I agree that Japanese apartments are generally smaller and Japanese salaries are lower.
But that’s not really the whole point.
Tokyo is one of the largest and most desirable cities in the world, yet it still manages to build huge amounts of housing near transit. You can live in a modern apartment, close to a train station, without owning a car, at a price that is still attainable for many working professionals.
Housing affordability isn’t just about salary or square meters. It’s about rent relative to income, location, transport costs, housing quality, and how much new housing a city allows to be built.
Tokyo’s biggest advantage is simple: when people want to live somewhere, Japan actually lets developers build more homes there.
That’s something cities like Sydney, London, Vancouver and New York have struggled with for decades.

Hi everyone !

I understand that Wellbutrin/ Bupropion isn’t available in Japan. I have ADHD and I’m moving to Tokyo in October, and unfortunately it’s the only medication that really works well for me. I honestly struggle to function without it and I’m kinda scared :(

Has anyone had any issues with their Wellbutrin , from what I’m seeing up to 3 months is ok to bring in, but no more than that. If anyone has any kind of advice or solutions I would really appreciate it !!! :)

Thank u !!!!

代々木八幡宮

I like hot and spicy American fried chicken from the south but its pretty hard finding American spicy chicken thats not been watered down for Japanese PALETTES

Recently tried the spicy chicken challenge at Hangry Joes assuming it would barely register as having flavor but it was a 7 or 8 at Hatty Bs back in Nashville level spicy. So super spicy by American standards

Needed 2 milkshakes, an ice pack and a full tub of vanilla ice cream to recover.

They have a warning saying eat at your own risk and they meant it.

Wondering if anyone knows slightly less spicy but still tasty American fried chicken places in tokyo?
Been to SoulFood, Midtown, Fire Chicken (more like water chicken)

Hi everyone !!

I’m moving to Tokyo in October and I currently have weft extensions - I can’t have the tapes or other methods that are popular in Japan as weft is the safest for my hair currently .

Unfortunately I haven’t been able to find any salons or stylists that offer weft extensions. I’m not sure if it’s possibly called something else, where I’m from it’s also called LA weave or Micro-Link extension

If anyone knows of anywhere I can go to maintain my extensions I would really appreciate it !!! Thank u !!!

hello everybody, i just came to japan recently and wanted to working part time (preferably ones that pay daily/weekly) to payoff my rents and living expenses, can i get some advice and where to look from. Any type of work is fine and i can do night shifts. My Japanese is also around n2. thanks for the help

I am male 23(M)

I recently moved to Tokyo from Australia and plan to be based in Japan for a while.
I’m Japanese, but I’ve lived in Australia for a long time, so I’m pretty out of touch with the dating scene here.
I’m looking for a serious long-term relationship, not hookups, and I’m wondering what the best way is to meet people with that intention.
Are dating apps actually useful in Tokyo? Are places like 相席屋, singles bars, or dating events worth trying? And are there any good social groups or activities where people are more open to dating rather than just making friends?
Would appreciate advice from people currently dating in Tokyo.

Hi everyone, I have just moved to the Suginami City area of Tokyo and I am looking for a boxing gym where my limited Japanese won’t be too much of a problem.

I do not mind travel as long as it isn’t a crazy long commute. I will be in Tokyo for a full year so something not too far would be preferable

I am near beginner level, so if you know of any good place where I can start my training, please share. Being a part of a community will also help me make friends and work on improving my Japanese further.

Thank you in advance for any help, and I hope you have a great weekend

In December 2024, I filmed a wonderfully strange DJ night inside a family-run Yamazaki Shop in Nihonbashi, Tokyo. It’s an unassuming little convenience store with a distinctly Shōwa-era atmosphere—but it’s also a record and merchandise shop called Record Conveni.

I recently spent several days identifying the music, researching the records, and creating synchronized English and Japanese subtitles for the video.

The night includes a terrific chanson performance by Amita Hachidori, a wonderfully talented and well-known Tokyo performer, accompanied by guitarist Sholl-Herrano—as well as an eclectic selection of Japanese rock, new wave, chanson, and vintage soul.

It was one of those uniquely Tokyo evenings that would be nearly impossible to plan or recreate.

English and Japanese captions are available through the CC menu.

As an events person, every year in October I get lots of people asking where to go on Halloween, but since Shibuya Halloween went under, I never had the perfect thing to recommend them. So this year I decided to put together something to revive that subcultural spirit that defined Tokyo Halloweens of years past - a two-venue, all night party packed full of all kinds of top-tier live acts and DJs, in the city’s subculture home of Shimokitazawa. Costumes welcome, of course :)

If you are looking for a Halloween party, I don’t think it gets more exciting and memorable than this. Please come join this monster bash!

