Abstract
In Tokyo metropolitan area, the distribution of lodging houses showed the biggest concentration in Hongo area because of the adjacency to the University of Tokyo and other educational facilities. In this report the author focused on the lodging house founders or managers who were born in Seino District, Gifu prefecture. The pioneer immigrants from Seino District came to Tokyo between the late 19th century to the first quarter of 20th century. As soon as the pioneers established their lodging houses in Hongo, they called their relatives and neighbors successively to let each of them run new lodging houses. They also helped each other to stabilize their life in Tokyo. This case seems to be typical chain migration and as a result Seino people got leading positions among the members of the lodging house association in Hongo. Some of them even represent their community as members of a town assembly.
