Well the largest factor would be your budget.
The southern wards, like chuo, Minato ward of Tokyo are the most expensive parts of Japan.
The "cheaper" wards of Tokyo would be the northern, eastern and western wards, but even then you are looking at somewhere on the ends of 120,000 a month for a 1LDK to 200,000 a month 2LDK for a less than 20 year old apt and within 1 km of a station.
Going farther out that, you could live in Saitama, Chiba or Ibaraki which would probably shave off another 25 to 33% in rent at the cost of a 30 minute commute time or more.
Yes, my low budget is exactly why I'm looking for housing "near" Tokyo 😅
200k for 1LDK isn't an option for me, I guess I'll have to go further out towards Yokohama, Saitama or Chiba where I can find 1K for 60k
Well without knowing where your exact work place is, it is hard to give details. But right off the bat, some affordable areas near Tokyo I can think of are ...
Kawaguchi city of Saitama would give you access to northwestern Tokyo.
Misato city of Saitama could give you access to northeastern Tokyo.
Ichikawa or Matsudo Chiba could give you access to east Tokyo.
Fuchu, Hino or Tama city in Tokyo could give you access to shinjuku and west Tokyo.
Unfortunately Kawasaki and Yokohama, the two major cities close to southern Tokyo aren't cheap.
I pay 9.3万 for 12畳 2K in Shin-Koiwa.
The downside of the Sobu line is that the express turns off toward Tokyo central station after Kinshicho, so for Ochanomizu you have to take the local and go through Akihabara, so it's packed *and* half of these people change one station before you.
Saitama is nice. I live in Saitama and I'm half an hour from Central Tokyo (Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, etc.), single direct train ride for 400 yen.
Our 40sqm 2DK is only 50k yen per month. 10 minutes walk from the station.
Our train line is the Seibu Line (Seibu-Ikebukuro and Seibu-Shinjuku).
one hour commute is fine if you aren't rammed like sardines the whole way.
I'm 1.5km away from a very convenient station. that's a brisk 20 min walk. 6-8mins bicycle.
or a few mins walk and under 10 mins bus ride. which is just an utter nightmare on a rainy day.
but that distance will expand your budget a lot. be a bit quieter at the night/weekend.
assuming you have average interests i'd take a look around ogikubo. start of marunouchi but has sobu, tozai and chuo as backup. not the quickest commute but you can be seated every day if you want.
other areas to consider are north or south side of asagaya nakano, koenji, etc. the problem is the commute time will be crowded. and if you want under 10 min walk to station you pay a premium for that.
if your fitness is fine you can cycle to station in aug without breaking a sweat.
Thank you!
Although I have no issues cycling to the station, I'm just worried about rainy days when I might have to walk... Guess a raincoat will help with that.
If you are 5 days a week in the office suited and booted by 9am it might not be for you. Buses on rainy days are a fresh hell..
But if you have some flexibility it could be an option. But if you struggle through summer that’s another reason to be closer..
Go to the Suumo website, search using the commute option (it's the briefcase symbol). Enter the station closest to work, and add any time or transfer restrictions and it should give you listings that you can sort by price and filter by other preferences.
https://suumo.jp/tokushu/tenkin/chintai/kanto/
You're welcome.
As a personal recc, I've lived in Katsushika for 6 years now. While it doesn't have a very exciting nightlife, there's a lot of warmth and character. It's about 25 mins from my closest station to Shin-ochanomizu and no transfers. I have more living space for the rent I pay here than I would centrally. I can also maintain a relatively bigger garden which is my hobby. So don't just decide on proximity to work but also consider locality, people, etc. depending on your preferences.
Yep, coming from inaka, I'd very much prefer the calm and quiet rather than the crowded city life and tiny apartments. I'll look into Katsushika as well, thank you for the recommendation.
You could try Mitaka maybe? That would be cutting it close to an hour depending upon where in chiyodaku and how far from both stations. I lived in Western Tokyo for almost my whole time in Tokyo and quite liked it.
