I just landed in Tokyo 15 days ago on a working visa(software engineer). My working space is located at Akihabara. I kinda want to live somewhere peaceful, less crowded, and get Japanese vibes, with options of local bars, crafts, and so on. Today my company offered me an apartment(22sq meters) somewhere in Yanaka which looks perfect for me. The whole environment around the apartment gives traditional Japanese vibes, nearby station is Nezu so prolly it could be around 20 mins far from my workspace. Since I will be living all alone, apartment options seem quite good with a balcony and other facilities. However, it seems like fewer foreigners live there, I don’t know the Japanese language at all so hanging out with Japanese is not an option for me. Even in the work space, it is kinda difficult making conversation. Is yanaka(taito ku ward) a good place to live where I can feel all these Japanese vibes, enjoy my peace, and in the meanwhile keeping myself away from loneliness and insecurity?
5 comments
I’ve never lived in Yanaka, but…
It’s sandwiched between Todai (University of Tokyo), Ueno Park, and Nippori station. Those are all *very* busy areas. How “peaceful” it is will very much depend on where exactly you’re living. You said Nezu is the closest station, so I’m assuming the apartment is in the SW corner. If it’s on one of the side streets it might be ok.
Also: There are a ***lot*** of graveyards in Yanaka. All the empty space (And most of the green space) you see on Google maps? Graveyards. I know that not everyone is creeped out by graveyards, but some people are. If you’re in the “creeped out” population it’s something you should be aware of.
Maybe you should ask in japanlife sub reddit
moving to the biggest city in the world isnt going to be the most peaceful place to live. Why not try chiba or saitama?
Yanaka is considered quite a trendy place. Lots of coffee shops and a few interesting bars. It’s packed on the weekend! I’d go for it, why not. 22sqm is tiny tho.
You wont find japanese culture If youre only around other foreigners dude