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monchi01
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 20
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 Posted: Fri Jan 15, 2010 3:37 pm Post subject: living in kanto |
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out of all the cities/towns listed below in the kanto region besides tokyo, where would you guys live (your top choices) and why? i would like to live in an urban area where there's lots to do. thanks guys!
Saitama Prefecture
Hanno
Hidaka
Higashi Matsuyama
Iruma
Konosu
Okegawa
Kumagaya
Miyashiro
Shiraoka
Yorii
Ogawa-machi
Yoshimi
Honjo
Kamisato
Yoshikawa
Fujimino
Toda
Kawaguchi
Koshigaya
Asaka
Gunma Prefecture
Isesaki
Maebashi
Oizumi
Ota
Takasaki
Fujioka
Nagano Prefecture
Okaya
Kanagawa Prefecture
Hiratsuka
Odawara
Isehara
Chigasaki
Chiba Prefecture
Chiba City
Tokyo Area
Arakawa
Nishi Tokyo
Daito
Edogawa
Chiyoda
Misato
Higashi Yamato |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 2:27 am Post subject: |
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well if you want urban you want Arakawa or Edogawa or Chiba city.
Nagano and Gumma are far out.
Not all of Tokyo is urban, some of it is suburban.
Chigasaki has a beach. That might be my choice. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 3:31 am Post subject: |
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You would be unlikely to be living in Chiyoda ward if you were placed at a job there. It's the very centre of Tokyo, right next to the Imperial Palace, and is largely commercial. Rents for the few apartments there are skyhigh and there are more lively areas of the city to live in anyway.
As above, Arakawa and Edogawa wards are the most central of the other areas of Tokyo that are mentioned. I'm not familiar with Daito- if it is supposed to be Daita, that is a great area to live, right next to Shimokitazawa, which is a really fun area.
Toda (which I used to live in) and Kawaguchi in Saitama are right on the border of Tokyo, so busy centres like Ikebukuro are a 10-minute train ride away, Shinjuku is not much further.
Hiratsuka and Chigasaki in Kanagawa are about an hour out of Tokyo, but fairly interesting areas in their own right, with beaches and mountains not far away, and Yokohama is an easy train ride from either of them. My husband is from that area so I know it well. |
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monchi01
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:42 pm Post subject: |
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| mitsui wrote: |
well if you want urban you want Arakawa or Edogawa or Chiba city.
Nagano and Gumma are far out.
Not all of Tokyo is urban, some of it is suburban.
Chigasaki has a beach. That might be my choice. |
what about cool places outside of tokyo that are nearby in the saitama prefecture? only part time positions will be offered in tokyo which is not what i'm looking for.
does Chigasaki also have/is nearby mountains? is it on bay? and how far form tokyo? is it city-like? |
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monchi01
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 7:48 pm Post subject: |
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| Apsara wrote: |
You would be unlikely to be living in Chiyoda ward if you were placed at a job there. It's the very centre of Tokyo, right next to the Imperial Palace, and is largely commercial. Rents for the few apartments there are skyhigh and there are more lively areas of the city to live in anyway.
As above, Arakawa and Edogawa wards are the most central of the other areas of Tokyo that are mentioned. I'm not familiar with Daito- if it is supposed to be Daita, that is a great area to live, right next to Shimokitazawa, which is a really fun area.
Toda (which I used to live in) and Kawaguchi in Saitama are right on the border of Tokyo, so busy centres like Ikebukuro are a 10-minute train ride away, Shinjuku is not much further.