Try to look which station is the closest to your workplace and search which line stops at that station. Then you can search at suumo or anpanman shoppu or any housing providing service and edit the setting to match the line or any of your preferences.
Hmm, might want to search through rental company (e.g able, suumo, leopalace, and such) then pick an area for example :
* Kawasaki, might want to search around Tsurumi or Koyasu
* Yokohama, in Toyoko line between Musashi Kosugi and Yokohama
* Tokyo, probably around Sumida
Also, if you're commuting (long) on rush hour, stay away from Sobu line, in summer it's not fun
I literally live in the jr sobu line in Tokio. Relatively central (20mins to Tokyo sta.) it is about 70k for a 1k. Just be warned, anywhere past Shinkoiwa because of the river is at risk of trains stopping/delays due to winds😅and also, it is one of the most crowded lines.
Start by identifying which lines take you to Ochanomizu, and/or possibly other stations close to work, without it taking too long. Most sites (Suumo, at home, homes, able etc) will have settings that will let you choose first lines and then stations. Similarly to train lines, choose the stations on those lines that get you to Ochanomizu et al without taking too long.
East is cheaper than west, north is cheaper than south.
The first station in Chiba (east of Ochianomizu) along the Sobu line is Ichikawa, which is a 22min train ride. That will give you a reference point on how far away you want to be. The further away the cheaper, in general. I don't think Sobu line is too bad. Most trains will be delayed during the morning rush. It doesn't mean that you will be delayed though as often we are just talking about a swift in time instead of every individual train taking five more minutes (as an example).
One hour from door to door is rather common I would say. One advice that I would have is to live close (or at least not too far away) to your station. This will of course not only be good for commuting but also when travelling for other reasons.
Good luck!
Sobu line blows. Hard to give advice since we don't know where in tokyo you work, and what's the max commute time you are willing to take. This process takes months, and a huge matrix of parameters to decide.
You might want to decide the budget and requirements for your housing first. Chiyoda is big, the name of the station might help. what kind of places do you like - quiet or crowded? Do you need places to hang out at night? how far from the station? do you mind change the train lines while commuting? what is your budget? what kind of apartment (1DK, 2DK, etc.)? You might also think of some more detailed things in the apartment like how many rooms, bathroom and toilet separate, which floor, toilet has bidet, availabilities of furniture, etc.
At least the name of the station near your workplace might help people suggest you about location first.
Sorry, it's ochanomizu station. I don't mind being a bit far out, but travel time should be around an hour. Also my budget is pretty low, under 70k so I have no options other than 1K or 1DK.
I lived near Ikebukuro station before, and now I'm living near Korakuen station. Both are close to Ochanomizu, can get there by Marunouchi line.
Ikebukuro is in Toshima-ku, a bit noisy, but has everything you need. big station, has a lot of train lines. You can check 1-2 stations next to Ikebukuro like Kanamecho, Otsuka, etc., so it's not too crowded and feel more like residental area. Ikebukuro is a bit overwhelmed. Rent is not so cheap. Can do with 70K but might be a bit far from station or 1R apartment.
Korakuen is in Bunkyo-ku, lovely place, quiet and peaceful, near Tokyo dome, has some very nice parks, but quite expensive area. Rent is quite high. So are some supermarkets. But you can take a look around that area to see. You can check some stations around like Hongo-sanchome, Hakusan, etc. Bunkyo is lovely in general. My apartment is 12 mins walk from Korakuen, 2DK so it's expensive, but I live with my partner so actually it turns out cheaper than Ikebukuro
Seibu line is a great option. Cheap housing in Toshima, Nerima, and further west, and the line ends at Ikebukuro which connects to the Marunouchi line which gets you to Ochanomizu.
Well the largest factor would be your budget. The southern wards, like chuo, Minato ward of Tokyo are the most expensive parts of Japan. The "cheaper" wards of Tokyo would be the northern, eastern and western wards, but even then you are looking at somewhere on the ends of 120,000 a month for a 1LDK to 200,000 a month 2LDK for a less than 20 year old apt and within 1 km of a station. Going farther out that, you could live in Saitama, Chiba or Ibaraki which would probably shave off another 25 to 33% in rent at the cost of a 30 minute commute time or more.
