I love this area – the vibe, the shops, the close proximity to Central Tokyo as well as the west side with the slower more residential pace. I’ve been looking at apartments, condos and houses and, while property in Tokyo is always expensive, this area seems to be a very hot commodity with places going up for sale and then being snatched up. I’ve also been looking at Shinjuku, mainly for the opportunity to rent the space out more readily as Shinjuku is THE tourist spot IMO. But it’s not what I really want – I want the Setagayaku atmosphere. Has anyone spent any extended amount of time there? Any insight if it’s worth the cost and the potential distance from Central Tokyo? Do any of your friends and family that visit comment that it’s “too far away” or there’s not as much to do as Shibuya or Ueno?
19 comments
It is Central Tokyo, and if teenagers are your vibe, go wild.
Rental wise, I never met anyone who wanted to rent in Ueno. Are you new?
A decade ago I would’ve said maybe yes, but now no. It was a lot slower and friendlier before. Tourist season is horrible there and lately has been jammed full of them vlogging their thrifting experiences, but without the space of other tourist areas like Shinjuku.
Shimokita used to be smaller and had a lot of books and music. Now it’s a lot of thrift stores and bohemian vibes although there are still great venues and shows. Just a different place now than ten years ago.
Setagaya-ku in general is good.
Shimokitazawa has been changing over the past 3-5 yrs due to increasing tourism and the follow on gentrification trends. (ex. cool hippie bakery becomes bubble tea shop).
It really depends on what you are interested in.
Shimokitazawa is not far from Shinjuku or Shibuya.
The rents in areas around (walking distance) of Shimokitazawa are more reasonable.
As of next Sunday, I’ll have lived in Setagaya for 35 years. It’s a wonderful place to live, and it’s not far from central Tokyo at all: I fairly regularly walk to Shinjuku and Shibuya and have ridden my bicycle over as far as the Imperial Palace.
I *would* live in Shimokitazawa if you paid me, but I wouldn’t try to live there. It’s too busy, and prices are too high. These days, I hardly ever even walk over there, as there seems to be nothing except drinking places, restaurants, and expensive used clothing joints.
luckily for you, Setagaya is a lot larger than shimokitazawa
try living on the denentoshi line or on the west side of the Tokyu Toyoko line and you will not only have access to cheaper rents and better apartments, but likely a slightly better QOL as well.
I recommend getting a better understanding of Tokyo beyond major hubs and you will find that there are many more suitable places to rent/own
Literally any place along the Toyoko line it’s better
We live one station away at Setagaya-Daita and love it. 12 minute walk to Shimokitazawa station but don’t need to worry about crowds or inconvenience.
Shinjuku might be interesting for tourists but as a long time resident, I avoid it, only going to visit a client or occasionally for an event. Nothing there I can’t get, or do elsewhere with less hassle. I live on the border of Setagaya and Meguro and like the other poster said, plenty of great areas with easy access to entertainment, restaurants and bars on the Denentoshi or Toyoko lines.
Shimo stopped being “cool” and interesting about 10 years ago. Deluge of foreign tourists, packs of uni kids, gentrification, boring new architecture, banal “thrift” stores everywhere, and the food scene is overrated. Still some good bars, but I wouldn’t live there just for that.
Shimo-Kitazawa is great. Ignore the idiots that say that it was only cool before – “we are cool because we’re already here, everyone else coming after us is trashing the place”.
Shimokitazawa is not a major central commercial hub in the same sense as Shibuya, Shinjuku etc. Apples and oranges – they are not really comparable either in a good or bad way.
It is a desirable suburb with a particular culture / sub-culture (young music/art etc.) around the station.
This place is overrated, too many tourist and super crowded, I’ll avoid it. Maybe check Naka-Meguro, jiyūgaoka, Ebisu, or Yurakuchou.
I lived in Shimokitazawa for 3 years. Great place but super expensive to live.
>… looking at Shinjuku, mainly for the opportunity to rent the space out more readily…
I just want to make sure you’re aware of the obstacles for this. You can’t rent out a place that you buy with a normal residential mortgage; you’ll need a (higher interest) investment mortgage. You’ll have to get the new mortgage to buy out the old one before you become a landlord, essentially.
Short term rentals like Airbnb are also much more regulated than they used to be, though I haven’t kept up with the details.
Shimokita on the streets is eh, Harajuku 2.0 and floods of tourists. But beneath that, in the cultural spots like the live music venues, theatres, and countless dive bars where creators and art-lovers gather, is a real and exciting scene that offers incredible experiences and encounters every night.
Anyone who tells you Shimokita isn’t cool now hasn’t dug deep enough. There are few places on Earth as rich and dense in culture as this little neighbourhood.
I lived in an apartment right in Ichibangai for a couple years way back 1995-2000. It was awesome when you’re young but it’s always a bit noisy and I often got drunk people past out in front of my door…it is better to live one or two stations away.
It’s a fine place to visit, but I wouldn’t want to live near there. The apartments are crazy overpriced for what they are worth in my opinion. I live a couple local stops away and it’s less expensive and away from the bustle. It’s a good place to trick your tourist buddies to visit though, then enjoy a short train ride (or long walk) home.
Sidenote for odakyu line: Local stops are also better for positioning on the morning commute. I transfer at yoyogi-uehara and have a guaranteed seat everyday to marunouchi from an empty train. The rapids are jammed.
I’ve lived here about six years. Neighbours are friendly and lots of nice spots to walk the dog. I guess it’s not as trendy nowadays, if you’re concerned about that kind of thing.