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The story
Kazlaser, of the comedy duo Maple Chogokin, named Shinjuku as the most livable area in Tokyo on the August 28 broadcast of the radio show “Weekly! Shaberaser,” saying it’s “way better than suburban Setagaya.” The show also introduced the Mori Memorial Foundation’s “National City Evaluation Ranking,” noting that among 136 cities nationwide (excluding Tokyo’s 23 wards), Osaka City took first place, Hamamatsu City ranked 13th, and Shizuoka City ranked 14th. On the 5ch thread, opinions split over which part of Shinjuku he actually meant, with some pointing out that “Shinjuku” covers very different-feeling districts — Yotsuya, Ushigome, and Yodobashi — while others brought up the lack of supermarkets in the area.
Kazlaser of comedy duo Maple Chogokin appeared on the radio program “Weekly! Shaberaser” (SBS Radio) on the 28th and talked about the most livable area in Tokyo.
The show also covered news of the “National City Evaluation Ranking,” released by the Mori Memorial Foundation, a think tank under Mori Building.
In the ranking, which evaluated 136 cities nationwide (excluding Tokyo’s 23 wards), Osaka City came out on top, while within Shizuoka Prefecture, Hamamatsu City placed 13th and Shizuoka City 14th, with category breakdowns like “environment” and “transportation access” highlighted for each city.
Source: sirabee.com / Read the original article here
What people said
so factoring in commute time, Shinjuku doesn't really add up
Way too many steep hills
I used to live around Akebonobashi to Wakamatsu-Kawada — I'd recommend it
I wouldn't want to live there
I go to Sanchome, but not Nichome (Tokyo's famous gay district)
The smelly one with Kabukicho in it is Yodobashi
I get that
Rather than forcing yourself to live right in the city center, sub-centers like Shinjuku, Shibuya, or Ikebukuro actually have more parks and are more livable
For some reason it's people from the countryside who tend to want to live dead center the most
Nah, nobody actually wants to live dead center lol
It's inconvenient — you'd realize that if you thought about it
The Gyoen side is more the 'city' part of Shinjuku, I'd say
Low-lying valley spots should be avoided at all costs
There's also a lot along the Marunouchi Line between Nakano-Sakaue and Minami-Asagaya
Like Asosan Daifunka (a comedian, name literally means 'Mt. Aso Eruption')
Somewhere around Shinjuku Gyoen, Yoyogi Park, the Imperial Palace, or Ueno Park sounds good
Restaurants are everywhere in Tokyo lol
Shinjuku actually has a lot of spots like Golden Gai that normal people don't go to, so if anything it might have fewer than you'd expect
Are you supposed to go all the way to the Korean supermarkets in Okubo?
If you're living in Tokyo, having several big supermarkets nearby should be a baseline requirement
Which is exactly why Shinjuku doesn't cut it
Basically you'd head to Yotsuya-Sanchome
Or walk north and there's a Seven-affiliated store in Fukumachi
There's also a Maibasuket (a small neighborhood supermarket chain)
Same goes for Bunkyo's Sekiguchi
Between Sekiguchi and Kagurazaka, I'd bet the former actually gets recognized as the better neighborhood
Shinjuku? It's far from Tokyo Station and not even interesting
Yanaka's basically a theme park at this point
My only impression of Hatsudai and Hatagaya is the noise from Koshu Kaido road
If you want quiet, that's not really where I'd want to live lol
Might as well just go with Setagaya — Sakura-Shinmachi would do fine
Background and Key Points of This Discussion
The Mori Memorial Foundation’s “National City Evaluation Ranking” scores multiple categories — including economy, research, cultural exchange, livability, environment, and transportation access — to rank 136 cities nationwide, excluding Tokyo’s 23 wards. This time, Osaka City took the overall top spot, while Hamamatsu City (13th) and Shizuoka City (14th) from Shizuoka Prefecture also made the list. It’s worth noting that the “livability” Kazlaser talked about on air wasn’t drawn from this ranking’s actual figures, but was based on his own personal experience of living there. Where the thread split was over whether Shinjuku can really be lumped together as one area — many pointed out a big gap in living environment between the Yodobashi district, home to Kabukicho, and the quieter Yotsuya and Ushigome districts. While the area around Shinjuku Gyoen was praised as quiet with few people around, commenters also specifically flagged the practical downside of having few nearby supermarkets, underscoring how “livability” discussions tend to gloss over differences within a single district.
*This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Geinou/Sports News+) thread “Kazlaser: The ‘Most Livable Area’ in Tokyo Is ‘Shinjuku, Right?’ ‘That area really is great. Way better than suburban Setagaya.’“
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