Choosing between two LeoPalaces. Would work in Tatsuno, can either commute from near Hon-Tatsuno or from near Yobe Station (about 15 minutes longer by car).
Still relatively new to Japan (first time signing a housing contract myself) and wondering if anyone has insider tips about the area. I’ll be moving from Kyushu and can’t scope it out myself before moving.
Also, wondering if there are any hidden benefits/drawbacks to living in a different city than the one you work in.
4 comments
I think you should be more worried about living in a LeoPalace..
Really depends on what you want. Himeji is a larger city, so things tend to be more convenient and there’s less of a need for a car. It’s also helpful if you plan to travel a lot, as Himeji has a bullet train stop and local trains to other big cities in Hyogo. Tatsuno is on the suburban/rural side, so if you’re into quieter surroundings and more nature, it’s a solid spot.
Your comment mentioned Yobe, though – I wouldn’t consider that Himeji proper as it’s still 5-10 minutes out from the city center by train, just FYI. Yobe will be a good bit more rural than Himeji, but it is closer than Hon-Tatsuno.
I live in the general area, and live in a different city from where I work. Can’t think of any benefits… I suppose if you work in a school you may be less likely to run into students, though you’d probably run into them in Himeji anyway. The downside is the longer commute, dealing with train delays, traffic. But Tatsuno and Himeji are pretty close, only 20 minutes by train, so it almost makes no difference.
Tatsuno is considered “countryside”, whereas Himeji near Himeji Station and the Castle has all of the restaurants/ shopping/ entertainment. If you value a super short commute, and are more introverted, then live closer to work in Tatsuno. If you imagine you’ll be heading into Himeji often for the social life, shopping, and things to do, then live near Yobe and the train ride is only 8 minutes.
You might want to branch out of Leo Palace though. Try a real estate place like Able (エイブル) or a similar company to find a better apartment.
I lived in Himeji for a few years. Its a nice city, not too big but thanks to the castle it has a much livelier downtown than most cities of similar size.
Tatsuno is a bit inaka but its a nice city. Way smaller than Himeji and way less stuff there, but its quieter and kind of nicer if you like the laid back country life. If you are going to work there anyway then it would make sense to live there I suppose.
One benefit of Himeji is that its much more convenient for transportation – its connected to the JR Kobe line so you can just hop on a train to Kobe, Osaka or Kyoto pretty easily from there. Tatsuno is way less convenient in that regard.