Ōkubo, Tokyo
, also known as , is a neighborhood in Shinjuku, Tokyo, Japan. The neighborhood is built around Shin-Ōkubo Station, accessible on the Yamanote Line. It is known for its extensive Korean community, and is often called Tokyo Koreatown. Among Korean communities in Japan, Ōkubo is relatively unique for hosting Koreans who arrived relatively recently, beginning around the 1980s. By contrast, many other Koreans in Japan arrived during or are descendents of people who went to Japan during the Japanese colonial period; these Koreans are called Zainichi Koreans. Business significantly increased after the rise of the Korean Wave beginning in the late 1990s. In recent years, the area has also attracted many Southeast Asian and Middle Eastern immigrants, with many international restaurants and stores opening up in the neighborhood as a result. History Koreans first began settling in the area in significant quantities around 1983, shortly after Japan began allowing exchange students and more foreign workers due to a labor shortage. More immigrants arrived beginning in the late 1980s, when South Korea lifted its restrictions on foreign travel. The area had relatively lower rent fees, making it popular with immigrants. It became significantly associated with Korea in the 1990s. Until the