In today’s installment of Tokyo Hidden Gems, we take a look at a studio apartment for rent in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo. This ward is where you’ll find popular destinations like Tokyo Dome City (an urban amusement park complete with roller coasters, shopping, and a baseball stadium) and the Rikugien Gardens (a beautifully maintained garden with history dating back to the late 17th century).
At the eastern edge of this ward, bordering Taito Ward and Chiyoda Ward, lies a sometimes overlooked neighborhood: Yushima. Yushima is well known among local residents as one of Tokyo’s “college towns” because of the many universities and colleges located there, but it isn’t often on the radar for foreign apartment hunters.
Our featured apartment is brokered by LINC, Inc. a trusted real estate agency in Tokyo with plenty of experience in helping foreigners find their homes in Tokyo!
First, let’s take a look at where Yushima is located in Tokyo:
If you have a keen eye for Tokyo’s neighborhoods, you might notice that Yushima is pretty close to major stations like Ueno and Akihabara. And if you’re still researching Tokyo’s varied locales, check out our Area Guides page for detailed local area information on the city’s must-know neighborhoods.
Taking a quick look inside the apartment we can see that despite being a 1R studio apartment, at 19 sqm, it is quite livable for a student or young professional making the move to Tokyo (1R apartments can be as small as 12 or 14 sqm).
And the kitchen offers two burners with a fish grill, which is surprisingly well-equipped for a studio apartment in Tokyo.
Convenience is the name of the game for this 1R apartment, and it all starts from the location just 1 min from Yushima Station. Being this close to your nearest station is a huge time-saver, since all that time spent getting to your station adds up!
Note: The agent is currently running a No Key Money campaign for this apartment! Inquire soon to qualify for this limited-time offer.
The agent also tells us that there are multiple units available in this building. To see similar apartments, click to the property detail page and scroll to the bottom to see other available units.
College Town Vibe
That’s just one aspect of the advantageous location of this apartment. This neighborhood is also close to a variety of universities in Tokyo: The University of Tokyo (Todai), Meiji University, and Toyo Gakuen University (Hongo Campus) are all easily accessed from this apartment. In fact, the Yushima Tenmangu shrine (also known as Yushima Tenjin) is a shrine that is devoted to the shinto deity Tenjin, the deity of learning. It’s here where students pray for success on exams and in their academic endeavors!
Just across the Kanda river from Yushima, to the south, is the Kanda area, which is known for its huge number of bookstores and student-friendly, budget shops and restaurants.
This apartment also offers excellent transportation options. In addition to Yushima Station (Chiyoda subway line), nearby stations include Ueno-Okachimachi Station (Oedo subway line), Okachimachi Station (Yamanote Line, Keihin-Tohoku Line), and Ueno-Hirokoji Station (Ginza subway line). This gives residents a fantastic variety of train and subway lines to take for navigating Tokyo.
Just north of Yushima is Ueno Park. Specifically, the Shinobazu Pond side of Ueno Park. This pond is a popular daytime walk thanks to the pedestrian path surrounding the pond and leading to the rest of Ueno Park and the many museums on the premises.
And southeast of Yushima is the famed Akihabara area of Tokyo! This colorful entertainment district features Tokyo’s anime and video game hotspots, and the streets are often decorated with posters of anime characters. Akihabara is also well-known as the place to go to check out electronics and other gadgets in Tokyo. If it runs on electricity, chances are you can find it in Akihabara.
And there you have it, a closer look at this convenient apartment in a residential neighborhood surrounded by some of Tokyo’s most notable destinations in academics and entertainment! Make sure to check out the listing here, for more details.
GaijinPot Housing Service
If the featured apartment above isn’t what you’re looking for, we recommend heading over to the GaijinPot Housing Service.
Whether you’re applying from overseas or are already in-country, the GaijinPot Housing Service can help you find your home in Japan, without any of the usual stress of apartment hunting:
- Choose from 3,000+ properties throughout Japan.
- No guarantor required.
- Can apply from overseas.
- Can pay all your upfront costs and monthly costs with a credit card.
- Receive full English service, from the room view, to application, to post-move-in support.
Lead photo: Real Estate Japan partner agent