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Living in Tokyo, Japan:
Tips for Moving and Visiting

eight local experts
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If you've been wondering what it's like to live in or visit Tokyo, the Crowdsourced Explorer community can help. We asked eight people living in Tokyo what someone who is considering moving to or visiting there should know. Here are their pros and cons, tips, and advice:

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8 comments on “Tokyo”

If you are moving to Tokyo, you will not need a car. Public transportation both buses and trains are very clean and inexpensive. You can reach almost everywhere in Japan without having your own vehicle.

If someone were to move to Tokyo, the most important thing to know about would be hidden costs. Public transportation is extremely convenient, but the price can add up quickly. Move-in fees are also quite costly here, sometimes totaling up to 3 months rent. Taxis are quite affordable within the first kilometer or two, but after that they quickly become expensive.

Aside from being a very clean city, Tokyo is known for being safe. It may be a very busy city but crimes that you usually hear from busy cities, such as robberies, happen rarely here. Also, people from Tokyo are very polite. Living here as a foreigner may be very challenging considering the language barrier.

Tokyo is a multiethnic city that provides young and old people with plenty of opportunities. Some might argue it is too hectic but its sounds and lights and people is what makes you feel alive. Besides, it takes less than an hour to get out of the metropolis and find yourself plunged into nature, by hiking on the wilderness trials of the nearby Mt Takao or by enjoying the sun setting behind Mt Fuji while surfing in the neighboring Shonan area.

In Tokyo, there are many unspoken social rules. Public transportation is used by the majority of people here and buses and trains are often crowded. When riding one of these forms of transportation, there are many of these social rules to be careful of. First, you should not speak too loudly. Even when the train is crowded, people are usually quiet. In addition to this, it is rude to speak on the phone on public transportation. It is also not appropriate to eat or drink while on a bus or train. While none of these actions are, in fact, prohibited, they are looked down on by most people here.

Bethany, says: 2020

Tokyo is a metropolitan urban jungle. It’s modern and technologically-advanced, and yet backwards in many ways. Living here as a foreigner, you’ll soon be made aware of how different you are—if not by the blatant stares you receive from passers-by, then by the “No Foreigner” signs hanging on numerous establishment doors.

Tokyo is a wonderful place and the Japanese are proud of how ‘convenient’ it is For goodness sake don’t talk on the phone in the train, and don’t dash across the road on the red light. There are no dangerous areas in Tokyo but some are more boring than others. The Tozai line has one of the busiest rush hours in the world.

Tokyo has been ranked one the most expensive cities in the world. Although this might be true, I have found that certain things are much more affordable here than their counterparts in other major cities like Chicago. For example, in the States I often found it difficult to spend less than 10 USD when eating out. In contrast, it is easy to find meals for under 1000 JPY (approximately 9.30 USD) anywhere in Tokyo.

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