions are our own translations from Japanese. This site contains affiliate links (ads).