TTokyo

What’s it like living in Shinagawa?

  • December 23, 2025

EDIT: I guess I didn't make it clear enough, I'm moving from Fukuoka.

EDIT 2: I mean the entire ward, not just the city.

Not talking about the immigration dept. there which even I've heard is quite bad. But what is the ward like? Need to move to Tokyo with my spouse for work from the West of Japan and my new office will be located in Tokyo. What are better options around this ward within a 'sane' transport distance.

Unfortunately I know very little about life in the capital and have managed to exist outside it for a long time.

Thanks much in advance.

by Difficult-Throwaway2

12 comments

  1. It’s a mixed bag. North-west is virtually Minato. Some very posh areas especially up on the hills and inside the Yamanote line. If you have money, go to Ikedayama or Gotenyama.

    Gotanda is salaryman paradise: red light district, cheap food. A bit more gentrified than it used to be.

    North-east is developing fast esp close to Shinagawa and Takanawa gateway. Ozaki and the east of the ward have lots of tower mansions. Industrial chic vibes, especially on the far eastern fringes which are docks. Ghost town on weekends.

    South-east outside the Yamanote line is reclaimed land like Koto-ku, flat, little greenery, relatively uninteresting.

    South-west around Oi is sleepier, more residential, almost Ota-ku vibes. Good for detached houses and family living. Lots of old wooden houses. Long shotengai.

    Overall it’s a good place to live, prestigious and good transport access.

  2. Depends what you think is a sane transport difference. IMO anything within like 45 with at most one transfer is pretty good.

    Shinagawa isn’t really… a place to live. I’d much prefer to live somewhere else and commute in but that all depends on how far you’re willing to travel

  3. You can live near anywhere in Tokyo and work in Shinagawa.

    Try to pick somewhere with a direct line to it

  4. I’m assuming that you mean living in Shinagawa Ku, as opposed to living near Shinagawa Station, which is actually in Minato Ku. I’d love to live in one of those high-rise buildings near Shinagawa Station that would be really convenient for anywhere that side of Tokyo.

    Shinagawa Ku is great, but your rental cost obviously will be high the closer you are to a station and also depending where you live in Shinagawa Ku then it may not be so convenient for your job, so maybe be better to live further along a line than close but only accessible by bus or train change. Where will your office be?

  5. Are you asking about Shinagawa Ward or Shinagawa Station area? The responses so far have been for both.

  6. It depends on what area, but it has a lot of nice green spaces and parks around Shinagawa-seaside station, and that line goes directly to central Tokyo with easy access to other lines, too. I’d highly recommend it, if you can afford it.

  7. I’ve lived in Shinagawa for about a decade. First near Osaki Station in a tower mansion and now in central Shinagawa in a detached home. I quite like it. If you bicycle, you can access of lot of it quite easily. I spend many weekends with my dogs and kid in the large parks along the bayside. These would be a pain to get to by transit. There’s also a slew of children centres to visit when it’s raining or too cold/hot outside. There’s a lot of [events](https://shinagawa-kanko.or.jp/event/) going on and always [new shops opening](https://shinagawa.goguynet.jp/) along the many shotengai. I generally agree with /u/Bob_the_blacksmith’s description of the areas. The large multi-purpose complex [Oimachi Tracks](https://www.oimachi-tracks.com/) will be opening in the spring. I’m quite happy we will be getting a new, closer cinema.

    Would I prefer to live in Minato or Chuo? Possibly, if I could afford it.

    What types of amenities are you looking for.

  8. I lived in Kita Shinagawa briefly and really enjoyed it. Access to green space is surprisingly good (canals, meguro river etc..), lots of history living along the tokaido and very good transport links. The area is surprisingly quiet and has some nice small cafes and bakeries.

  9. How far would a “sane” transport distance be or how long would that be in minutes? Depending on which station is closest to the office, there could be several different options. Average time to get to most places within the 23 wards is about 45 minutes so it’s not essential to live in the same ward, especially when their borders are so arbitrary.

  10. The entire ward, not just the city???

    It’s the same. The 23 special wards of Tokyo have the same administrative role as cities and as such, they sometimes translate their name as city instead of ward. Shinagawa ward or Shinagawa city would refer to the same place.

    Reading the comments, I see you probably mean not the area around Shinagawa station specifically but the whole ward/city.

  11. Do you drive? Do you want to be near train? Or do you like to walk a lot? For me, being at Minami-Oi (near Omori Station and Omori Bellport), I feel its very convenient. But for other areas around Shinagawa, I feel like I walk so much more. But for areas near Yamanote, Gotanda is also very cool Almost like Silicon Valley of Tokyo.

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