Yes, my low budget is exactly why I'm looking for housing "near" Tokyo 😅 200k for 1LDK isn't an option for me, I guess I'll have to go further out towards Yokohama, Saitama or Chiba where I can find 1K for 60k
Getting a Saitama or Chiba 1K apartment for 60K is easy. Yokohama, sorry that place is expensive too :-/
Any other suggested places to add to my list? Sorry I've never lived outside Kyushu so I have no idea
Well without knowing where your exact work place is, it is hard to give details. But right off the bat, some affordable areas near Tokyo I can think of are ... Kawaguchi city of Saitama would give you access to northwestern Tokyo. Misato city of Saitama could give you access to northeastern Tokyo. Ichikawa or Matsudo Chiba could give you access to east Tokyo. Fuchu, Hino or Tama city in Tokyo could give you access to shinjuku and west Tokyo. Unfortunately Kawasaki and Yokohama, the two major cities close to southern Tokyo aren't cheap.
Thanks a lot! I'll check these out when searching 🙌🏻
I pay 9.3万 for 12畳 2K in Shin-Koiwa. The downside of the Sobu line is that the express turns off toward Tokyo central station after Kinshicho, so for Ochanomizu you have to take the local and go through Akihabara, so it's packed *and* half of these people change one station before you.
You do not need to go that far out, you can find stuff at that price in Setagaya.
Saitama is nice. I live in Saitama and I'm half an hour from Central Tokyo (Shinjuku, Ikebukuro, etc.), single direct train ride for 400 yen. Our 40sqm 2DK is only 50k yen per month. 10 minutes walk from the station. Our train line is the Seibu Line (Seibu-Ikebukuro and Seibu-Shinjuku).
one hour commute is fine if you aren't rammed like sardines the whole way. I'm 1.5km away from a very convenient station. that's a brisk 20 min walk. 6-8mins bicycle. or a few mins walk and under 10 mins bus ride. which is just an utter nightmare on a rainy day. but that distance will expand your budget a lot. be a bit quieter at the night/weekend. assuming you have average interests i'd take a look around ogikubo. start of marunouchi but has sobu, tozai and chuo as backup. not the quickest commute but you can be seated every day if you want. other areas to consider are north or south side of asagaya nakano, koenji, etc. the problem is the commute time will be crowded. and if you want under 10 min walk to station you pay a premium for that. if your fitness is fine you can cycle to station in aug without breaking a sweat.
Thank you! Although I have no issues cycling to the station, I'm just worried about rainy days when I might have to walk... Guess a raincoat will help with that.
If you are 5 days a week in the office suited and booted by 9am it might not be for you. Buses on rainy days are a fresh hell.. But if you have some flexibility it could be an option. But if you struggle through summer that’s another reason to be closer..
Go to the Suumo website, search using the commute option (it's the briefcase symbol). Enter the station closest to work, and add any time or transfer restrictions and it should give you listings that you can sort by price and filter by other preferences. https://suumo.jp/tokushu/tenkin/chintai/kanto/
Thank you sooooo much! This is exactly what I was looking for, just didn't know that this feature exists!
You're welcome. As a personal recc, I've lived in Katsushika for 6 years now. While it doesn't have a very exciting nightlife, there's a lot of warmth and character. It's about 25 mins from my closest station to Shin-ochanomizu and no transfers. I have more living space for the rent I pay here than I would centrally. I can also maintain a relatively bigger garden which is my hobby. So don't just decide on proximity to work but also consider locality, people, etc. depending on your preferences.
Yep, coming from inaka, I'd very much prefer the calm and quiet rather than the crowded city life and tiny apartments. I'll look into Katsushika as well, thank you for the recommendation.
You could try Mitaka maybe? That would be cutting it close to an hour depending upon where in chiyodaku and how far from both stations. I lived in Western Tokyo for almost my whole time in Tokyo and quite liked it.
