Outsiders often associate Adachi, Tokyo's northernmost ward, with the Aum Shinrikyo religious cult (still in residence), the recent Tobu Railway Co.'s Takenotsuka crossing accident that cost two women their lives, or the fact that the ward's alluvial ground makes it especially vulnerable if an earthquake struck.
Reputedly plagued by crime, and built-up with post-war danchi -- high-density public housing -- you might think even the people who live there want to get away. They don't. Far from it. The locals are fiercely loyal to their part of the map.
"Adachi is a wonderful place to raise kids, and it's full of parks," says third-generation resident Akemi Farmer. Her husband, Paul, who's lived in Adachi for eight years, adds, "Adachi people are very foreigner-friendly, and you'll see lots of foreigners around. They come here to find the real Japan and to blend in."