Hiratsuka and Chigasaki in Kanagawa are about an hour out of Tokyo, but fairly interesting areas in their own right, with beaches and mountains not far away, and Yokohama is an easy train ride from either of them. My husband is from that area so I know it well. |
thanks for your suggestions. i would like to live in an urban area but not neccesarily in tokyo which i doubt i'll be placed in. any other bigger sized cities near tokyo listed above that you'd suggest? and what makes Hiratsuka and Chigasaki interesting areas? |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sat Jan 16, 2010 10:52 pm Post subject: |
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| monchi, a quick look on Wikipedia will give you an idea of all the questions you have asked about these areas- distance from Tokyo, geography, what there is to do in the area. Nagano and Gunma will too far out for you, but the others are mostly within easy shooting distance of Tokyo, do a search on some of them. |
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monchi01
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 12:05 am Post subject: |
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| Apsara wrote: |
| monchi, a quick look on Wikipedia will give you an idea of all the questions you have asked about these areas- distance from Tokyo, geography, what there is to do in the area. Nagano and Gunma will too far out for you, but the others are mostly within easy shooting distance of Tokyo, do a search on some of them. |
yea i know i just wanted to get a first hand account of what people like and thinkk are cool about these areas. thanks though |
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mitsui
Joined: 10 Jun 2007
Posts: 1562
Location: Kawasaki
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| Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:12 am Post subject: |
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Saitama isn`t cool. Japanese say so.
Saitama is just a cheaper place to live, north of Tokyo.
Chigasaki is a city by the Sagami Bay. It is on the Tokaido line which goes to Tokyo. Mountains are farther up, north of the Odakyu line. |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Sun Jan 17, 2010 8:49 am Post subject: |
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There are also mountains to the southwest of Chigasaki, around Hakone.
I second Saitama not being cool. It's landlocked, almost entirely flat, has more extreme temperatures than Tokyo and is famous in Japan for its uncoolness- I much prefer Tokyo and Kanagawa. Having said that, as above Toda and Kawaguchi for example are actually closer to main central areas of Tokyo than some areas of Tokyo prefecture are, so shouldn't be written off totally. Everywhere in greater Tokyo is very well connected by public transport to everywhere else, so people don't just stay in the city they live in for nightlife and shopping. Also don't be fooled by the word "city"- in Kanto a "city" is just an administrative division and the cities are actually quite small, as well as blending into each other.
Chigasaki and Hiratsuka are in an area (Shonan) considered cool by many Japanese people- it has an image as a beach and surfing area with a kind of young vibe, and fairly close to Kamakura, one of the ancient capitals. Hiratsuka has a famous festival in summer (Tanabata) which is interesting. A lot of famous Japanese people live in/have holiday houses in that part of Kanagawa and I found the eikaiwa students in that area to be far more interesting than those in Saitama. |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 11:19 am Post subject: |
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Apsara posted
| Quote: |
| I second Saitama not being cool. It's landlocked, almost entirely flat, has more extreme temperatures than Tokyo and is famous in Japan for its uncoolness- I much prefer Tokyo and Kanagawa. |
Yeah, Saitama doesn't rate as very cool, but some parts of it are actually somewhat close to Tokyo. Wakoshi (Wako City) for example is very close to Tokyo as well as Shiki, which borders on Niiza City.
Apsara posted
| Quote: |
| Having said that, as above Toda and Kawaguchi for example are actually closer to main central areas of Tokyo than some areas of Tokyo prefecture are, so shouldn't be written off totally. |
This is true, where one is in Tokyo can vary quite a bit. One may be far from certain areas. For example, my friend living in Adachi-ku is about 1 hour from her job in Shibuya. Toda itself is less convenient unless you live at Toda-koen, as the regular Toda station is a local station.
Apsara posted
| Quote: |
| Chigasaki and Hiratsuka are in an area (Shonan) considered cool by many Japanese people- it has an image as a beach and surfing area with a kind of young vibe, and fairly close to Kamakura, one of the ancient capitals. Hiratsuka has a famous festival in summer (Tanabata) which is interesting. |
Sorry to rain on your parade as Shonan beach is popular, but Chigasaki has been related to me as a polluted beach area, which I suppose for surfing would be okay.
Kamakura would probably have more famous people and as an ancient capital more status as a place to live, though to be honest I think the beach there is also very so so. Kind of like that song, dig that dirty water, ____________...... you're my home...
