# Toyko neighborhoods



## a.r. (Apr 25, 2013)

Hi, 
I am a 23 year old student from New York City coming to Tokyo for 3 months this summer to work at an architecture firm. I will be working right by the Higashimatsubara station. I have been in the process of finding an apartment. I learned that Shimokitazawa was supposed to be a fun neighborhood with lots of people my age, and it is also very close to my job. I have been pursuing an apartment there, but there is another apartment I'm interested in in Kichijoji off of the Inoakashirakoen station. I understand Kichijoji is also a very desirable neighborhood and this commute is also easy to my job. I am now in a dilemma which apartment would be best! In the apartment in Kichijoji, the bedroom is 8 tatami mat size, and is japanese style which would be lovely. The bedroom in Shimokitazawa is only 4 tatami mat size. Both bedrooms have a balcony. I living think Shimokitazawa might be best in terms of meeting friends, it is also closer to all of the transportation since I will want to explore Tokyo as much as possible. Plus, it is nice that I could even walk to work in 25 minutes. But I am concerned with having a nice space to myself since I am a bit anxious about being so far from home, I would like to have a comfortable bedroom, so perhaps the Kichijoji apt would be better? Does Kichijoji have a community of young people, fun bars, restaurants, etc? I hear of it more as a family neighborhood. Typically, I would prefer this, as I'm not much of a partier and I generally prefer quieter areas. But since I will only be there 3 months and would like to make the most of my experience and meet new people, I am wondering which neighborhood would be best do that. 
I've also found a couple apts in Yoyogi and Ebisu that look nice, but I don't know as much about those neighborhoods and the commute is further. Nakamegeru looks absolutely perfect to me, exactly where I would want to live, but I haven't been able to find apartments there. 
Thanks for any advice!
Ariana


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## larabell (Sep 10, 2007)

Wow... that's hard to answer, not having seen the apartments. Both Kichijoji and Shimo-kitazawa have a large number of shops and restaurants. Kichijoji has more department-store sized places but if you explore the side streets, there's also a good number of smaller mom-and-pop places. I've never lived in either place but I concur with your general assessment... Kichijoji seems more like a place you go to spend time with the family, not so much for partying. But you can probably find things to do fairly quickly in either place (don't forget that even families have young folks eager to party).

I did live in Naka-meguro for a little over a year. There's not as much to do there other than eat but it's really close to Ebisu where there's a somewhat decent night life, Hiroo (one stop from Ebisu) which has shopping and restaurants catering to the ex-pat community, and Roppongi (two stops from Ebisu) which is basically night-life on steroids. If you manage to find a place in either Ebisu or Naka-meguro that fits your budget, I'd jump on it.

But, in reality, if you meet friends or co-workers in the evening you probably won't be spending that much time close to home. Any of the places you mention have excellent access to the main night-life areas of Tokyo but if you end up having to walk home after the trains stop, Kichijoji is a bit of a haul.

By the way, there's a huge park in Yoyogi where various kinds of people hang out on the weekend and the young-shopping mecca of Harajuku just across the JR tracks. An apartment in Yoyogi might be fun, too.


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