MMoving to Japan

What Tokyo neighborhoods would you actually recommend living in long-term?

  • July 22, 2025

Hey everyone,

I’m moving to Tokyo in January and I’m currently looking at places to rent, trying to figure out what areas actually feel good to live in, not just look good on paper.

For context, I’m aiming for:

  • 1LDK in a concrete mansion-style building (ideally built within the last 25 years)
  • Short walk to a station
  • About 20 mins or less to Shinjuku or Shibuya
  • Budget around 155k yen a month
  • Prefer sturdy buildings where I’m not hearing my neighbors sneeze through the walls
  • I work remotely, so having some nearby cafes with wifi would be a bonus (not a dealbreaker since I’ll likely head into Shinjuku or Shibuya most days)

I was originally looking at areas along the Marunouchi and Ginza lines because I liked the idea of easy access to key stations like Shinjuku, Shibuya, Tokyo Station etc. But now I’m wondering if that’s really the best move for overall quality of life within my budget.

If you’ve lived in Tokyo for a while as a foreigner, I’d love to hear:

  • Where have you lived that you’d actually recommend?
  • Any neighborhoods you think fly under the radar but are great for everyday life?
  • What areas surprised you (in a good or bad way) after moving?

Bonus if you’ve got any thoughts on Nakano, Koenji, Ogikubo etc compared to more central spots. I’m trying to figure out if it’s worth trading proximity for peace and better housing quality.

Appreciate any firsthand advice! Cheers.

by Rezah1

10 comments

  2. We stayed at F-Manaion in Honmachi when I traveled last month. It’s an air bnb but the general area was pretty calm and quiet, a little bit west of shinjuku, it’s a 10 minute walk to Nishi Shinjuku station, pretty nice area. I believe a 30 minute walk to Kabukicho. Here is a google map link for reference https://maps.app.goo.gl/bf4ZUjABfSmgtVyZ8?g_st=ipc

  3. In my humble opinion the West-South/West is the best, you have the super popular areas and a big mix of smaller, lesser known stations that are still awesome.

    A 1LDK might limit your options to less popular stations but someplace like Togoshi/Togoshi-Ginza could work. One stop from Gotanda on the Asakusa or Ikegami lines, which lands you on the Yamanote with Meguro, Ebisu and Shibuya being the next 3 station, which is a very good selection to be close to. Also the immediate area around the station has tons of shops, and if that not enough, less than 10 min walk will land you on the Musashi-Koyama shotengai that has hundreds more shops.

    Personally I’d avoid taking rapid trains into account when looking at distances. They’re fine if you plan on never missing one, but if you ever find yourself out past last train it will cost a fortune to taxi home.

    Copy/paste from your other post in Japan life

  4. Futakotamagawa. But your budget might be stretched, and it’s more like 25 minutes to Shibuya.

  5. I have lived in the following places in Tokyo (also lived in other prefectures) and would recommend Nakano/Koenji for a single person, Kagurazaka if you can afford it.

    * Nakano
    * Nakai
    * Nerima
    * Kagurazaka (my wife, not me but I was over a lot before we got married)

    Nakano/Koenji are probably the best combo of value, convenience, proximity to a major area (Shinjuku is 1 stop on an express), and attractive neighborhood scene.

    Kagurazaka is great, but I am not sure what the prices are like at this point.

    Nakai is going to be kind of boring. Nerima can be fun around the station, but it feels more like outer Tokyo. Only 10 minutes to Ikebukuro, but doesn’t feel as much the city as Nakano/Koenji.

  6. Sasazuka, Hatagaya is awesome. 5 full size supermarkets, nice shotengai, lots restaurants. 5min to Shinjuku and 15min to Shibuya.

    150k yen for 1LDK should be very much possible.

  7. Have you considered or taken a look at meidaimae station?

    Direct trains to both Shibuya (Inokashira line) and also Shinjuku (Keio line).

    Has a few cafes and plenty of good restaurants around.

    The only problem i had about meidaimae were the options for supermarkets, but that could easily be remedied by taking one stop up to shimotakaido where there’s a kaldi and seiyu.

    Not sure what the rent around there is nowadays but that’s something you can probably look into yourself lol.

  8. Maybe out of budget but I lived in Midorigaoka and Jiyugaoka for nine years and absolutely loved every minute of it. Super convenient, great food, cafes, bars, centrally located. I was a student at TITECH 2 stops down the line in Oookayama for half the time and at least at the time there were plenty student friendly options in Midorigaoka and Okusawa. Really wonderful area IMO.

  10. I used to live in mejiro.
    Expensive neighborhood but it was a bliss.
    So quiet for Tokyo. There’s nothing there and it’s super close to ilebukuro and takadanobaba by walk. It is the best place I’ve ever lived.

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