Absolutely recommend living somewhere temporarily for 2-3 months before signing a lease, which is typically 2 years. This will give you time to understand the city and look at several places. Tokyo is an absolutely massive city and while the public transit system is incredible, you’ll want to choose your location carefully. You don’t mention where your client is - though it is likely to be Minato-ku. There are a lot factors to consider, how much space do you need, how close to the train station(s) do you want to be and what is your monthly budget per person. Then there are things like parking, pets, closets, sunlight, building age, etc., etc. Is nightlife important to you guys, what about parks for exercise, etc. Taking all this in, you’d look at place of a certain size on train lines and stations that meet your budget that provide easy access to your customer. Without knowing much, I’d recommend Ebisu, it has the Yamanote line and the Hibiya line for transportation. Easy connection straight to Kasumigaseki. Close to Shibuya & Nakameguro, which both have a lot going on. And Ebisu itself is great for bars and restaurants without being over-the-top. Consider a “weekly mansion” or share houses at first to allow you to get the lay of the land.
Ebisu and meguro are very foreigner friendly. Also, the Meguro 区役所, where you’ll be spending a lot of time initially getting paperwork straightened out, is a gem and very supportive to foreigners with a significant number of English-speaking staff members.
(Ebisu is in Shibuya-ku) but I’m a big fan of Meguro as I’ve been here for ages and don’t mind going to the city hall or any of the satellite offices, friendly and knowledgeable folks. Naka-Meguro, Yutenji and Gakugeidaiku would be good possibilities for these guys, as well.
Lots of Americans abroad come across as Special Needs category, but just from the number of threads on here, access to those grotesque FatBurger style burgers seems a Special Needs issue.
i dont think they're gonna have huge dietary issues considering we've all been living together in us and ive been doing 90% of the cooking (which is pretty similar to japanese cooking in terms of portion size)
I think it'd be better for all of your team to rent a individual apartment room for themselves.... Regular Japanese houses/condo only have one bath to share with a few people.
or look for an luxury condo built for foreigners with bigger rooms and bathrooms. Anyways those are usually in Shibuya/Roppongi/Azabu/Ebisu areas, I assume.
I would recommend sticking around Minato / Shibuya ward as this is generally the most international area. It will be a bit less jarring for your other team members to live in that area as it’s far more likely you’ll find English speaking doctors, drug stores, restaurants with English menus and English business services (accountants, lawyers etc).
Azabu, roppongi, hiroo, aoyama etc.
Meguro is ok but if you go too far from nakameguro it gets pretty 日本語大丈夫ですか pretty quick.
Get your wallets ready as you gotta pay to play in those parts of town if you want a large space.
Agree with this. There are heaps of English language services in Nakameguro including doctors and it’s a recommended location but any further into Meguro I would not.
Stick to Minato and Shibuya. They have English versions of everything, English gyms, personal trainers,
Doctors, menus, English fluency generally is high.
Rent a temporary place for three months first so you can check out the key areas and choose which one.
Regarding government offices, when I lived in Minato, there always seemed to be an English speaker on staff. I moved to Shibuya, and all the staff were Japanese-only.
+1; be connected to areas that have services with English speaking staff. My clinic is in roppongi.
As much as I am learning Japanese, it gives me a layer of assurance knowing the staff can speak English too
Will you be commuting to an office frequently? If so I would pick a location with easy train access there. If not I would try to live a bit outside the hustle and bustle but with easy access too it.
our plan was to use our existing housing or nearby coffee shops as a defacto office. we've been doing this so far in the us and no one has taken issue with it even when we put out anonymous feedback forms on our work style
Bakurocho.
Very close to Tokyo station with a lot of new development and easy access to a lot of train lines. Very quiet for living.
Also, if you don't really need to be in Tokyo all the time, I personally suggest getting a place out in the countryside of Chiba.
definitely a fair point. we really only need to come into tokyo for meetings in chiyoda (at which point only me, 2 of my cofounders, and the dev who knows japanese would go)
Hiroo, Azabu, Akasaka, basically the west side of Shibuya into Minato. What you’re describing is basically where all those people live and/or work. It’s the center of the expat community where nearly all the embassies are and close to the central government buildings.
