Hey everyone! I’ve been living only for a few months in Tokyo sharing a flat with a friend of mine who has been living here for a little over a year in Kawasaki. I’m having a very tough time deciding where I would like to move to in August, I don’t know any of the areas well enough yet an I think it’s difficult to have an informed opinion on all the different areas available. So! I was hoping those that have lived here for awhile could assist me in narrowing down where I’d like to be.
My monthly budget set for housing/utilities an other associated costs is $2K.. \~Â¥250K. I’m 26 years old and a single male, most of my working commute will be into Sangenjaya and Shibuya. Mainly I’m looking for somewhere that has a great restaurant and bar scene, with close access to nightlife (clubs etc.). However, I don’t want to live in the center of say Shinjuku or Shibua and would prefer something a little bit further away. So far I’ve mainly been looking around Nakameguro and I really like it, but I’m worried I might end up paying the premium, when there are other areas that would’ve been just as good for what I’m looking for.
Ideally I’m looking for a semi-modern mansion style apartment around 40m\^2. I don’t mind any layout from studio – 1LDK.
Really really appreciate any advice or opinions on where I should be looking!
6 comments
Look around eastern Setagaya, particularly a couple of kilometers from Sangenjaya. You can walk or bicycle to Shibuya or Shimokitazawa easily enough, and there’s a train connecting Sangenjaya and Shibuya. It’s more expensive than some other areas you could live, but you may find the convenience worth it.
Tomigaya!
If you’ve got a 250k budget why not live in Sangenjaya? It doesn’t have a “center of Shibuya” vibe at all.
Nakameguro is surprisingly awkward for someone who has to regularly go to Sangenjaya because the train lines run parallel so you have to change at Shibuya anyway, there’s no direct buses, and it’s too far to walk.
That budget also allows for living around Meguro and Ebisu, which are on the Yamanote line and are great neighbourhoods in their own right. The commute would be about the same as living in Nakameguro. If you prefer the Toyoko line I recommend Yutenji 1 stop down, which does have a direct bus to Sangenjaya and a variety of interesting restaurants as well.
Maybe around the Setagaya line? You can take the Setagaya line to sangenjaya and it’s also easy to go to shibuya from there. I used to live near Shoin Jinja Mae station and it was a really nice area, close to convenience stores and a supermarket, and there was a little shopping street with a lot of restaurants and shops and some Greengrocers. There’s also a lot of bars around there and also around Sangenjaya. On nice days I could walk ~18 minutes to sangenjaya and on rainy days or days I was too tired or lazy I could take the Setagaya line. I also worked in shibuya. No clubs around but you can get to shibuya easily.
The CaliTokyoans
Sakura-shinmachi is great! Nearby parks, nice community, few decent bars and super easy to get to sangenjaya / shibuya. Sancha has that awful highway and the air quality is terrible.. would not recommend it for living honestly.
Another option is gakugeidaigaku. You can walk to sangenjaya in about 20 mins and it has a good atmosphere.
Or live near shimokita and walk.