Vacation rental in Tokyo - help with neighborhood needed!

Hi there,

I am planning a journey to Japan (Tokyo and Kyoto) in February of next year with my husband and (then) one year old daughter, and am interested in the one bedroom apartments listed on http://www.liveinasia.com/ in Nakano or Nishi-Ogikubo. I have found a few vague references to the Nakano apartment here, but am wondering whether any experienced travellers would be able to give me a clearer idea of these two neighborhoods in Tokyo. As we will be traveling with an infant, obviously the nightlife isn't so important to us - but being able to get back to our temporary place of residence easily enough so that our daughter will be able to rest during the day is. We love the idea of being in close proximity to traditional (i.e. not touristy, not catering to the Western palate) Japanese eating houses, and the JR line as we will most likely travel to Kyoto via the Shinkansen. My initial preference lies with the Nishi-Ogikubo apartment, but with no real frame of reference I am still unsure. Any help with this would be much appreciated! Or if anyone knows of any other short-term apartment rentals at a similar price point (I think we were hoping to stay under JPY20000 per night, if that is at all possible in Tokyo!), I would also welcome these suggestions. Thanks so much!

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mrwunrfl on May 11, 09 at 03:44 AM

Nishi Ogikubo (nishiogikubo on hyperdia.com) is 13 minutes from Shinjuku station and 27 minutes from Tokyo station.
Alec on May 11, 09 at 05:34 AM

Both Nakano and Nishiogikubo are on JR Chuo commuter line, so handy for transport. As for the neighbourhoods are concerned, they are quite popular residential area with commuters, with a good range of amenities, but of no spercial interest to tourists. Ideal if you just want to blend with locals - without particularly interesting or exiting things to do or see. Beware of overcrowded trains during weekday rush hours - 7.30 to 9.30 am into central Tokyo, and 4.30 to 6.30 pm in the opposite direction. I'd not be happy travelling with a one-year old then, with a stroller etc. For that reason, I'd look for somewhere more central.
In that price bracket, there is a huge range of apartment rentals available right in Central Tokyo within JR Yamanote loop line, where you want to be. Look at Oakwood Mansions in Azabu (near Roppongi), and Weekly Mansions - just a studio appartment with kichenette, but costs only around 12,000 yen a day for a triple.
Therese on May 29, 09 at 04:31 PM

Some firsthand experience to share here, little_berlin (assuming you check back at some point).

I stayed in one of the 1 bedroom units at Nakano from this agency in January of 2009, and generally liked it. Note that a 1BR in Tokyo is really more like a studio, in that the BR is the living room during the day. The kitchen, on the other hand, is entirely separate. These units also have their own washing machines (mine was on the balcony, a pretty common arrangement).

The apartment is a few minutes walk from the train/subway station (very, very convenient), and to get there you walk first through the quiet residential area and then through a very typical shopping/entertainment district. Lots and lots of small restaurants catering to locals, and there's a good grocery store nearby. Although trains were busy at rush hours I didn't find it particularly daunting and I'm even claustrophobic---the fact that at 5'6" I'm taller than most people on the trains meant that I didn't have as much trouble as I might have otherwise. If you take the subway line to another point on the Yamanote (instead of the Chuo to Shinjuku) it's even less of an issue.

Note that winter is pretty chilly and damp in Tokyo, and my apartment did not have central heat, instead relying on a space heater to heat the living area/BR (and hot water, of which there was plenty as it's an in-line heater, to heat the bathroom). You'd all three be sleeping in the single room, and it's not huge.

The advantages would be the more complete and larger kitchen (as opposed to the kitchenette in a weekly mansion) and the in-property washing machine (very handy with a toddler).

I will say that I very definitely got the feeling that I was "living Japanese", right down to compulsively sorting my trash and recyclables. The agency does a very good job of making sure that you're met at Nakano station, and of orienting you to the neighborhood, etc. Everything went very smoothly from start to finish.
Alec on May 31, 09 at 03:24 AM

I would still trade in a washing machine and a full kitchen with central location, with a choice of short subway rides or taxis to get to and from major sights and shopping/entertainment districts.
Remember, you are on holiday in Japan and you just don't want to spend any time mixing with daily commuters and staying in pleasant, but completely uninteresting suburbia. Probably the agency knows how confusing it is for guests to find the apartment block, hence the need to escort them from the train station. In Central Tokyo, just show the address to the taxi driver, they will put it into their sat nav and you are brought almost to the front door.

little_berlin on Jul 5, 09 at 08:02 AM

Thanks so much for all your suggestions! After doing some more research, I've decided that we will try for the Oakwood in Shinjuku or Roppongi instead. Unfortunately, I will have to wait until a month prior to contact Oakwood to see if they have any one bedroom places available for six nights, as their minimum stay is one month. Fingers crossed!

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Vacation rental in Tokyo - help with neighborhood needed!

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