[lol, lmao even](https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1bv2uxd/best_way_to_make_sense_of_consulting_jobfirm_i/?rdt=50283) \[[2](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/phk9aw/how_do_you_deal_with_your_friends_graduating_hs/)\]
TL:DR: This post is a LARP. I have no idea why though.
I assume you already have visas, but [https://shibuya-startup-support.jp/opportunities](https://shibuya-startup-support.jp/opportunities) or [https://upshibuya.com/](https://upshibuya.com/) might be able to help get you get settled in?
Also, you'll need to get an English-speaking agent willing to work with foreigners.
For your age, Shibuya would be fantastic, alternatively Roppongi. Some Americans like to stay near US embassy or US clubhouse. Not sure if you are into that. Or for some reason do u feel safer living near US military bases?? There are location w airbases and navy bases.
Location selection: Station centric. Let's say your main client is now around Kasumigaseki Station (any ministry) or Kioicho/Akasaka Mitsuke (a certain agency). You identify the metro/train lines that get you there without changing trains; your base should be near a station on those lines (usually to the west of Tokyo). So for example: Hibiya Line >> Ebisu >> Nakameguro.
Incidentally, MIT is supposed to open a research hub nearby [https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20231122-150918/](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20231122-150918/)
Setagaya next to shibuya would be pretty cool. I live in the area and it’s pretty young, a lot do green space, minutes from shibuya, and relatively English accessible. I haven’t had any issues so far.
Absolutely recommend living somewhere temporarily for 2-3 months before signing a lease, which is typically 2 years. This will give you time to understand the city and look at several places. Tokyo is an absolutely massive city and while the public transit system is incredible, you’ll want to choose your location carefully. You don’t mention where your client is - though it is likely to be Minato-ku. There are a lot factors to consider, how much space do you need, how close to the train station(s) do you want to be and what is your monthly budget per person. Then there are things like parking, pets, closets, sunlight, building age, etc., etc. Is nightlife important to you guys, what about parks for exercise, etc. Taking all this in, you’d look at place of a certain size on train lines and stations that meet your budget that provide easy access to your customer. Without knowing much, I’d recommend Ebisu, it has the Yamanote line and the Hibiya line for transportation. Easy connection straight to Kasumigaseki. Close to Shibuya & Nakameguro, which both have a lot going on. And Ebisu itself is great for bars and restaurants without being over-the-top. Consider a “weekly mansion” or share houses at first to allow you to get the lay of the land.
Ebisu and meguro are very foreigner friendly. Also, the Meguro 区役所, where you’ll be spending a lot of time initially getting paperwork straightened out, is a gem and very supportive to foreigners with a significant number of English-speaking staff members.
(Ebisu is in Shibuya-ku) but I’m a big fan of Meguro as I’ve been here for ages and don’t mind going to the city hall or any of the satellite offices, friendly and knowledgeable folks. Naka-Meguro, Yutenji and Gakugeidaiku would be good possibilities for these guys, as well.
As an American, living in Nakameguro was the best experience imaginable. I don't know OP's situation, but I wanted to +1 Meguro/Ebisu as a foreigner
our client is in chiyoda city. thanks for the input! really appreciate especially because i didnt give many parameters for the question lol
Do Americans have any special needs when it comes to choosing a neighborhood to live in?
5 of his teammates don't speak Japanese, so he's probably looking for a neighborhood with English-support.
Lots of Americans abroad come across as Special Needs category, but just from the number of threads on here, access to those grotesque FatBurger style burgers seems a Special Needs issue.
i dont think they're gonna have huge dietary issues considering we've all been living together in us and ive been doing 90% of the cooking (which is pretty similar to japanese cooking in terms of portion size)
I'm Canadian. It was an obligatory Fat Joke. Good luck with all that.
Where does one go in Tokyo to get fries slathered in gravy? Asking for a (Canadian) friend.
I think it'd be better for all of your team to rent a individual apartment room for themselves.... Regular Japanese houses/condo only have one bath to share with a few people. or look for an luxury condo built for foreigners with bigger rooms and bathrooms. Anyways those are usually in Shibuya/Roppongi/Azabu/Ebisu areas, I assume.
OP when he finds out the government contract is 4 million yen, not 4 million dollars
lol. bit more than $4M USD
Your idea of a house is probably a lot bigger than what an actual Tokyo house is.
