Hi all!
While I'm still waiting on my COE and therefore my student visa to be issued, I will hopefully be moving to Tokyo at the end of March to begin an English speaking, graduate program.
Although at first I was going to simply take up a dorm room, I've lately been reconsidering, and have seen that it is very possible for me to find a decent 1K i(trying to cap budget around 10-10.1万 monthly) in some neighborhoods on the outskirts of central Tokyo.
My university is on the doorstep of Ookayama station, and while I certainly would intend to spend a lot of time on campus, I do desire to live a bit closer to central Tokyo. I figured that the university is sufficiently close enough that I could realistically settle somewhere that I'd have a <30 min commute to campus, and a <30 min commute to areas of central Tokyo I'd want to frequent (Shibuya, Shinjuku at the top of the list). I plan on having a bike eventually, which would definitely shorten my commute time, but I'd like the option of commuting by subway regardless.
it seems that some of the areas along the Toyoko line would be pretty convenient, as I could access campus pretty easily via Toyoko -> Oimachi. I've done a really decent amount of research on the stops across this line, and have narrowed down the areas I want to live in to span from ~Yutenji to ~Toritsu-daigaku.
Any further north (Nakameguro and beyond) are starting to get a bit further from campus, but more importantly this is also the point where I've seen apartments start to really hike up in price.
Further south of Toritsu-daigaku is pretty far out from central, and from what I've heard of Jiyugaoka, its not the place for me, as someone in my early-mid 20s.
Within these constraints, how do the areas around these stations differ? I've heard much much more about Gakugei-Daigaku, and how its becoming a very popular area. I've heard about how Yutenji is a bit more laid back. However, I thought the best way to know for sure is to ask for some anecdotes on these areas and give context as to who I am and what I'm looking for, I'd also love to hear about smaller neighborhoods (I don't really know what to call these subdivisions, but Takaban for example) surrounding these stations if anyone has experience with them.
I like my privacy, but would like to live somewhere somewhat lively. Bars, cafes, nice walking areas (green spaces are a plus), convenient. I primarily intend to make friends on-campus, but living in a social area would be something I definitely desire.
Thanks for any advice ahead of time, it's greatly appreciated 🙂
by TopTennis4928