I might take a job offer that would move me to Shinagawa for 2 years. The salary isn’t great, but I’m in the “coast fire” stage of my retirement planning so this is more of a “carpe diem” thing. I have a house I’m going to keep back in the states so the transition is fairly easy.
My salary will be roughly 7 million yen per year. My partner will hopefully find a job (software engineer) or do some remote consulting work while there to help with finances, but we’d like to ideally plan on the 7 million yen as being our sole income.
We’d love to live somewhere with a public park or place to run at night, and ideally convenient access to other parts of Tokyo. We don’t speak Japanese, but would like to be able to find friends wherever they might be.
That said, we’re happy not living in the “coolest” most popular parts of the city. I do love beer, but we’re not “out until 2AM” sort of people, more like “bed by 11 even on weekends” types. I don’t know what that translates to in terms of where to live, I guess I picture a quiet side street somewhere that is a few blocks from a train station.
Any advice would be much appreciated!
6 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
—
**Moving from US to Japan for office in Shinagawa for two years. ~7M ¥ salary. Would prefer more chill location, any advice?**
I might take a job offer that would move me to Shinagawa for 2 years. The salary isn’t great, but I’m in the “coast fire” stage of my retirement planning so this is more of a “carpe diem” thing. I have a house I’m going to keep back in the states so the transition is fairly easy.
My salary will be roughly 7 million yen per year. My partner will hopefully find a job (software engineer) or do some remote consulting work while there to help with finances, but we’d like to ideally plan on the 7 million yen as being our sole income.
We’d love to live somewhere with a public park or place to run at night, and ideally convenient access to other parts of Tokyo. We don’t speak Japanese, but would like to be able to find friends wherever they might be.
That said, we’re happy not living in the “coolest” most popular parts of the city. I do love beer, but we’re not “out until 2AM” sort of people, more like “bed by 11 even on weekends” types. I don’t know what that translates to in terms of where to live, I guess I picture a quiet side street somewhere that is a few blocks from a train station.
Any advice would be much appreciated!
*I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please [contact the moderators of this subreddit](/message/compose/?to=/r/movingtojapan) if you have any questions or concerns.*
This isn’t what you asked, but something I thought you should consider: You mention your “partner”, but unless they are your legally married (probably opposite-sex, though that is slowly improving for some cases) spouse, they won’t be able to get a visa to live with you and will need to get their own working visa, which will preclude “some remote consulting work.” So before you take the job offer, please make sure that your company knows your domestic situation and that whoever is handling immigration matters is confident that they’ll be able to get residence for your partner as well.
Shinigawa seaside is very nice with lots of parks and running area. That being said it’s a bit pricey with a 2ldk probably in the range of 200k plus yen a month.
For a bit cheaper head down towards Kawasaki. Stay on the Tokyo side of the river as it’s nicer in my opinion. There you will also find good parks and running as well as good access to work.
Other notable area would be the Setagaya ward near the river offers a lot of good options such had Futakotamagawa. These are a bit further out from your work though.
Shinigawa Seaside would probably be the number one if you can manage the budget as that’s a big foreigner friendly area with lots to do.
7 mil should do you pretty well in Tokyo as long as you manage your rent budget. Be prepared for smaller accomodations then your home country.
I’d say first thing check if you will be working and living in Shinagawa-Ku or near Shinagawa station.
Shinagawa station is a bit outside of Shinagawa-Ku, very bustling, a lot of big companies, but not a great area to live. Very expensive.
Shinagawa-Ku on the other hand is a fantastic place to live, especially around Oimachi. Great public transport connection, a lot of supermarkets shops, restaurants etc. if you go a bit to the east of Shinagawa-Ku you also have a big park.
I live in this area. Depending on how far you want to travel to get to the office, I’d recommend in this order:
1. Tennozu Isle
2. Shinagawa Seaside (also nearby Yashio)
3. Heiwajima
4. Rokugodote
The top two are the ones closest to Shinagawa, and are also the most expensive, depending on the size of the apartment you expect to live in. All of them are nearby parks and/or on the canal or riverside. It’s a very chill area great for biking, walking, picnics, sports. The Ota Sports Park is walking distance, where you can even rent a tennis court or baseball feild.
If I were you, I’d go for Rokugodote as it’s right on the Tama river. There is a UR housing complex nearby, while a bit far from the station, is also quite affordable and is in the middle of big park surrounding it. I almost took that option myself. It’s a straight shot up the Keikyu line to Shinagawa, and that area (Ota ward) has the rep of being less expensive than most parts of Tokyo. If UR has an opening, you should take a look.
FYI UR housing is partly supported by the government so they aren’t allowed to discriminate. You’ll find a lot of real estate agents are racist and won’t allow foreigners to rent from them. UR is a good deal, as they don’t charge a lot of money upfront and their buildings are very new and well kept. But you will need language help as they don’t have English speaking employees.
https://www.ur-net.go.jp/chintai/
If you need help finding a nice place, I can refer you to my friend! They specialize in helping foreign residents find nice homes. Sometimes agencies can discriminate, so it’s nice to have someone who will have your back.
​
I really like Tennozu Isle for Shinagawa, but if you want to make foreign friends, a lot of expats live in Meguro/Ebisu! I think that they’re great places to hang out! A tad pricey though..