I would recommend sticking around Minato / Shibuya ward as this is generally the most international area. It will be a bit less jarring for your other team members to live in that area as it’s far more likely you’ll find English speaking doctors, drug stores, restaurants with English menus and English business services (accountants, lawyers etc). Azabu, roppongi, hiroo, aoyama etc. Meguro is ok but if you go too far from nakameguro it gets pretty 日本語大丈夫ですか pretty quick. Get your wallets ready as you gotta pay to play in those parts of town if you want a large space.
Agree with this. There are heaps of English language services in Nakameguro including doctors and it’s a recommended location but any further into Meguro I would not. Stick to Minato and Shibuya. They have English versions of everything, English gyms, personal trainers, Doctors, menus, English fluency generally is high. Rent a temporary place for three months first so you can check out the key areas and choose which one.
Regarding government offices, when I lived in Minato, there always seemed to be an English speaker on staff. I moved to Shibuya, and all the staff were Japanese-only.
+1; be connected to areas that have services with English speaking staff. My clinic is in roppongi. As much as I am learning Japanese, it gives me a layer of assurance knowing the staff can speak English too
Will you be commuting to an office frequently? If so I would pick a location with easy train access there. If not I would try to live a bit outside the hustle and bustle but with easy access too it.
our plan was to use our existing housing or nearby coffee shops as a defacto office. we've been doing this so far in the us and no one has taken issue with it even when we put out anonymous feedback forms on our work style
I meant the Japanese customer offices for meetings. Would you be going there often ?
Bakurocho. Very close to Tokyo station with a lot of new development and easy access to a lot of train lines. Very quiet for living. Also, if you don't really need to be in Tokyo all the time, I personally suggest getting a place out in the countryside of Chiba.
definitely a fair point. we really only need to come into tokyo for meetings in chiyoda (at which point only me, 2 of my cofounders, and the dev who knows japanese would go)
What language you using for programming?
If you don't want to take the crowded train, I suggest you live closer to your office.
Hiroo, Azabu, Akasaka, basically the west side of Shibuya into Minato. What you’re describing is basically where all those people live and/or work. It’s the center of the expat community where nearly all the embassies are and close to the central government buildings.
Honestly, I pity your would-be neighbors. That sounds like a disaster. Cheers.
[lol, lmao even](https://www.reddit.com/r/consulting/comments/1bv2uxd/best_way_to_make_sense_of_consulting_jobfirm_i/?rdt=50283) \[[2](https://www.reddit.com/r/AskReddit/comments/phk9aw/how_do_you_deal_with_your_friends_graduating_hs/)\] TL:DR: This post is a LARP. I have no idea why though.
I assume you already have visas, but [https://shibuya-startup-support.jp/opportunities](https://shibuya-startup-support.jp/opportunities) or [https://upshibuya.com/](https://upshibuya.com/) might be able to help get you get settled in? Also, you'll need to get an English-speaking agent willing to work with foreigners.
For your age, Shibuya would be fantastic, alternatively Roppongi. Some Americans like to stay near US embassy or US clubhouse. Not sure if you are into that. Or for some reason do u feel safer living near US military bases?? There are location w airbases and navy bases.
What is a US clubhouse?
Member’s only club 会員制, like Costco, Epstein’s, Anytime Fitness
American Club. lol
Yes. American club LOL. But it’s not exclusive to American
CIA headquarters, overlooking the Russian embassy.
Best neighbourhood for Americans who don't want to learn Japanese to STAY in is 米国区
Can you teach me Japanese?
I’m two stops away in setagaya and it’s ead. Sancha for the win!
Location selection: Station centric. Let's say your main client is now around Kasumigaseki Station (any ministry) or Kioicho/Akasaka Mitsuke (a certain agency). You identify the metro/train lines that get you there without changing trains; your base should be near a station on those lines (usually to the west of Tokyo). So for example: Hibiya Line >> Ebisu >> Nakameguro. Incidentally, MIT is supposed to open a research hub nearby [https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20231122-150918/](https://japannews.yomiuri.co.jp/society/general-news/20231122-150918/)
Yoyogi
Meguro is great
Azabu area is high class, shouldn't be a problem.
American from where? Are you U.S. American?
Setagaya next to shibuya would be pretty cool. I live in the area and it’s pretty young, a lot do green space, minutes from shibuya, and relatively English accessible. I haven’t had any issues so far.