# Is Shinjuku safe to live in?



## heartface

I've found the perfect apartment in Shinjuku near the station, it's close to work/shops/trains etc. Is it a safe area to live in or does anyone have strong objections to living in the area?


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## Joppa

heartface said:


> I've found the perfect apartment in Shinjuku near the station, it's close to work/shops/trains etc. Is it a safe area to live in or does anyone have strong objections to living in the area?


There is hardly any area in Tokyo or in Japan that is unsafe. Compared to UK, Japan is a very safe country with no no-go areas. Even the former down-and-out hotspot like Sanya has become much safer and partly gentrified.
I'd have no hesitation to live in Shinjuku myself, but maybe avoid parts of Kabukicho and Shinjuku 3-chome because of the hassle from pimps and drunks late at night (but still not unsafe). Ease of travel and shopping/entertainment/eating out is a big plus. My personal preference would be to the south of the station or further west past the Fukutoshin.


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## larabell

heartface said:


> I've found the perfect apartment in Shinjuku near the station ...


How near is "near"? The reason I wonder is because the only real problem you're likely to encounter in Shinjuku is noise. The East side of the station is home to many bars and other late-night entertainment venues and the Kabukicho area (which Joppa mentioned earlier) never really closes down. If that kind of stuff doesn't bug you... or if the place you're looking at isn't anywhere near the main entertainment areas, I'd say you should be fine.

I might add certain areas around North Shinjuku (close to Okubo) to the caution list. I stayed with a friend there maybe 12 years ago and there were a few seedy areas with sex-trade businesses peppered here and there. Still not unsafe, per-se, but not necessarily the kind of place you'd feel good coming home to every day.

One suggestion... try visiting the neighborhood late at night to see what it's like after everything closes down. Walk around a block or two in each direction. That should give you a good idea what kind of neighborhood it is.


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## Joppa

larabell said:


> I might add certain areas around North Shinjuku (close to Okubo) to the caution list. I stayed with a friend there maybe 12 years ago and there were a few seedy areas with sex-trade businesses peppered here and there. Still not unsafe, per-se, but not necessarily the kind of place you'd feel good coming home to every day.


That would be in and around the Korean Town, near Shokuan-dori. Handy for anything Korean - food, merchandise, culture. Again not unsafe (if a bit noisy). Edge of red light district, but not as bad as Kabukicho further south (but a large Toyoko Inn is there and feedbacks are pretty positive).



> One suggestion... try visiting the neighborhood late at night to see what it's like after everything closes down. Walk around a block or two in each direction. That should give you a good idea what kind of neighborhood it is.


Good idea!


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## heartface

Thanks for all your feedback, particularly the suggestion to walk 2 mins in each direction at night. The area became much livelier at night, but not too much so to cause a nuisance or be an issue. Looking forward to moving to a more permanent apartment and settling down in Japan


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## pasturesnew

heartface said:


> Thanks for all your feedback, particularly the suggestion to walk 2 mins in each direction at night. The area became much livelier at night, but not too much so to cause a nuisance or be an issue. Looking forward to moving to a more permanent apartment and settling down in Japan


gl with your move, we are in Tokyo now doing the whole apartment / house hunting thing - thankfully we are hand held by a relocation agent ! - looking in Akasaka, Roppongi, Aoyama , Azabu & Meguro ......, Id prefer further out but I will for sure be working long hours, 45 mins tops commute for me takes me out to Meguro and not much further I think....

btw is Meguro the least gaijin populated area of those mentioned..., I kind of prefer it myself...


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## heartface

pasturesnew said:


> gl with your move, we are in Tokyo now doing the whole apartment / house hunting thing - thankfully we are hand held by a relocation agent ! - looking in Akasaka, Roppongi, Aoyama , Azabu & Meguro ......, Id prefer further out but I will for sure be working long hours, 45 mins tops commute for me takes me out to Meguro and not much further I think....
> 
> btw is Meguro the least gaijin populated area of those mentioned..., I kind of prefer it myself...


One thing to bear in mind is the distance from the train/metro station to your place of work. My place of work is by the entrance to the metro, but it's a good 8 minute walk until I reach the platform.


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## pasturesnew

heartface said:


> One thing to bear in mind is the distance from the train/metro station to your place of work. My place of work is by the entrance to the metro, but it's a good 8 minute walk until I reach the platform.


yep, thanks, Id gathered that, in some cases its better to walk overground !


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## Joppa

pasturesnew said:


> btw is Meguro the least gaijin populated area of those mentioned..., I kind of prefer it myself...


I'd say so. Akasaka is quite posh, lots of offices, embassies, government offices, also quite lively around Akasaka Mitsuke. Roppongi is full of gaijin bars, Roppongi Hills has some large foreign firms (esp finance houses), Azabu is a pleasant residential area, also quite lively near Azabu Juban, and Aoyama is similar, with a large cemetery (good for strolling), universities as well as shops and offices. All quite expensive, being inside the Yamanote loop. Presence of some international schools, such as the British School and Sacred Heart International in Hiroo, makes these areas popular with expats. I'd say Meguru is more suburban (though still popular with expats - more families), more 'ordinary' shops like supermarkets and grocery stores, yet with excellent metro and JR links.


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