Job Discussion Forums

[southofreality]

Ok, maybe not...

But, for those who've lived in Shinjuku, which part of it would you recommend living in and why?

Reason: I'm looking to move there in the next couple of months.
http://www.sevententotokyo.com/apartment-hunt-destination-tokyo/

[Apsara]

I haven't lived in Shinjuku myself, but I have plenty of friends living in the area who I have visited and I only live 10 minutes away so spend a lot of time there. Are you looking to live in walking distance of Shinjuku station, or just somewhere in Shinjuku Ward?

I like the area to the south of Shinjuku 3 chome station as it has some character, and the area near Shinjuku-gyouen is nice (expensive though) but would avoid Higashi Shinjuku and Okubo which have some dodgy areas, and also Nishi Shinjuku on the Marunouchi line as it's kind of a boring place, mostly high rises and busy roads.

There is also Yoyogi to the south, and the first few of stations east on the Oedo line, which are surprisingly quiet residential areas for a place that is inside the Yamanote line. Basically the southeast and southwest are the nicer areas and the northeast and to a lesser extent the northwest are the grittier areas.

Edit: I meant to add the first few stations on the Odakyu and Keio lines are also good- Minami Shinjuku and Sangubashi and Hatsudai as azarashi sushi mentions- these are all really close to Yoyogi Park, so nice, but newer places are expensive.

[azarashi sushi]

Hi South!

Welcome to Shinjuku!

Where you live all comes down to personal preference and if you're going to live near work, you might as well be within walking distance. Where exactly is your job?

I live in Nishi Shinjuku just by the Park Hyatt, on the Yoyogi border and have lived here for the last five years. A lot of people don't like the area but I do. Compared to the east side, I think it looks much nicer and cleaner, it's much neater, the sidewalks are wider and less crowded, it's less seedy and there are some very nice buildings in the area with some nice "sky" restaurants. It's also within walking distance to Meiji Jingu and Yoyogi Park but still only about 12 minutes walk to JR Shinjuku station. Shinjuku ni chome is also only about a 20 minute walk.

There are a lot of other stations in the area too, if you feel like avoiding the crowds and madness of Shinjuku station. I work in Setagaya some days, so I usually walk to Sangubashi station and take the train from there. It's much quieter and easier. Hatsudai station at Opera City is also nearby, and handy for getting to Ichigaya.

Money is also obviously an issue. Nishi Shinjuku tends to be a bit more expensive. Shinjuku 5/6 chome towards the Tozai line and around Wakamatsu Kawada and that area tends to be a bit cheaper.

A friends of mine was living for a while in Sumiyoshicho ( I think) just near Akebonobashi station... I thought that area was nice too. It was a nice residential area but not so much other stuff in the area and a longer walk to JR Shinjuku station.

The only downside to living on the west side is that if you need to go over to the other side, getting around Shinjuku station adds on about another ten minutes to your trip! And in the mornings, there is always a tsunami of people coming out of Shinjuku station heading west, and very few people going the other way. Rush hour people are just like cattle ... They don't look where they are going and just charge like animals... EXTREMELY ANNOYING!!! And there are sooooooooooooo many of them!!!

[southofreality]

Aspara and azarashi, Thanks for the detailed responses.

@aspara: Yes, I'm definitely looking to be within walking distance of Shinjuku Station.

@azarashi: Thanks for the warm welcome. I'm going to be working at several locations around the area, but I want to be close to where most of the life is. I guess I wouldn't mind living close to Kabuki-cho even.

[gaijinalways]

Hi SR,

azarashi sushi's question is pertinent, as I live in Shinjuku ward (in Takadanobaba) and feel I live more than close enough to Shinjuku. I had a friend who recently left Japan, and he lived in Waseda, and commuted to ni-chome in Shinjuku by bike, about 10 minutes he said. So it really depends on where your office is and how short you want your commuting time to be. That and of course, how big your budget is and how little space you're willing to put up with.

Congratulations on the promotion and good luck with your apartment search.

GA

[azarashi sushi]

[azarashi sushi]

One good thing about that area around Kabukicho/Higashi Shinjuku is that the Fukutoshin line has now opened up and stops there. So it's very easy to get to San chome, Meiji Jingu or Shibuya from there.

[Apsara]

I find Okubo (basically the residential area just north of Kabuki-cho) pretty seedy too, and I think it's worse as a female as there is the tendency for drunk people to mistake you for a prostitute if you are outside late at night, apparently even when wearing jeans and sneakers...

[azarashi sushi]

The deciding factor though is going to be money... How much are you willing to spend? And as GA said, how little space are you willing to put up with?

You should make a list of what's most important for you... eg:
1. location
2. space
3. light
4. nice area
and so on...

If you're prepared to spend upwards of about 130 000 or so, you can probably get everything you want. Less than that, you're probably looking at 2 or 3 out of 4. So, decide what's most important for you.

Congratulations on the promotion. By the way, what do you do if you don't mind me asking?

[southofreality]

@GA: I hear ya about location; Since my work location will vary from day to day, I'm thinking more about apartment location relative to the big station and areas convenient to nightlife, shopping, etc...

I'm thankful for all the responses. Azarashi, I like your breakdown in your last posting. Really, I'm not looking for much other than location. I'm willing to settle for a cramped 7-8 mat apartment as long as the building isn't a fire hazard.

As for Takadanobaba, it's a cool area. If it were close enough to walk to from, say Shinjuku Station, after a bit of the old nightlife and a missed last train, I'd consider that area too, especially if I could get a place a little bit nicer than what I could afford around Shinjuku Station.

I won't be paying over 100,000 per month, so I guess I'll have to settle for a less-than-ideal place, but like I said, location is the most important factor for me.

Anyway, I'm going to visit a real estate agency tomorrow, so I'll let you know what I find out.

Thanks again, apsara, azarashi, and GA.

[southofreality]

Seems like there're lots of places within my range throughout Shinjuku. I guess now, I just have to keep visiting them until I find the right one.

By the way, how about Shin-Okubo? If the apartment was nice and within 3 mins of JR Shin-Okubo station?

[azarashi sushi]

It sounds like the apartment hunt got off to a good start!

A friend of mine lives in Hyakunincho, and I always thought that area quite "cozy" and residential.

But at the end of the day, you're the one who is going to live there so it doesn't matter what anyone else thinks.