As to the Tanabata festival in Hiratsuka, I believe the one in Sendai would be the most famous star festival in Japan. Festivals are okay, but I personally wouldn't base where I live on one (though I might make an exception for Edinburgh in Scotland since they have as many as 6 going on concurrently in the summer at one time).    |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Mon Jan 18, 2010 1:37 pm Post subject: |
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| gaijinalways wrote: |
Apsara posted
| Quote: |
| Chigasaki and Hiratsuka are in an area (Shonan) considered cool by many Japanese people- it has an image as a beach and surfing area with a kind of young vibe, and fairly close to Kamakura, one of the ancient capitals. Hiratsuka has a famous festival in summer (Tanabata) which is interesting. |
Sorry to rain on your parade as Shonan beach is popular, but Chigasaki has been related to me as a polluted beach area, which I suppose for surfing would be okay.
Kamakura would probably have more famous people and as an ancient capital more status as a place to live, though to be honest I think the beach there is also very so so. Kind of like that song, dig that dirty water, ____________...... you're my home...
As to the Tanabata festival in Hiratsuka, I believe the one in Sendai would be the most famous star festival in Japan. Festivals are okay, but I personally wouldn't base where I live on one (though I might make an exception for Edinburgh in Scotland since they have as many as 6 going on concurrently in the summer at one time). |
I'm just trying to answer the OP's question and tell him/her a bit about the areas. I personally wouldn't live in Hiratsuka because of the Tanabata festival either, it's just a feature of the area. I know a lot of people who live in the area and like it.
Coming from New Zealand, I find most beaches in mainland Japan less than impressive- again, I am just providing some information about the area since I am familiar with it rather than making a recommendation. If Chigasaki (my husband's home town) beach is polluted, then Enoshima and Kamakura beaches almost certainly are as they are right next door. I don't believe they are dangerously polluted, but the fine grey-brown sand in that area can make the water look unappealing, and garbage is a problem on those beaches in the summer. However that's about all there is in the way of beaches that are an easy daytrip from Tokyo (other than perhaps a few of the northern Chiba beaches like Onjuku which are a bit further away). |
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gaijinalways
Joined: 29 Nov 2005
Posts: 2279
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:10 am Post subject: |
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I agree, and hence why I was adding the information that the area is popular for surfing and probably just that. The only really nice beaches in Japan are in very cold areas up North (not really suitable for swimming most of the year, if ever) or in Okinawa.
Gaijinalways posted
| Quote: |
| Kamakura would probably have more famous people and as an ancient capital more status as a place to live, though to be honest I think the beach there is also very so so. Kind of like that song, dig that dirty water, ____________...... you're my home... |
As you might have noted, I already said that the Kamukara beaches didn't look appealing, hence the reference to the 'Boston dirty water' song.
Apsara posted
| Quote: |
I personally wouldn't live in Hiratsuka because of the Tanabata festival either, it's just a feature of the area. I know a lot of people who live in the area and like it.
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As to festivals, yes, of course people might like them, though I would add many Japanese people are 'crazy' about festivals whether the festivals are noted or not. Just depends on your taste for festivals. Some festivals are a lot more unique or just larger in size and forms of entertainment like the concurrent Edinburgh summer festivals I mentioned.
Don't worry Apsara, there are as many opinions as there are days in the year. Where the OP decides to live will ultimately be up to the OP and where one is placed (and depending on the commute one is willing to endure). |
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flyer
Joined: 16 May 2003
Posts: 539
Location: Sapporo Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 2:55 am Post subject: |
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a lot of it comes to personal preferences
I would rather be closer to the mountains, quieter and cooler summers, so Nagano, Gunma for me
Its not hard to go to Tokyo if you want to
but if I got a good job near Tokyo I wouldn't refuse |
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monchi01
Joined: 30 Dec 2009
Posts: 20
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 9:45 pm Post subject: |
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thanks yall for your input, been really helpful. seems like a lot of the cities in kanagawa are the way to go, i love being on the water. they are possible new areas so hopefully the company will be able to expand into these areas.
so if you had to choose, which cities in Saitama (i know it's uncool) would you pick and why? i like more urban and closest to tokyo. thanks again! |
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Apsara
Joined: 20 Sep 2005
Posts: 2142
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Tue Jan 19, 2010 11:13 pm Post subject: |
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| As above, I would pick Toda and Kawaguchi, because they are right on the border with Tokyo. |
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