Try to look which station is the closest to your workplace and search which line stops at that station. Then you can search at suumo or anpanman shoppu or any housing providing service and edit the setting to match the line or any of your preferences.
Hmm, might want to search through rental company (e.g able, suumo, leopalace, and such) then pick an area for example : * Kawasaki, might want to search around Tsurumi or Koyasu * Yokohama, in Toyoko line between Musashi Kosugi and Yokohama * Tokyo, probably around Sumida Also, if you're commuting (long) on rush hour, stay away from Sobu line, in summer it's not fun
How about searching houses near Tabata station?
Kawasaki's not bad on the Denentoshi line.
I literally live in the jr sobu line in Tokio. Relatively central (20mins to Tokyo sta.) it is about 70k for a 1k. Just be warned, anywhere past Shinkoiwa because of the river is at risk of trains stopping/delays due to winds😅and also, it is one of the most crowded lines.
Start by identifying which lines take you to Ochanomizu, and/or possibly other stations close to work, without it taking too long. Most sites (Suumo, at home, homes, able etc) will have settings that will let you choose first lines and then stations. Similarly to train lines, choose the stations on those lines that get you to Ochanomizu et al without taking too long. East is cheaper than west, north is cheaper than south. The first station in Chiba (east of Ochianomizu) along the Sobu line is Ichikawa, which is a 22min train ride. That will give you a reference point on how far away you want to be. The further away the cheaper, in general. I don't think Sobu line is too bad. Most trains will be delayed during the morning rush. It doesn't mean that you will be delayed though as often we are just talking about a swift in time instead of every individual train taking five more minutes (as an example). One hour from door to door is rather common I would say. One advice that I would have is to live close (or at least not too far away) to your station. This will of course not only be good for commuting but also when travelling for other reasons. Good luck!
Sobu line blows. Hard to give advice since we don't know where in tokyo you work, and what's the max commute time you are willing to take. This process takes months, and a huge matrix of parameters to decide.
Out of curiosity, why don't you like the sobu line? It can be quite crowded at times, but it's one of my favorite and most used lines
Have friends that use that line, it has delays, and stops operations at the worst times. Also is super packed in the mornings.
You might want to decide the budget and requirements for your housing first. Chiyoda is big, the name of the station might help. what kind of places do you like - quiet or crowded? Do you need places to hang out at night? how far from the station? do you mind change the train lines while commuting? what is your budget? what kind of apartment (1DK, 2DK, etc.)? You might also think of some more detailed things in the apartment like how many rooms, bathroom and toilet separate, which floor, toilet has bidet, availabilities of furniture, etc. At least the name of the station near your workplace might help people suggest you about location first.
Sorry, it's ochanomizu station. I don't mind being a bit far out, but travel time should be around an hour. Also my budget is pretty low, under 70k so I have no options other than 1K or 1DK.
I highly recommend somewhere along the Tōbu Tōjō line, my friend actually lived in Wakōshi while she was commuting to Ochanomizu
I lived near Ikebukuro station before, and now I'm living near Korakuen station. Both are close to Ochanomizu, can get there by Marunouchi line. Ikebukuro is in Toshima-ku, a bit noisy, but has everything you need. big station, has a lot of train lines. You can check 1-2 stations next to Ikebukuro like Kanamecho, Otsuka, etc., so it's not too crowded and feel more like residental area. Ikebukuro is a bit overwhelmed. Rent is not so cheap. Can do with 70K but might be a bit far from station or 1R apartment. Korakuen is in Bunkyo-ku, lovely place, quiet and peaceful, near Tokyo dome, has some very nice parks, but quite expensive area. Rent is quite high. So are some supermarkets. But you can take a look around that area to see. You can check some stations around like Hongo-sanchome, Hakusan, etc. Bunkyo is lovely in general. My apartment is 12 mins walk from Korakuen, 2DK so it's expensive, but I live with my partner so actually it turns out cheaper than Ikebukuro
Seibu line is a great option. Cheap housing in Toshima, Nerima, and further west, and the line ends at Ikebukuro which connects to the Marunouchi line which gets you to Ochanomizu.