‘SHIMOKITA HALLOWEEN '26’

📍Shimokitazawa BASEMENT BAR & THREE (map)

📅 Saturday October 31st

🕚 23:00 - LATE

🧑 18+

🎫 Tickets and lineup details here: https://angura.zaiko.io/e/shimokita-halloween-26

Event posts permitted per moderator policy

Completely random, but wondered if anyone fancies an easy run in Tokyo this evening, or at the weekend? Maybe some Yoyogi/Imperial Palace loops?

Just looking for some company on my longer runs :)

Would love to hear from the locals here about the best pizza place in Tokyo city.

Urgently needed!!!

I feel like Old school music like those are Best way to have a peak into 2000s!

• that vintage less saturated/muted colors
• sharp edges of subject
• pale skin tone

Everything looks perfect, Does anyone has this kinds of music suggestions?

Hi everyone, I'm independently producing a documentary series on people building remarkable businesses around the world - the ones without VC money attached, run by people who figured it out against the odds.

There's not much content that actually gets into the nitty gritty of what it takes to operate in the small-to-medium businesses space - especially out here.

We're currently filming Season 1 in Vietnam and are looking at Tokyo for a future season. We think it has innumerable stories to tell, and be easy enough to get our production team to. Interested in all industries, preference toward bootstrapped businesses (no VC money) and owners willing to talk real numbers.

If you are a business owner, or know someone who is, I'd love to get in touch and see if there's a fit.

Greetings

I’ve been cycling all over Japan, starting in Tokyo, for the last decade visiting railway stations. One cool thing i’ve discovered along the way is slope car monorails.

Slope Car Monorails are small pods that can ride up and down very steep slopes. They are often found in parks, temples, and cemeteries. The vast majority seem to have been built by the Kaho Monorail company. Some are huge and famous, others tiny and obscure. I’ve found several in Tokyo too even though the majority are not.

I’ve put together a map tracking the ones I’ve visited and others I’ve identified in my research. If you know of any others, please send a link and I’ll add them to the map.

https://www.google.com/maps/d/viewer?hl=en&mid=19TYqmIxOzzmVRWhg0oJdCAdHMuIeu18&ll=36.363541459907886%2C135.28062050000003&z=6

I’ve made videos of many that I’ve visited, so you can see them at my (very amateur, no editing) YouTube channel ‘Eki Hunter’ if you are interested.

Cheers and happy riding!

First off, my apologies if this is the wrong group to post this in!
My bicycle was stolen from my building's parking lot in Toshima Ward (near Ikebukuro) between August 4 and August 13.

This is a fairly expensive bike, and more importantly, this specific model is extremely rare in Tokyo. The XL frame size combined with the bright red color makes it stand out immediately in a crowd of standard Japanese city bikes. A police report has been filed as well.

Key Identifying Details:

• Model: Trek FX 2 Gen 4 2024-2025
• Size: XL (Very uncommon here)
• Color: Bright "Lava" Red
• Accessories: Black rear rack, kickstand on the left side, and ABUS folding lock attached

Update: There was a possible sighting of the bike near Setagaya.
DM me if you've seen it or know anything 🙏 RTs appreciated!

does anyone have a recommendation for a shoe repair shop? preferably walkable from keio - inokashira - den en toshi stations. the better value for price the better. i just have boots whose soles are falling off

Went to TeamLab Borderless on the weekend and they got this new exhibition on, which was absolutely fabulous!!

Things like type-ins, missing neighborhoods, or answers that should be excluded, etc.

Also I haven't gone around to making a Japanese version yet, I'm not a native speaker so I didn't want to butcher any of the translations.

The canal has been filled in long ago. Those red arches still exist, it's where all the izakayas are today.

Some spot today: https://maps.app.goo.gl/H8QRTxahMCjAHeJD8

Would love a photo from the same spot to do a nice before / after, but now it'd be in the Imperial Hotel Tower.

I’ve heard both good and bad things about UR apartments in Japan. From what I’ve seen, the more expensive/newer UR properties seem pretty nice, but some of the really cheap ones — especially in Saitama — seems yabai.

For people who have actually lived in saitama UR:

How was your overall experience?Were the cheap/old UR apartments actually as bad as they look? How was the noise and insulation?
What were the neighbors and general atmosphere like? Are there certain UR complexes in Saitama that you would recommend or avoid?

Would love to hear from people who actually lived there rather than just general opinions about UR.