Apartment next to a highway a bad idea?

Hi all,

this winter I will be working in Tokyo for four months and my company will therefore pay an apartment up to 220.000 JPY. However I'm struggling with choosing the right apartment, since most of them are either too expensive or look worn down. A couple of suitable ones (based on location, furniture and price) are almost all located next to a highway or a train track.

Hence my question: Would it be a bad idea to rent such an apartment regarding issues like traffic noise? I don't know how much traffic is be to expected in the evening and during the night and how much would it disturb you. The speed limit is certainly higher than 40 on the highway? I heard that japanese apartment have bad insulation and no double glazing windows like in many other places. Would it be enough to rent an apartment on the far side on the building or on a higher floor to escape the traffic noise or am I overthinking this topic?

To clarify, this would be the apartment I prefer as of now: https://www.google.com/maps/place/3-ch%C5%8Dme-2-14+Shiba,+Minato+City...
https://www.space-d.co.jp/en/shibakoen

Thanks for any advice

Most people get used to the noise after a while. Some of them even complain when they move out to a quieter neighborhood later that they cannot sleep because it�fs too quiet.

Things to think about:
*how much time will you actually spend there?
*trains don't run overnight, so you shouldn't get too much train noise between say midnight and 6am
*I don't know why, but I never seem to notice traffic noise in Tokyo, even at ground level, and I am not used to a lot of traffic noise.
*if you're going fairly soon think about the heating-it gets pretty cold in Tokyo over winter, particularly if you're not used to cold weather.
*it's four months-you'll hardly get your feet under the table before it's time to leave.
*is it likely to be cosy in the upcoming cold weather (assuming you're heading there soon)
*that's a great position.

Individual apartments might have double glazing, or insulation. You'd have to have a look. I'd want one with a view of Tokyo Tower if I was renting in that spot.

Have a wonderful time in Japan!

Train tracks can (!) be better if those train tracks aren�ft used for fright trains at night, because as PP said nearly all normal trains stop for the night. However with a train track I would make sure to be far from a railway crossing as it has a very specific sound.

The apartment you linked seems to be quite top class. I hav been staying in other furnished apartments in that area and one last winter was just terrible. But you couldn�ft have told from the pictures. The problem was hearing and insulation. The house was actually brand new. So that was a big bummer.

If you get this one if you can get one that doesn�ft face the highway that would be ideal. In Osaka i have been staying in an apartment facing away from the highway and it was totally quiet. ANd then at the next trip in a hotel facing the same highway laterally and it was noisy, so that i has to sleep with closed windows (which then was ok).

But I agree with PPs the main problem in Japan is heating and insulation. When we lived in Tokyo we had a very nice, large house. But in winter I would wake up in the morning with 8C in the bed room!

Enjoy your time in Tokyo!

Wow, that's expensive for the size, even in that neighborhood. (I have friends who live around the corner from there, in an apartment that's maybe three or four times the size for around the same price.)

If you've only been using one source for apartment hunting, you might want to widen your search sources, and perhaps the neighborhoods you're looking at. I think Y220,000 can get you something quite a bit better than 20 square meters, even short-term furnished.

BTW my friends faced that same stretch of highway and traffic noise was never a problem.

Small and expensive. Basically you'll be living in a modest sized "hotel" room but as an apartment for four months. Personally I wouldn't like to live in a space that small, but I don't need lots of space either. There is a trade-off between proximity and price - further out is usually lower cost and more space.
Traffic noise is not likely to be a big issue, and while trains do run through the night, they are more freight rather than commuter trains. I've stayed in places next to major roads and train lines, and lived next to an airport for several years as well, it wasn't a big issue for me. Maybe depends on how soundly you sleep.

Typically, a local with a 220,000 JPY budget would more likely try to live outside the Yamanote train Line in a non-furnished apartment, where people "live" instead of "work".

That way, the person would be able to find spacey rooms in lower buildings, in quieter neighborhoods, with real neighbors and cheaper groceries of better quality, as well as a few cozy restaurants. There will also be more parks and schools for families. Commuting will not be difficult as long as the home is walking distance to a train station that gets you to the station near your office without transit. It would even be great if it were in the suburbs near a terminal station which will allow you sitting space in trains.

Meanwhile, the apartments you're looking at are designed for single people who want to live as close to their offices as possible, because they're not really interested in real life. They would go home to their apartments just to sleep, so the risk of having your laundry polluted wouldn't be a problem. Unless you live near a place where a lot of trucks stop (such as an Expressway Parking Area or traffic signal of an industrial road) or a train garage (I used to live between both and it was certainly an issue), noise would be plain, so eventually it would start to sound like a lullaby. Busy train stations can be noisy because of the frequent bells and announcements if you live in view-able distance, though.

Azabujuban (toward west in your link) is a cozy neighborhood, so the area itself is not a bad idea.

Thank yor all for your valuable advice regarding the area. I think I am going to request for an apartment on the far side of the building, which should limit the traffic noise.

I agree with your statements that such a price seems very high for approx. 20 square meters. But after comparing 4 or 5 major companys of furnished business apartments this price range seems to be normal for Tokyo.

I would have definitely considered a cheaper and/or more spacious apartment (not of of the typical business partments) on the outskirts of Tokyo if I would stay longer, but for such a short time (4 months) I depend on an apartment that is fully furnished and has all the utilities covered (especially if you have to use the A/C during the winter for heating purposes).

I am now looking forward to my stay in Tokyo.