Job Discussion Forums

Mark · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 500 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Hi folks,

Considering moving out of the city and down to the Shonan are just for a change. Has anyone lived there? In, say, the Fjuisawa/Chigasaki/Hiratsuka area. Is it a fun place? Too boring? I don't know anyone who actually lives down there, so any comments would be appreciated.

Thanks.

Brooks · Joined: 16 Jan 2003 Posts: 1369 Location: Sagamihara

Fujisawa has a lot of yakuza and a big pink trade.
Fujisawa has good restaurants, from what I have heard.
JR and Odakyu have stations there.
If you want to live in Shonan, consider how long your commute will be.
It can be draining.
Chigasaki is by the bay. From Chigasaki you will be better served by taking the Tokaido line. JR Sagami line has got to be the slowest train I have ever taken in Japan.

SEndrigo · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 437

Hey Mark,

Depends where in Shonan. In Fujisawa you will be well-connected with Tokyo as it's served by the Odakyu (to Shinjuku station), JR Tokaido (to Tokyo station) and Enoden (to Kamakura) lines.

Chigasaki, as Brooks mentioned, is served by the Tokaido line, which gets incredibly crowded. And yes, the JR Sagami line is rubbish.

If you're going to still work in Tokyo, I'd say don't do it. The commute will be hell.

The liveliest of the 3 places you've mentioned is Fujisawa...which I rather like, but the commute to Tokyo is brutal.

I personally love Kamakura....if you could get a job around there, things would be perfect !

Shonan area is nice....rent would be much cheaper than central Tokyo and you'd be near the beach....but it's not that lively and the commute is brutal.

nomadder · Posted: Sat Jul 30, 2005 9:53 pm Post subject:

I used to live there and I would go back if I could find a job in the area. It is 50-60 minutes to Shinagawa. It's OK outside of rush hour. I liked the smaller cities and the other places within visiting distance.

Not sure what you pay in Tok but I paid 61 for a small place 2 stops from the Tokaido Line which doesn't seem so cheap considering what I see posted in job ads for elsewhere.

SEndrigo · Joined: 28 Apr 2004 Posts: 437

You can find 1K apartments near Fujisawa station for about 50,000 very easily....we're talking about a nice new building and a 2 minute walk from the station.

One of my mates lives in such a place.

But yes, closer to the beach would be more expensive perhaps.

Mark · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 500 Location: Tokyo, Japan

Basically, I saw an ad for an ALT position and Fujisawa, and I'm considering applying for it. I also like the Kamakura area, but I haven't seen any ads for down there. My experience in Fujisawa, though, is a 15 minute stopover near the station.

If I moved to Shonan, I wouldn't work any farther than Yokohama, so I'd pretty much limit myself to Kanagawa and wouldn't deal with the commute, except for social things.

The other motivation to head down there is that Fujisawa actually has a sister city relationship with my hometown in Canada, so there's a thought in the back of my mind that I might be able to use that to my advantage somehow with the local government.

I'm not really a beach person, so that's not a big draw for me. My main fear is that I'll be bored silly down there as almost all of my friends live in tokyo.