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Best Places to Live In Kanto: Why Omiya Is Climbing the List

By Margherita Mar 6, 2023

Are you wondering which are the best places to live in the Kanto area?

Let’s take a look at the annual “Best Places to Live” survey carried out by the real estate agency SUUMO to find out which are the areas most Japanese yearn to live in Tokyo and the Kanto region.

Which Is the Best Place to Live in the Kanto Region?

A great place to live in Kanto called Omiya

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When looking for the best place to live in or near Tokyo, do you plan to avoid the crowded Shibuya station in favour of the calmer Meguro ward? Or are your friends residing in Kagurazaka always preaching about the eastern part of the Shinjuku ward? Where does everyone want to live?

In the last few years, the areas continuously ranking highest in the survey are Yokohama in first position, Kichijoji (Musashino City) and Ebisu (Shibuya Ward), fighting for the second and third position every year.

But the place that got everyone’s attention this year is, without a doubt, Omiya in… Saitama prefecture, which has been steadily climbing up the ranking from 9th place in 2018 to 4th steady position in 2019, 2020 and 2021 to surpass Ebisu and reach the third position in the latest survey in 2022.

So What Is the Deal With Omiya?

Omiya train station

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Despite the negative image of Omiya as being “far from the city center” and having a reputation for not being the safest neighborhood around, Omiya broke the Yokohama-Kichijoji-Ebisu dominance for the first time in years. 

What makes the city appealing and rank ahead of other cities in Tokyo? What are the reasons? 

Saitama City, where Omiya Station is located, topped the nation’s population inflow in 2009. Among all Japan’s cities designated by government ordinance of Japan, Omiya City has the highest household disposable income and the highest spending on culture and entertainment, giving it strong consumer power. 

What are the charms of the Omiya lifestyle, according to current residents?

First of all, transportation. Living in a less crowded area and located towards the countryside allows for bigger, breathable, less expensive houses. But it is not ideal to live in a place that is poorly connected in a society where workers need to commute a lot.

Omiya, while being slightly distant from the city’s central areas such as Shinjuku or Tokyo station, is well connected to the city center with several train lines, JR Saikyo Line, the JR Takazaki Line, the Keihin Tohoku Line, the Ina Line, and the Tobu Noda Line, that allow getting to Tokyo in just around 30 minutes by hopping on an express train.

Since Omiya is also a point of access to the Tohoku Shinkansen Line, it’s also easy and convenient to jump on a high-speed train when needed.

Another significant advantage of living in Omiya is the proximity to retail and entertainment. The presence of many shopping centers, such as Lumine, Sogo, Omiya Arche, and Dom can satisfy your shopping needs. Leisure activities are also abundant, making life in Omiya as easy as it would be living in Shinjuku without having to live and travel to the center of the city.

The results of the 2022 survey conducted by SUUMO reveal that while among single women, Meguro ward still ranks above Omiya, which is only in 9th position, the male counterpart prefers Omiya, which ranks close to Yokohama in 1st place, and Shinjuku in 2nd place.

If we compare the results by age, Omiya steadily ranks in 3rd place among people in their 20s, 30s and 40s.

Omiya would also be the second choice for couples and the third for couples with children.

And This Is Why Omiya Is Considered One of the Best Places to Live in Kanto

Well-connected and easy to live in: would you give Omiya a chance as one of the best places to live in Tokyo?

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Featured image credit: Canva.com