Working in Maranouchi - where to live?

Hello, I just received an job offer for Tokyo (so happy!),

I'll be based in Maranouchi, right next to Tokyo station. I'm looking for recommendations on where to live. I am currently in London, however I have been to Tokyo five times before. My favorite areas at the moment are Omotesando, Ebisu, Daikanyama and Kichijoji.

In terms of what I am looking for, I spend most of my time in London trying to avoid packed trains; leaving home super early, or cycling / motorbiking in to the office. I also really like to live in an area with a good vibe, and small independent cafe / restaurant etc. and maybe a nearby park.

So I think for Tokyo I would either like to get advice on:

1. Any recommendations on areas with cycling distance of Maranouchi / Tokyo (up to 20-30 mins)
2. If I decide to motorbike in, distance is probably not a big issue - so any wider recommendations? Oh and does anyone know the situation with motorbike parking around central Tokyo - is it easy to find, is it cheaper than the car parking (which I recall is very expensive).
3. If I do end up having to commute by train or subway any view on the least busy lines into Tokyo station - I assume Yamanote is the craziest?

Thanks in advance for your help, really appreciate any advice. I realise I can get some good research from books / websites etc. but also wanted to get some human opinions here.

I work in management consulting - if anyone wants to connect, would be good to meet people.

Alex

You have omitted a key bit of information that would help anyone provide you with the correct information: your budget. How much are you willing to spend on accommodation? Will your employer help?

Isn't it Mar"u"nouchi, not Mar"a"nouchi?

An other point to consider is, does your employer allow you to cycle to work. Many Japanese companies prohibit it based on insurance. (Essentially the insurance they need to take out for accidents on your way to work, doesn�ft cover bicycle). Not sure what�fs the situation with motorcycle. Also realistically this prohibition doesn�ft stop Japanese to cycle from home to the next train station. But it does stop them to actually cycle to work. And in summer without a shower at work cycling is also much out of the question.

I would have loved to be able to cycle to work, but it was out of the question.

Regarding full trains I would say that the ones coming from outside Tokyo to the city are the fullest. I was living by Shimokitazawa (an other neighborhood that ticks your boxes) but the bit from Higashikitazawa to Yoyogiuehara (just 1 stop) that I needs to do every morning depending on time could get extremely crowded. (Ie hard, but not impossible, to enter). Not sure how this compares to full trains in London. I suspect that what you consider packed there, in Japan would be consider maybe 150% occupation. Which is still kind of okay. Japanese filling percentage bets up to 250% which means you can no longer move not even your hands. https://tokyo-calendar.jp/article/7006

There are the following main tricks to avoid full trains:
- go to work very early or quite late. Normal work starts at 9:00 so avoid that if possible.
- go in the opposite direction of everyone else
- get your time win at a station where it starts and wait in line ( maybe you�fll need the let pass 1 or 2) to get a seat.

Enjoy your life in Japan!

Here Information from the ministry for transport on full train line:
http://www.mlit.go.jp/common/001099727.pdf

The second column is the name of the line, the third the stations where the filling percentage has been measured. Then comes the time in which observed and the last column is the filling percentage.
For each line they only give the worst percentage for the worst part. But this obviously doesn�ft mean that the parts before/after are dramatically better.

Eg the Odakyu line I was taking , I took one station after Shimokitazawa (where the worst part ends), but as said before it was pretty packed. Although in the overall ranking this was only the third worst line. But I was lucky that I needed only one station. From there Chiyoda line and Ginza line were much less packed and depending on days, willingness to wait for the next train and luck, I could even sit.


This heat map may also help: https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=�¬ŽG—¦+“Œ‹ž&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=inmv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjgidSdrv_ZAhVM26QKHbONDSEQ_AUIESgB&biw=667&bih=325&dpr=2#imgrc=XzjqhhDNpx0DbM:

And this graphic presentation of filling percentage conveys the idea well : https://www.google.co.uk/search?q=�¬ŽG—¦+“Œ‹ž&client=safari&hl=en-gb&prmd=inmv&source=lnms&tbm=isch&sa=X&ved=0ahUKEwjgidSdrv_ZAhVM26QKHbONDSEQ_AUIESgB&biw=667&bih=325&dpr=2#imgrc=iJjrhG39bnNhkM:

Sorry typo: time win = train

John B digs Japan - I realised that I forgot budget just as I was about to go to sleep last night :) - I'm flexible, but would limit it at 300,000 yen per month and ideally 2 bedroom, but 1 bed could be fine if spacious enough for guest bed.

