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Tokyo is a very, very big city, not just in terms of population, but in physical size as well. Being spread out over such a large space means one part of town can feel very different from another, so if you’re looking for a place to live in Tokyo, the first step is choosing which neighborhood you want to live in.
To make that choice a little easier, Japanese real estate portal Major7, which deals with condominium sales, conducted a survey asking people which part of Tokyo they most want to live in, and why. A total of 2,896 responses were collected, so let’s take a look at the top six picks.
6. Futako Tamagawa
Top reasons to live there: Convenient shopping, good public transportation access, clean and fashionable atmosphere
A posh suburb southwest of downtown Tokyo, the riverside Futako Tamagawa neighborhood has seen a number of mixed commercial/residential centers go up in recent years. But despite being buffered from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo’s urban center, it’s still just 10 minutes by train, with no transfer needed, to Shibuya, making for an easy commute to work or easy excursions into the big city on the weekend.
5. Kichijoji
Top reasons to live there: Good public transportation access, convenient shopping, park space
Kichijoji has a lot in common with Futako Tamagawa, although instead of the banks of the Tamagawa River, Kichijoji’s most picturesque views are found in the neighborhood’s Inokashira Park, one of the best places in Tokyo for cherry blossom viewing. Like Futako Tamagawa, Kichijoji has a large selection of shops and restaurants located in a network of covered pedestrian shopping streets, but not so many offices. The result is a stylish local vibe, but with access to downtown’s Shinjuku Station, the busiest rail hub in Japan, in a quick 15-minute ride on the JR Chuo Line.
4. Jiyugaoka
Top reasons to live there: Attractive train lines, good public transportation access, convenient daily life
Yet another “just outside downtown suburb,” Jiyugaoka is where the Toyoko and Oimachi train lines (which connect to Shibuya and Oimachi Stations) converge, and both have a reputation for slightly less congestion during rush hour and fewer drunks late at night than many other Tokyo lines. The neighborhood itself has a high concentration of cafes and boutiques, and it’s also not far from number-six pick Futako Tamagawa.
3. Meguro
Top reasons to live there: Good public transportation access, short commutes, convenient daily life
Meguro is located along the Yamanote loop line that circles downtown Tokyo. However, whereas a lot of Yamanote Line neighborhoods are heavily built up with high-rise office towers and expensive nightlife, Meguro is still a pocket of less intensive development, with enough supermarkets and other routine shopping facilities for a comfortable day-to-day life.
2. Shinagawa
Top reasons to live there: Good public transportation access, expected future development, short commutes
Shinagawa is sort of a beefed-up Meguro, in that it’s a stop on the Yamanote Line that still has facilities that cater to local residents (including one of Tokyo’s largest meat wholesale markets). The neighborhood isn’t as congested as, say, Shibuya or Shinjuku, but it does have a ton of high-rise condos and offices, and more are likely to come with the addition of a brand-new Yamanote Line station adjacent to Shinagawa set to open in 2020, which should cause some new development to spill over into the Shinagawa area too. The Shinkansen bullet train stopping at Shinagawa Station is also a plus for those who take frequent business or pleasure trips.
1. Ebisu
Top reasons to live there: Good public transportation access, fashionable, elegant atmosphere
Once again, Ebisu is serviced by the Yamanote Line, plus the Hibiya subway line for those who want to cut subterraneously across the city center and also the Shonan Shinjuku Line, for those who want to hit up the beaches of the Shonan coastline on weekend day-trips. While Meguro and Shinagawa give residents a bit of the glitz of downtown, Ebisu feels one step closer to the bright lights of the big city, and about as close as you can get to them before the glare would start to be unpleasant to deal with every day. You get fancy shops, restaurants, and art venues, but with only a fraction of the hordes of commuters and tourist crowds you’ll run into in many of Tokyo’s other downtown districts.
Plus, living in Ebisu means you’re within walking distance to the Ebisu beer museum, a perk that’s definitely hard to beat.
Source: Major7 via IT Media
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- External Link
- https://soranews24.com/2019/10/05/whats-the-best-part-of-tokyo-to-live-in-and-why-survey-gives-the-top-six-picks/
15 Comments
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gokai_wo_maneku
Shinjuku has all of these qualities and many many more. But I'm glad it is not listed. It is already crowded enough, and I wish it was less popular.
tokyo-star
strange that they're all on that side of Tokyo...nothing around ueno/asakusa/kinshicho in there? guess they are all a bit dodgy/shitamachi type
area around Nakanosakaue/Nakanoshinmachi is great--walking distance to shinjujku but a quiet neighbourly feel.
daito_hak
The article keeps using the world "fashionable" to describe some of those locations yet none of them are fashionable in any stretch of the mind. They are mostly just a pile of randomly distributed concrete.
And what I find even more questionable about this article is that it does not even once mention the cost of living in those areas which is gigantic specially for the rent.
nandakandamanda
Woboto says Yokohama, so in that sense the best part of Tokyo to actually 'live' is probably outside Tokyo.
ifd66
Seems like a very harsh and unnatural environment to live. From what I've seen when I've been to Tokyo, there is little or no effort or consideration given to urban planning that improves people's quality of life. Very few green spaces compared to many cities around the worlds, no car free areas...
Youkai
Kichijoji is a very nice place ...
I lived some time in Suginami which is also very nice.
Ramzel
This article is pretty spot on. If you spent any time in those areas you’d understand.
shinjuku is not listed as it’s an overcrowded dump. Plain and simple.
Serrano
They forgot Okutama.
veejay
The east side of Tokyo is much better than any of these "fashionable" places. Fewer people, cheaper and without pretension.
Alfie Noakes
Not really. The article says the "survey" was created by condo sales company Major7. Obviously they want to sell condos in these areas!
But Major7 wants to sell condos in expensive, fashionable areas to make more profits!
kohakuebisu
Just saying, but even within cities, there are large disparities in air pollution. They are now linking it to cognitive impairment and dementia, to not just respiratory and other health conditions. Don't live close to main roads if you can. I don't know if Tokyo has one, but London's pollution map has hotspots along all of the busy roads.
Mike James
Pollution? In Tokyo? Bwuhahahaha.
Just go spend three days in Beijing, and buy a pollution app: Tokyo was 37 (good) and Beijing was 188 (unhealthy/potentially dangerous). Tokyo is just fine.
Desutoroia75
My choice is Yoyogi!