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This article is about the geographical area called Yamanote. For the East Japan Railway Company (JR East) commuter line, see Yamanote Line.

The traditional name for the affluent, high- area of Tokyo around Ginza and Nihonbashi.

Tokyo used to be culturally and economically divided in two parts: the plebeian Shitamachi (Japanese: 下町 (したまち), Shita machi), literally low town or low city, and the aristocratic Yamanote (Japanese: 山の手 (やまのて), Yama no te). Although neither of the two was an official name, both stuck and are still in some use.

The historical Shitamachi was the part of Tokyo east of the Sumida River (around Taitō-ku), the Yamanote the part west of the Imperial Palace (Ginza and Nihonbashi), right under the Shitamachi.

History of the term Yamanote

The term Yamanote (the variant Yamate (Japanese: 山手 (やまて), Yamate) is also in use) has several different and partly coincident meanings.

The authoritative Kōjien has two definitions for the term. The first

The location closer to the mountains.
An elevated ground or plateau. In the case of Tokyo, the whole region around Bunkyo-ku and Shinjuku-ku.

In the case of Tokyo, the eastern side of the Musashino Plateau is called Yamanote, and the Yamanote Line and Yamate Dori (or Kampachi) are named after it. The area's approximate location can be understood from the fact that initially the Yamanote Line used to go from Shinagawa to Yoyogi and Tabata.

Although most people are not aware of the fact, the Plateau extends very close to the sea, and Edo Castle and the Imperial Palace lie within the Musashino Plateau.

The name came to be used mostly by extension to indicate the urban areas crossed by the Yamanote Line and Yamate Dori, and expressions like「山の手のお嬢さん, 「山の手のお屋敷]].

It is for this reason that is used to be juxtaposed to Shitamachi.

References

Edward Seidensticker: Low City, High City: Tokyo from Edo to the Earthquake: how the shogun's ancient capital became a great modern city, 1867-1923
山の手, Japanese Wikipedia
武蔵野台地, Japanese Wikipedia
Kōjien Japanese dictionary

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 ''This article is about the geographical area called Yamanote. For the [[East Japan Railway Company]] (JR East) commuter line, see [[Yamanote Line]].''
-The traditional name for the area of [[Tokyo]] around [[Ginza]] and Nihonbashi.<br />
+The traditional name for the affluent, high- area of [[Tokyo]] around [[Ginza]] and Nihonbashi.<br />
 [[Tokyo]] used to be culturally and economically divided in two parts: the plebeian {{nihongo|Shitamachi|[[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 下町 (したまち) |Shita machi}}, literally ''low town'' or ''low city'', and the aristocratic {{nihongo|[[Yamanote]]|[[Japanese language|Japanese]]: 山の手 (やまのて) |Yama no te}}. Although neither of the two was an official name, both stuck and are still in some use.