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Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/29 00:50
So everything is set in motion to sell my business here in the states over the course of the next 90 days so I can move to Japan to open a business. I'm already aware of everything that's required for my business manager visa, but now I have to figure out where to look for housing.

My wife and I will fly out to Japan sometime in September to do some looking around to figure out where we'd like to live, but I'm hoping for suggestions for areas within an hour of Tokyo that have fair rent prices and decent sized houses (no apartments/flats).

We'd be hoping to find a 3-4 bedroom and hopefully a garage or private parking spot.

I already know of someone living in Yokohama so that's an option, but hoping you guys/gals can give me some more suggestions.

Thanks
by Dominic (guest)  

Re: Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/29 10:20
Does your business have to be in Tokyo? Sendai is great.
by Firas rate this post as useful

Re: Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/29 11:31
It doesn't HAVE to, actually my business wouldn't be in Tokyo anyways because I'd be looking for some sort of warehouse/shop space to lease for it. It would just be nice to be near a major metropolitan area to give my wife/kids lots of options for things to do/see. My wife's biggest complaint now is how far we are from anything fun to do with the children.

And really its going to come down to proximity to the automotive culture in Japan. I'll be exporting used parts, so availability of used/wrecked/broken down vehicles will be the most important factor.
by Dominic (guest) rate this post as useful

Re: Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/29 16:36
You're looking for a place that Ken Corporation would be good at.

People with children tend to seek educational facilities first and try to live close to that facility. Do your kids plan to attend international school(s)/nurseries? And if not, do you wish to live near expats or not? Especially it's up to your wife, because she would probably be socializing near your home than you. You also might want to make sure your house comes with an oven if you need one, because most homes in Japan don't.

Apart from that, suburban homes can be found in the western part of Tokyo Prefecture (the nearest probably being Kichijoji), Matsudo area in Chiba, and Urawa/Omiya area in Saitama, but also Kita-ku area in Tokyo is nicer than you'd expect. You'd also want to choose train lines, because each line shares a different atmosphere with different types of people. The popular areas within Tokyo are Inokashira Line and Toyoko Line.

Also keep in mind that, if money isn't an issue, you can find quiet places with a decent amount of nature even within the 23 Ku of Tokyo. Commercial areas and residential areas are very different from each other. Places like Inokashira Park and the river of Tama-gawa are also nice places to enjoy urban nature.
by Uco rate this post as useful

Re: Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/29 23:30
Different people have a different idea of what is a fair house size and what is a fair rent. If you're coming from say NYC/Tri-State Area or San Francisco, your idea of fair is very different than if you're coming from Las Vegas.

Meidamae was the area my decently well off ex-pat friend lived. They had a lovely house and it was readily accessible from Shibuya or Shinjuku. She had 3 children, so I am sure she picked somewhere that worked in that regard.

Since you're doing something involving cars, have you thought about Nagoya? Rents are lower there and there are several international schools. Chubu Central Airport is about 30 minutes away and has International Flights. Your money will definitely go further in Nagoya than in the Tokyo area. Nagoya is the 3rd biggest city in Japan. It has museums, shopping, a reconstructed Castle, Nagashima Spa land.
by rkold rate this post as useful

Re: Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/29 23:53
I somewhat agree with previous posters. I think before seeking a place to stay, you need to answer (to yourself) the following questions:
- will your kids go to Japanese or international school. If international, your choices of places where to live will be limited.
- where is the best place to open your business. Ultimately if your business is not going to be at least a moderate success, you are not going to be able / happy to live in Japan.
Once you have sorted these two questions people might be able on this forum to give you advise where to look for a flat. I would in any case look for a temporary accommodation first, simply because other people might like a certain location does not need to mean that you and your family will like it.
Also for giving suggestions it would be good to have an idea how much rent you are prepared to pay, as this will greatly influence the areas of the city (ies) that can be recommended.
Let us know and I guess people on this forum will come forward with suggestions. If useful for you, you will need to judge.

Enjoy your new life in Japan!
by LikeBike rate this post as useful

Re: Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/30 01:22
If you want to stay in Japan long-term, your kids will need to learn Japanese too, no better place than Japanese public school, though do check with the local board of education what kind of support they offer.
by Firas rate this post as useful

Re: Best areas outside of Tokyo to live? 2017/7/30 04:50
Thanks for the input so far folks. My girls are almost 2 and almost 3, so their english skills arent super developed yet so I think some kind of transition period for language and they will be fine with a regular Japanese school.

We're also not super social, so living in an international community isn't really a priority for us, were neither for it nor against it.

Like I had mentioned before, proximity to an area with lots of stuff for my little girls and my wife to enjoy will be the one of our main priorities after making sure we're in a place where I can rent a commercial space for my business.

We're hoping to make the trek over in septemeber for a week just to check out all of the places that have been mentioned and to also sit down with a lawyer to start things in motion for setting up the business and visas.

Thanks
by Dominic (guest) rate this post as useful

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