Nakameguro for a month: beyond the river walk

Nakameguro is worth considering if the Hibiya or Toyoko line takes you where you regularly need to go. The river is a lovely reason to visit. When choosing your monthly apartment, compare the walks from its door to the station and the shops you would use.

Tokyo Metro’s station page identifies Naka-meguro as H01 on the Hibiya line and shows the connection to the Toyoko line. Work out which line you’ll use most, then compare the walk from each apartment to the station entrance you need.

Check the train you’d use each day

The Hibiya line begins at Naka-meguro, which may appeal if you prefer joining a train at the start of its route. Try it at your usual travel time if you can; starting here doesn’t mean you’ll always get a seat.

Use the Metro route map to check whether your regular destination is on the line or needs a change.

For the Toyoko line, use Tokyu’s journey information to check where the train goes and whether it stops at the station you need. When planning an evening out, check the last complete journey home for your travel date. A late train from your starting station may arrive too late for the connection home.

Living beside the river during blossom season

Tokyo’s official Nakameguro guide describes the riverside cherry blossoms and the seasonal increase in visitors. If your stay includes that period, map your usual walks to the station and shops, then look for another route if they follow the busy riverbank.

You may enjoy visiting the blossoms but prefer not to pass through the busiest stretch every time you buy food.

Ask for the exact location and which way the bedroom faces. A photograph of blossoms doesn't show whether the windows face a road, an adjoining building or the river itself. The view alone won't tell you how noisy the bedroom is.

Look at the walk under the tracks as well

The same tourism guide identifies Nakameguro Koukashita, a roughly 700-metre development of shops and restaurants under the railway. It is another place to look for restaurants you could use after work.

If this would be your route home, look for dinner options open at the time you return. The covered sections are useful on rainy evenings.

If an apartment is closer to Yutenji station, check your commute from there too. It may make more sense to use the nearest station for daily trips and visit Nakameguro on foot when you have time. Advertising an apartment with the better-known neighborhood name doesn't tell you which station is most practical.

Meguro Sky Garden: check the entrance hours

If you are considering an apartment toward Ohashi because of Meguro Sky Garden, check the walk to an entrance you can use, rather than just the distance to the garden. The ward’s garden page gives the rooftop opening hours as 7:00–21:00. Its access diagram shows some approaches closing earlier: the central lift and Bandai Bridge route close at 19:00 in April–October and 17:00 in November–March, while the lifts in the towers give access until 21:00.

Suppose you finish work at 18:00 in winter and want a walk in the garden. An apartment beside the central lift may look ideal on the map, but that lift has already closed. You would need to walk to one of the lifts in the towers instead. An apartment closer to that evening entrance could suit you better, even if it looks farther from the garden itself. Use the access diagram to compare the route you could actually take after work.

The walk home with groceries

Map the walk from the station to your chosen supermarket and then home. Check where you would cross roads and whether the walk includes slopes or stairs.

A ten-minute walk can be perfectly comfortable if it includes your shopping. The same distance can be irritating if you must pass the building, shop farther away and come back. When comparing two apartments, include the trip to buy food in each walk home.

If you're staying as a couple, try the route for both routines: the partner who leaves for work and the partner who spends more time at home may use different shops and stations.