Hi,
UK/M/27 – I'll be starting my working holiday landing in Tokyo in about two weeks, been busy with other things so I'm a bit tight on sorting my accommodation.
So I've been researching all the share house options in Tokyo – Sakura House, Oakhouse, Borderless – and also at Leopalace for living on my own. I think it would make sense to try a share house for the first 1-2 months to network and make connections, then see where I'm at in 2026 and look towards moving into a Leopalace afterward, depending on what work I can find et al. I have some savings to last me a few months so budget isn't really an issue for now, though my benchmark was £850 a month for a 2 bed flat in the UK.
My question is – whereabouts in Tokyo do WHV people and others from the west tend to congregate the most? And which sharehouse or does it not really matter? I read that Sakura House is 90% non-Japanese – there are some private rooms around Shinjuku for ~80,000 JPY (about £400) and that's really close to places like Golden Gai and all those other spots. But I'm happy to be up to an hour away from central Tokyo as well if that would make more sense.
And before you mention it, nothing against integration… but I'm just getting started and I don't know any Japanese yet. Still need to look into joining classes to learn the language.
Any tips are appreciated – thanks
by TheFrankBrit