LikeBike - Thank you so much for all the really useful advice. You are restoring my faith in the internet! I will check on the shower situation and if cycling is allowed or not, If I go down this route I might get one of the cheaper chain gym memberships near the office and use their showers :) The links for the trains really help. I would say my local train get's up to 150% or a little over. You can't move at all, but people don't pack in quite as tight, sometimes I have to wait 3 trains. Also the London tube is generally smaller than Tokyo metro / trains, so I am expecting it will be similarly annoying. One of the most annoying things here is people don't cue, so when it is crowded it's just an unordered mass on the platform fighting to get on the train!

Shimokitizawa does look appealing. I did stay at Yoyogi Uehara for a couple of months, but never went even though looks really close! I also found that Ginza line was not too busy at rush hour vs. JR (same for some other metro lines) - I will continue to research, but I am already thinking it might make more sense to try and get a metro only commute.

And to the guy / girl who took the time to correct my misspelling of Marunouchi - thanks, you really helped me out big time.

cue = queue

I would look for places toward Ningyocho if I were you: The so-called "shitamachi" area with the old-town feel.

Some single workers prefer to live in Kachidoki area, but the "waterfront" is a bit more stale to live in compared to the warmer atmosphere of northeastern Tokyo. I was going to suggest Kichijoji (I've lived there when I was a young Japanese worker), but you might not be the Chuo Line commuter type.

I'm sure you're aware that riding your bike to work in the rain is not the best thing you'd want to do, so I guess you'd want to find something within "walkable" distance. For some places, you can enjoy a cozy bus ride on your way back from work.

For further places, you may want to consider commuting on the Tokaido Line but using its Green Cars which are never packed (they don't let you stand in there). Companies typically don't offer Green Car fees, but it's not much if you're coming from commuting distance. Judging from your preferences, maybe you can live in Higashi-gotanda or Tamachi and walk/bike to Shinagawa Station.

Happy thinking!

Hi Uco, Thank you for your advice. I'm not familiar with Shitamachi, I will definitely go and have a look around there. The location is really convenient, but I wonder what the vibe is like!

I had considered the waterfront, but I think you are right, it might be a bit too stale.

I will check your other recommendations too, I hadn't considered the possibility of using a green car train!

Hi again,

You might recognize this while doing your research, but I forgot to point out another trick that locals, typically living with family or dogs, commonly use.

You can live in the suburbs and get on a train at a terminal station just so that you can find a place to sit. People would often even travel back a station or two, or queue for some extra minutes, just so that they will be the first ones to get on the train. On your way back from Tokyo Station, you can adjust your departure time so that it won't hit rush hour. This is another reason that workers go for a drink on their way home.

The trick will not work when you encounter those you need to surrender your seat to, but you do see fewer physically challenged, elderly or pregnant people during rush hour.

Just sharing some local tips.

People would often even travel back a station or two, or queue for some extra minutes, just so that they will be the first ones to get on the train.
Please note that this is illegal.
Just to avoid misunderstanding.

More precisely, if you don't exit the ticket gates at the "intermediary" station to pay the fare for the first "leg", it is fare escape (since the correct fare to pay for such a trip is the sum of the fares for both legs).

E.g., if you board at Hachioji, go to Takao, and then backtrack to Tokyo, you must pay Hachioji-Takao + Takao-Tokyo.

Thank you both for your comments. What I meant was that you actually pay the portion you ride.

Let's suppose there is a train that departs from Station A, then stops at B, C, and than Tokyo Station, and then E, F and so on.
And let's suppose that the closest station to your home is Station B.
In this case, it is common to buy your commuter pass between B and Tokyo Stn.
But instead, you can buy a pass between A and Tokyo Stn, and ride your train from B to A and then to Tokyo Stn on the same trip.
Some companies don't allow you to buy a pass that doesn't leave from your closest station, while others do, but either way, you can pay the balance on your own expense.
Meanwhile, if the pass from A and the pass from B is the same price, than companies tend to allow you to buy a pass from A.
You can also exit the gate at A and reenter, which is what I often do, although I don't do it on morning rush hours. This is because I would need to bother the gate staff if I want to use my IC card, and I wouldn't want to do it when commuters are busy.

By the way, I'm sure no one disagrees that queuing for some extra minutes isn't a problem at all in terms of being legal or moral. Many major stations even have lines drawn on the platform to clarify which train you want to queue for.

Hope this clarifies my intention.

Thank you Uco for the additional tip.

It's quite rare, but I have done this before in London when there was a big queue to go one direction and no queue to go the other direction :) - of course, it's definitely not common here.

It could be a good idea depending on the station / route (of course the legal method).

It's a bit like walking a bit further to a less busy station rather than walking to your nearest station in the morning.