Yokohama Ranked Most Popular Neighborhood in Tokyo Area for Sixth Straight Year

For the sixth consecutive year, Yokohama ranked first in the survey conducted by Recruit Holdings’ real-estate portal Suumo on the most popular neighborhoods in the Tokyo metropolitan area (categorized by train station name). Yokohama and the runners-up Kichijōji and Ōmiya all increased their score in the survey over the previous year.

Fourth-ranked Ebisu has seen its points decrease for the survey over the three years since the beginning of the pandemic, while Shinjuku rose significantly in the most recent survey to occupy fifth place for the first time in three years. Kamakura, which was the setting for last year’s popular historical taiga drama on NHK, placed eighth—its best showing since 2018. Meanwhile the areas around the Shibuya and Tokyo train stations placed in the top-10 for the first time since 2018.

Among the top 20 stations, 8 are either located on or inside the JR Yamanote Line, while 11 (including the top 3) are outside of central Tokyo’s 23 municipalities.

Among those surveyed, the reasons cited to explain the popularity of Yokohama included its attractive qualities as a place to work, ample cultural and entertainment facilities, bustling streets, and large-scale commercial facilities. Other reasons for the high ranking include the huge increase in office buildings in the Minatomirai area, including many new corporate headquarters, as well as the greater shopping convenience that has come with the redevelopment of the area around Yokohama Station, starting from 2020.

Nagareyama Ōtakanomori became Chiba Prefecture’s top station for the first time. The completion of an urban redevelopment project around the station has created a compact neighborhood with has many new attractions, including retail chains selling home electronics and home-interior goods, educational and medical facilities, and large supermarkets. Many survey respondents pointed to the neighborhood’s great environment for raising children and education.

Most Popular Neighborhoods in Tokyo Metropolitan Area

Created by Nippon.com based on data from Recruit Holdings. Yellow-highlighted areas indicate stations on or inside the Yamanote Line. Gray-highlighted areas are located outside the 23 municipalities of central Tokyo.

(Translated from Japanese. Banner photo: High-rises near the East exit of Yokohama Station. © Pixta.)