Job Discussion Forums

locomote · Joined: 16 May 2005 Posts: 27

Anyone live there/lived there? What do you think?
Is it close enough to the heart of Tokyo to be worth "living in Tokyo", or is it more like living outside Tokyo and too much trouble to go in that you don't go often?

What's the area like? Old/young? Pure concrete?

I'm an actor, and I'd love to do some jobs (or even English theatre if it exists) on the side. Is it close enough to downtown to be doable in a morning before going to work at 2?

Thanks~!!

Mike L. · Joined: 28 Feb 2003 Posts: 519

Access to Tokyo is not great unless Ueno is your idea of "Tokyo" and well it's a pretty blue collar neighborhood wihtout anyhting in the "theatre" department. I imagine..

That being said there is an rather excelent izakaya near. Ayase sation..

Personally having lived in/Chiba, Saitama and western Tokyo I'd take all of them over this area!

The area has little to offer that cannot be found elsewhere on the outskirts of Tokyo for the same cash with better access!!!

Here's agood site help you confirm train access:

http://www.jorudan.co.jp/english/norikae/e-norikeyin.html

azarashi sushi · Joined: 23 Jan 2003 Posts: 562 Location: Shinjuku

I have to agree with Mike L. .... Kita Senju/Ayase is a hole. Adachi ku and Katsushika ku are two of the poorer areas in Tokyo. They have very little going for them. Ask the company though if you HAVE TO live in their apartment. You could work in the area but get your own apartment. But as Mike L. points out, access is not great.

ocyrion · Joined: 20 Oct 2004 Posts: 20 Location: Chiba, Japan

Well the good thing about Kitasenju is that it's not very far from Shinjuku and the good stuff on the west side of Tokyo. It's a couple of stops on the Joban line rapid to Ueno, then you can go to Kanda and jump on the Chuo line and get to all the good stuff, probably within half an hour.

spidey · Posted: Fri Jun 17, 2005 5:28 am Post subject:

My girlfriend lives very near Ayase Stn. The impression that I got from the place after visiting there a few times is that everything seems to be centered around the station. That being said, the space around the station is basically limited to one crowded and conjested little street. With only a few side streets. There's a McD's and a Mr. D's, plus a respectably sized ITOYOKADO (Dept. store and supermarket). But as previously stated...it's pretty much a "hole."

IMHO of course.

S

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

I've been out to Kita-Senju a couple of times. It's on an island, isn't it? Anyway, it seemed to have a main shopping street and then a little red-light area and that's about it. I didn't explore it much, just had to work there a couple of times.

It's probably not great, but there are plenty of worse/more isolated places to live in the Tokyo area. I basically rank things in terms of how long it takes to get to Shinuku. If you can get to Shinjuku in less than 15 minutes, then it's a good place. Less than 30 minutes, it's an okay place. Less than an hour and it's acceptable but not great. Kita-Senju would be ranked as acceptable on that scale I believe, but I haven't checked the travel time.

Anyway, I know someone who lives out there and he says it's okay, although not fantastic.

chitownesl · Joined: 29 May 2004 Posts: 23

I work in Kita Senju. It's overloaded with old people. I haven't figured out why, but then again, Japan has a high population of geezers anyway. Kita Senju has 2 very good Thai Food restuarants and a small Indian restaurant that's along that red light district strip. Marui and Lumine are decent for department store shopping if that's your thing. The food court inside of Marui isn't too bad either. It's considered more conservative than other areas of Tokyo. It has a few decent Izakayas too. That said, it's not an exciting place by anymeans.

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

I think Ayase is the last stop on the Chiyoda Line.
Just three stops to get to Nishi-Nippori, which is on the Yamanote Line.
And from there, nine stops to Shinjuku.
So, probably in or near S h i t a machi, which means it ain`t posh.

ghostrider · Joined: 30 May 2006 Posts: 147

Digging this one up from the grave.

I live in Kita-Senju, it sucks, but if you're just coming to Japan for the first time, you can do worse (like Minami Senju, even poorer, full of homeless people). Why does it suck here? More old people, more poor people (no offense to them, but I have little in common...I make working class wages, but don't have the same background and can't speak Japanese fluently), no art scenes, no music, old buildings, gloomy feeling. If you're young and into arts, West Tokyo (not far West Tokyo) is where you eventually want to live. That's my goal.

I was really into the music scene in the US, used to go to shows all the time, was a radio and club DJ for 4 years. There isn't jack shit in that regards here in East Tokyo. Despite being in reasonable distance to West Tokyo, I find myself having not been to a single show since I been here (7 months). It's more of a hassle than it seems from a distance (walking to and from the stations, standing an hour on crowded trains, there and back), and given the Nova debacle, I can't afford to travel across Tokyo, which gets expensive very quickly.