Arakawa, Tokyo Arakawa, Tokyo Arakawa has sister-city relationships with Donaustadt in Vienna, Austria, and with Corvallis, Oregon, U.S. Domestically, it has similar relationships with nine cities, towns and villages. As of May 1, 2015, the ward has an estimated population of 208,763, and a population density of about 20,550 persons per km². The total area is 10.16 km². Arakawa is in the northeastern part of Tokyo. The shape is long and narrow, stretching from west to east. The Sumida River forms the northern boundary. The ward is surrounded by five other special wards. To the north lies Adachi; to the west, Kita;
Japanese gunboat Sumida (1903) one smokestack to "Fushimi's" twin stack. "Sumida" was launched in June 1903, but was brought to Shanghai for final fitting out, but work was halted by official British neutrality in the Russo-Japanese War, the unfinished ship was impounded in until the end of that conflict. She was finally commissioned into the Japanese navy as a second-class gunboat on June 17, 1906. "Sumida" remained based at the International Settlement in Shanghai. During World War I, due to the official neutrality of the Republic of China, "Sumida"'s weaponry was placed under lock in 1914, and was not freed until China officially joined