If you’ve ever felt like an outcast, there’s a place in the world to make you feel like you belong, and that’s Tokyo. Read our guide on where to find places for geeks, nerds, and fanatics from all over the world when you start making your moving to Tokyo checklist.
When people think of moving internationally, they always look up lists of the best countries to live in. Whether in Europe, the Americas, or Asia, many places could be given the title of the friendliest country in the world. While nothing’s wrong with friendliness, it often isn’t enough for some, which is why Japan’s capital understands what it means when people just want to let their freak flags fly.
Are You a Real Otaku? Then You Must Know These Facts About Japan Before Moving to Tokyo
Before you begin moving to Tokyo from the US, test your knowledge of Japan’s basics. We hope it’s known that you’ll have to break the language barrier by learning some Japanese, as English is difficult for native residents. However, with a vast number of expat communities living there, it won’t be too difficult to grasp some basic phrases.
Things to know about Japan are:
- Japan is an island country in East Asia, located at the northwest of the Pacific Ocean,
- The country is made up of five large islands (Hokkaido, Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu, and Okinawa) and hundreds of smaller ones,
- Japan’s population is 125,360,000,
- The capital is Tokyo,
- The national currency is the Japanese Yen, or JPY ($1 = ¥109)
- Their political system is a constitutional monarchy, the chief of state is the emperor Naruhito, and the government is led by Prime Minister Yoshihide Suga,
- They have three writing systems called hiragana, katakana, and kanji. English words and names are written in katakana,
- The climate is predominantly temperate and varies from north to south.
Getting Started With Paperwork as an Expat In Tokyo, Japan
As an American moving to Tokyo, you need some vital documents to travel abroad, such as a passport and a visa. Relocating during the coronavirus to the Japanese shores is a little harder nowadays, but it’s not a problem if you’re eligible for a work permit.
To get a work permit, you’d need to have an offer to work at a Japanese company. One of the questions to ask your employer is the length of the visa you can get because that could determine other stuff like accommodation, airfare, and budget. Check with the nearest embassy of Japan for a guide on how to get work visas for your trip.
Experience a Sensory Overload at the Geek’s Paradise of Akihabara
What should you know about moving to Tokyo if you’re relocating for the love of all things anime and manga? Firstly, you’re cool enough to fit in, no matter what your parents say. Secondly, everywhere you go, there are ways to enjoy the things you love most since the entirety of the town is somehow related to anime, manga, and geek culture. However, the area that stands out the most with its abundance of choices for geeks is Akihabara.
Here, you can visit the Square Enix Cafe, where the atmosphere and decor change according to the game of the month. It gets difficult to decide what to pack in the goodie bag when you’re done browsing, trust us. If you like Gundam, you can go and eat some character-themed delicacies in Gundam Cafe. Finally, we know you’ll want to visit some maid cafes, too. Head over to the Maidreamin maid cafe, where workers refer to their guests as ‘masters’ and ‘princesses.’
The neighborhood was featured in the video game and anime series “Steins;Gate,” a story of science and tech enthusiasts who learn how to time travel. According to the authors, Akihabara was chosen as the main characters’ home because it’s a place where tech lovers can easily find hardware and tinker. If you’re interested in tech, that’s the place to be.
Visit an AKB48 Concert and See What Living in Akihabara Is All About
You’ll learn how to live in another country when you find yourself among Akihabara’s otakus. An internationally known idol girl group called AKB48 started in this neighborhood, and they have a theater dedicated to them right in the heart of it, called Akihabara 48. They frequently perform gigs for fans there.
This 59-member idol group is a prime example of how the Japanese formula for success works. Combining the members’ schoolgirl image with J-Pop has always been popular in the country. Add to that the option for audiences to vote which members should stay and go, and the management’s profits are equal to the fans’ undying love for the group.
The Safe Haven for Girl Geeks – Ikebukuro
Ikebukuro is smaller and more upscale than Akihabara but still very nerdy at heart. It’s the perfect place to start learning a language abroad because you’ll need all your Japanese skills to manage around Tokyo’s third busiest station.
Ikebukuro is known as the mecca for female otakus and caters more to this type of audience. The equivalent of a maid cafe, where just girls work as maids, is a butler cafe, where boys work as servers and hosts. Besides butler cafes, there’s an abundance of cosplay-related shops lined up along Otome Road – the street known as the home of the female otaku scene.
If You Dare, Visit Sunshine 60, the Haunted Skyscraper
We bet you wouldn’t leave out a fact about a haunted skyscraper while keeping in touch with friends. The first-ever city within a city known as Sunshine City first opened its doors to the public in 1978. It’s home to a skyscraper called Sunshine 60. This building is open every day and contains shops, restaurants, a planetarium, an aquarium, a hotel, an observation deck, and an indoor theme park.
