Hop off the train at JR Ochanomizu station in Chiyoda ward, Tokyo, and pass through the ticket gate to the main street. What you’ll see before you is a row of stores, all selling musical instruments, from electric and acoustic guitars to wind instruments and violins, and more.

There are more than 40 musical instrument stores in the area — definitely a unique situation.

I visited on a March evening, and the street was bustling with visitors, including students and folks from overseas.

Chiharu Koike, 13, and her sister Minami, 11, from Abiko, Chiba prefecture, were among the shoppers. Their father, Atsushi, accompanied his daughters as they hunted for a guitar and bass guitar. The sisters were influenced by the anime “Bocchi the Rock!” which follows the members of a high school girl band.

The girls finally found the instruments of their choice, and Dad made the purchase. They looked delighted.

“We came to Ochanomizu because I was sure it was the right place,” said Atsushi. “I felt the store clerks here would be more knowledgeable compared to other areas.”

Today, Ochanomizu is a town that attracts many visitors. What was it like in the past?

During the Edo period (1603-1867), the area was home to hatamoto (vassals of the Tokugawa shogunate), according to Tomomi Takagi, curator of Chiyoda ward’s cultural promotion department.

When Tokugawa Ieyasu, the first shogun of the Edo period, handed down his post to his son and moved from Edo (now Tokyo), his hatamoto followed. After his death, they returned to Edo and took up residence in the area near the current JR Ochanomizu station, which was close to Edo Castle and offered a view of Mount Fuji.

In the early years of the Meiji era (1868-1912), after a new government was instituted by Emperor Meiji, the hatamoto dispersed and universities became central to the area’s redevelopment. Among them was Meiji University, which opened its doors in 1886.

“The current popularity of Ochanomizu was brought about by its transformation into a town for students,” said Takagi. “It was the turning point for this area.”

I also spoke with Hiroshi Iwata, president of Taniguchi Gakki, a music store that was founded in 1935 in the Asakusa district. The store, which sells accordions and more, moved near Meiji University in 1941 to be in a location with a large student population.

In the 1950s, the “singing movement” — calling for peace by singing songs with others — picked up momentum and contributed to a boost in sales of musical instruments.

A decade later, the electric guitar craze, and then the rise of modern folk music in the 1970s, helped grow the number of stores in the area.

Ochanomizu became the destination of choice during the new year for youth purchasing an instrument using otoshidama (monetary gifts) they received during the holiday season.

In the 1990s, the number of music stores in Ochanomizu spiked dramatically amid a wave of visual-kei bands, rock groups that express their aesthetic through makeup and costumes. “Ochanomizu” became a brand name, further fueling new stores.

With so many similar shops in close proximity, cut-throat competition would be the norm, but stores in Ochanomizu have each managed to survive by being unique. Some specialize in ukuleles, for example, while others focus on vintage guitars.

Iwata stressed that that is the charm of the area.

“Here in Ochanomizu, you can see a variety of instruments at one time by visiting a multitude of stores,” he said. “That is why Ochanomizu is so highly regarded both in Japan and abroad.”