Job Discussion Forums

BoSox07 · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Charlotte, NC

Hey guys--

You've all been a wealth of information for me... I haven't had to ask any questions because they've all been answered a million times before! Smile

One question though hasn't really been answered (for me) so I thought I'd finally poke my head up and ask. I'm going to be working at the AOBA school in Suginami-ku, Tokyo. Is that a good ward to live in, or should I be looking elsewhere?

Also... guesthouse vs. apartment?

Thanks!

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

I have lived in Suginami for 6 years- I think it's a great ward to live in. If you are on the Chuo, Marunouchi Subway or Seibu Lines it's a quick trip to Shinjuku, (10 minutes or less if you live near one of the Chuo Line Stations) and on the Inokashira Line you have a straight shot into Shibuya. Kichijoji, which is a quirky area for shopping and people-watching plus some nighlife is also not far away, and Koenji in the middle of the ward is an area well known for live music.

Suginami is supposed to be the greenest ward in Tokyo and there are several large parks, including one that runs for several kilometres along a river.

It's slightly upmarket and one of the more desirable wards to live in outside the Yamanote Line (others are Setagaya and Meguro wards), so the rent tends to be a bit higher than the northern and eastern wards.

BoSox07 · Joined: 17 Jun 2008 Posts: 2 Location: Charlotte, NC

Thanks! One of the other teachers at the school has offered to let me stay with her until I can find my own place, and I know she lives in Suginami. It sounds like a nice place. How much more expensive is "more"? I'm used to paying a fair amount for rent, having lived in Boston and Charlotte, but usually with a roommate.

I've found that in Tokyo apartments seem to run around 150,000 yen a month. Am I finding the low end or does that sound about right for Suginami?

wayne432 · Joined: 05 Jun 2008 Posts: 255

I started this thread a while back...
http://forums.eslcafe.com/job/viewtopic.php?t=63712

Not linked in there, but mentioned was gaijinpot... hope it helps to give you an idea of what's around.

Apsara · Joined: 20 Sep 2005 Posts: 2142 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Depending on the size of the apartment, you are finding the high end, not the low end! We pay 113,000 for a 1DK apartment (bedroom plus separate dining and kitchen) 3 minutes from the station, which was built in 2005. In Suginami a similar sized-apartment that is a bit older and a few minutes further from the station is usually around 80,000- 90,000 yen. Smaller apartments (one room) are around 70,000. 150,000 would get you a fairly new 2LDK near a station. In central Tokyo it would get you a much smaller apartment.

In the northern and eastern wards you could take 20,000 yen or so off those prices.

If you are on a typical teacher's salary and living by yourself then 150,000 is far too much to pay for rent.

Whether you go for an apartment or guesthouse depends on how long you will be staying, whether you have the funds to pay for set-up and want to furnish the place yourself, and how much privacy/ cleanliness you require.