Locals believe that Sunshine 60 is haunted because it was built on a former prison site. Sugamo Prison was notorious for holding all kinds of political prisoners, including around 2,000 war criminals, from the 1920s until its closing in 1971. Today, Sunshine 60 isn’t as scary as it seems, but its reputation still follows it.
The video below shows a stunning view of Tokyo’s cityscape during the day from Sunshine 60. You can watch it to prepare for an adventure in one of the city’s tallest buildings.
Yoyogi Park in Harajuku Attracts All Kinds of Freaks and Geeks
If you’re a weirdo, and we mean that in the best way possible, then don’t skip adding a visit to Yoyogi Park in Harajuku to your checklist for moving abroad. Harajuku itself is a well-known neighborhood teeming with fashionistas and all those who feel like one. Besides just walking the streets and feasting your eyes upon bold fashion choices, visit Yoyogi Park to get a fix of the bizarre and beautiful.
At 134 acres, Yoyogi is one of the largest parks in the city. It is also the main socializing ground for dancers, like the Tokyo Rockabilly Club, theater troupes, musical performers, and lovers seeking peaceful moments in each other’s arms. If you follow a guide, you will learn that right next to the park is a majestic Meiji shrine that’s always worth visiting.
Go Shopping at Nakano Broadway, the Largest Anime Shopping Mall In Town
Relocating across the globe to a very different place can be pretty scary. When you get to Nakano, though, you will see more than just flashing neon signs in a strange, new language and get a better feel of what it’s like to live in one of Tokyo’s neighborhoods.
Nakano is home to many famous shopping malls; some might call it retail heaven. Japan’s first department store is Nakano Marui, which was opened in 1931. However, it isn’t the neighborhood’s biggest attraction. That would be Nakano Broadway, a large, four-level shopping mall filled with markets, second-hand shops, and anime, manga, and gaming-related shops.
The basement level is a marketplace where locals can get groceries. The ground level has clothing shops and second-hand stores. Levels two and three are jam-packed with anime, manga, and idol-related shops, as well as stores that sell electronics and hardware for gaming. If you travel to Nakano, make time for the greatest geek-mall in the world.
Once You Start Living In Nakano, You’ll Think It’s the Best
Nakano is known for being Tokyo’s most densely populated neighborhood. If you decide to settle here, the sense of community will be strong for you. So many residents of Nakano have never tried relocating and pride themselves on having a tight-knit community. However, don’t skip learning a new language if you want to make a new life here, because it’s quite hard to use English with them. This vibrant neighborhood is surely one of the best places for living overseas.
Is It Worth Relocating to Japan? Costs of Living In These Nerdy Neighborhoods
When the question of how to live abroad pops up, most people get worried about the cost of moving to Tokyo. Some parts of relocating there are super fun, while others, such as costs, aren’t. In Akihabara, it’s difficult to find a three-bedroom apartment, but there’s an abundance of studios and one and two-bedroom flats. The average rent for a studio is around ¥110,000, while you can find great one and two-bedroom apartments for an average of ¥150,000.
Prices are very similar in Nakano. However, there’s a big difference. Here, you’d be able to find a three-bedroom apartment for around ¥170,000, which sounds good if you need more out of relocating to Tokyo. Harajuku comes up a bit more expensive than the previous two, with average rents coming to ¥250,000, while Ikebukuro has the cheapest studios (¥80,000) but quite pricey three-bedroom apartments (¥300,000.)
Fulfilling Your Otaku Dreams Is Possible With an International Moving Company
Shipping overseas and drastically changing your life can be a very stressful experience. When you figure out what to bring along during the relocation day preparation, it can become overwhelming to also think about how it’s going to travel across the globe. An overseas shipping company can help in reducing relocation stress significantly.
Their relocation services entail a packing service, insurance for all the valuables, overseas car shipping, and even the usage of storage units for safe-keeping.
Having movers by your side will mean you can fully geek out and go on with planning new costumes for Harajuku without worrying about where everything you ship will end up. It’ll be waiting for you right there, at the destination.
There’s Nowhere Quite as Bizarre and Beautiful as In Tokyo’s Geeky Neighborhoods
Moving overseas to Japan’s capital is a big move, so if you know what to expect, you will be able to fit in quickly. However, as we know, you may not want to fully fit in or follow norms, which is why you are researching geeky neighborhoods in the first place. Whatever motivates you, we hope you find your place under the sun, and since the sun is the main motive of Japan’s flag, the decision already makes a lot of sense.
