A month in Bunkyo: hills, stations and daily errands

In Bunkyo, walk from the supermarket back to the apartment before deciding that the location is convenient. The journey out can hide the uphill return, especially when a map shows only a short distance.

The ward sits across five plateaus separated by slopes and valleys.

Sendagi or Hakusan: which line suits you?

Sendagi is on the Chiyoda line. Hakusan is on the Toei Mita line. The better station depends on where you will travel each day. The Tokyo Metro map lets you follow the Chiyoda route and its connections.

For an apartment near Sendagi, map the walks to Sendagi station and the places in Yanaka you expect to visit. Near Hakusan, check the walk to the station and to your preferred shops.

Hongo: book around the entrance you need

If you are coming for work, study or a hospital appointment, get the address and entrance of the building you will visit. “Near the university” can be too broad a description for a repeated journey.

Look for apartments within a comfortable walk of that entrance, then map the trips to the supermarket and station. A location that saves time on one trip can still send you uphill for every other errand.

If you expect to spend most weekdays indoors, the layout may matter more than shaving a few minutes from a station walk you only make at weekends.

Korakuen and Kasuga: convenience with an event calendar

The ward describes the Kasuga and Koraku area as an area served by four subway lines, with Tokyo Dome and other attractions nearby. It also notes the extra passengers on event days.

Compare your usual return time with the Tokyo Dome schedule. A quiet weekday viewing may give you little sense of the crowds after a concert or baseball game.

Ask whether the bedroom faces a street used by event crowds, and what can be heard with the windows closed.

A garden nearby is useful only when you can enter

Koishikawa Botanical Gardens and Koishikawa Korakuen are separate places. Check which one is beside the listing.

The Botanical Gardens close at 16:30. Koishikawa Korakuen ordinarily opens from 9:00 to 17:00, with last entry at 16:30. If you finish work at six, both will already be closed.

If you are choosing the location partly to visit a garden, check whether it will be open during your free time. You may be able to visit during a lunch break or free morning. If not, look for somewhere else to walk in the evening and save the garden for a day off.

Plan a garden visit around the entrance and re-entry rule

The Botanical Gardens’ access page directs visitors to its main gate. Its visitor rules say there is no re-entry after leaving. An apartment beside another edge of the grounds therefore doesn't give you a shortcut through the garden for errands.

If you leave for lunch, you cannot use the same ticket to return that afternoon. Bring lunch if you prefer, as the garden permits eating and asks you to take rubbish home, or do the outside errand before entering. When comparing nearby apartments, use the walk to the gate rather than the distance to the garden wall.

Walk your regular routes before booking

For each apartment, plan the journey to your office, class or other regular destination. Check the walks to the food shop and the station you would use most, including the return uphill. If stairs are difficult for you or you will have heavy luggage, ask whether there is a route without steps before booking.

Save the route to the entrance you will use, rather than a pin at the middle of a campus or garden. Share that route with the person arranging your viewing so you can test it on the way.