Japanese living in London, which area?

Hello everyone!

I'm looking to move to London, and my Japanese girlfriend is planning to move in with me in the near future.

I wondering which London borough has the most Japanese residents?

I'm looking for an area with Japanese stores, restaurants, etc.

From what I looked up, Barnet, north London, Ealing, and North-West London is popular areas. But I'm wondering if anyone live in these places and have first hand experience about the area?

Any recommendations? Thanks!

I don't live in London i live in birmingham but i herd north London has Japanese comunitys.But im not sure how big.

did she say that she wants to be with Japanese people in London? The idea that many people have when leaving their own country is to have a ''change''...

I live in North London (between Finchley and Barnet actually) and yes this area is filled with Japanese people and families and there's even a Japanese supermarket/fish market and some original Japanese restaurants (owned by Jp people).

This area is actually pretty safe and quiet so that's why Japanese people tend to live around here... it's very nice!However you should ask your girlfriend if she really wants to live surrounded by Japanese people or she wants the full new culture experience.

Hope this helped a bit :)

Hi,

Just wanted to correct the last post.
Finchley is not "filled" with Japanese people!

Yes there are Japanese people living in this area but it is not "Swamped".It is an affluent area so most of the Japanese people living in this area have well paid jobs or are at college/Uni.There is even a "Youchien", which is a nursery school for the children of the business men.It's not like Brixton that has a large Afro-Caribbean population or Green lanes/Manor Hse that has a large Turkish/Kurdish community.

As the last post wrote there are a couple of Japanese shops/ restaurants but also many other nationalities living in Finchley are able to shop and/or eat "their type of food".

Throughout history minorities have congregated in areas for friendship and security but I believe the last post could be mistaken for giving the impression that Finchley was like "Little Tokyo". There are not hundreds of Japanese business men and OLs trying to get on the tube at rush hour at Finchley Central!

We are very lucky in that we have Hampstead Heath, Golders Hill Park to the south and many Japanese people love being able to go to the "Greens" in the city of London.

@Yahatacookie 1

I'm sorry if i have made the wrong impression... when i said "filled" i never meant "swamped" i just wanted to say that i see more of them around here.

And yes there are many other restaurants/chill out places from many other nationalities but the OP was interested regarding anything Japanese so i just stated that (i was not advertising nor had any intention of making it sound wrong) and of course i cant speak of any other area since i don't/haven't lived there.

The choice is up to the OP :)

Hi, I have moved all over London for the past 10 years, so feel pretty qualified to answer this question.

First of all, there are no areas of London with large communities of Japanese people living there. Most Japanese are here temporarily to work or study, so they tend to just live where it's convenient for travel to school or workplace, or where they think it's quiet and safe.

Next, the only area with a high concentration of Japanese restaurants, bars and shops is Central London, around the Chinatown district. Therefore if visiting these regularly is important to you, live something that is easy to commute to Central.

I have lived near Finchley & Barnet before, and honestly this area is quite far out in the suburbs of London. It's very quiet, peaceful with families and parks, but not much to do if you're young. If you want a more exiting life I recommend East London, either Bethnal Green or Hackney, which have good access to nightlife, markets and the West End.

Personally I don't think you should let your wife's nationality influence where you live, as this is a multicultural city, and where ever you end up you'll have numerous chances to make both Japanese and English friends.

Another large Japanese community can be found between Ealing Common and West Acton tube stations with a Japanese school, Japanese supermarkets, restaurants, juku, a Japanese fishmonger (Ataria), Japanese real-estate agents, etc.

I moved to the Ealong Common area when I moved to London with my Japanese wife to make it a bit easier for her. Feel free to ask further questions.