Tokyo North” attracts a great deal of attention!　Kita and Itabashi Wards Surge in Popularity among Young Women in “Best Places to Live” Ranking, No wonder they are so appealing!

What is the charm of “Tokyo North”?

Prices of used condominiums in Tokyo’s 23 wards continue to rise. According to “Tokyo Kantei,” one of the largest real estate databanks in Japan (distributed on April 23), the average price of an existing condominium (70 square meters equivalent) in Tokyo’s 23 wards in April was 124.25 million yen. Compared to the same month of the previous year, the price rose 30.8%.

This is said to be a price level exceeding that of the bubble period.

Even if a salaryman wants to buy a condominium in Tokyo’s 23 wards, even a second-hand condominium is now out of reach, and a home of one’s own is a dream come true. In addition, the current market price of rental apartments for single people is over 100,000 yen, and for couples and families, over 200,000 yen is the norm, and with an average annual income of 4.29 million yen (based on data from “doda,” a job search website for company employees registered between September 2024 and August 2025), the situation is quite difficult. The situation is quite severe.

In the midst of this situation, there is an area within the 23 wards of Tokyo that is rapidly gaining popularity among young single women and young married couples. That is “Tokyo North. The so-called “Tokyo North” refers to the northern part of the Tokyo metropolitan area, and within this area, the popularity of Kita and Itabashi wards is rapidly increasing.

Recruit conducted a survey of 9,000 men and women aged 20-49 living in the Tokyo metropolitan area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, Chiba, and Ibaraki prefectures), and on March 26 released the “SUUMO Livable City Ranking 2026 Metropolitan Area Edition. Among the cities, four “Tokyo North” cities ranked in the top 10 in the “Ranking of Municipalities with Jumped-up Scores,” and Kita-ku ranked first. Kita Ward was ranked No. 1. Itabashi Ward was ranked fourth. We interviewed housing journalist Yumi Fukuoka.

Kita-ku is said to have sparked the so-called “downtown trend,” and Akabane was a pioneer in this trend. (a popular name for izakayas (Japanese-style pubs) where you can get drunk for 1,000 yen). The popularity of the area grew as a place where one could go on a date and have a drink in the daytime. As the restaurants began to flourish, the area also became a “place to live. Once people went out for a drink and found it surprisingly enjoyable, the number of fans grew and the image of the area as a “place to live” improved. Akabane was the driving force behind this change.

So what is the current appeal of Kita-ku, centered on Akabane?

I think it is the fact that there are many old-fashioned shopping streets and the cost of living is still low. There are shopping streets such as Suzuran-dori in Akabane, Jujo Ginza, Shimomori Ginza, etc., where you can live without large shopping malls or supermarkets, and you can live unpretentiously without any makeup or normal clothes. There are few strange mounting quarrels among mothers like in central Tokyo. Also, the fact that Asukayama Park, Akabane Ryokuchi, and other leisure and natural environments are blessed makes it a good fit for family life,” said Fukuoka.

However, in terms of the real estate market, Akabane also cannot resist the wave of price increases.

A town with the best cosmopolitan and typa

Akabane has a high area evaluation, including its convenience as a transportation node, and the real estate market price has already skyrocketed due to the multiple tower condominium developments currently underway around the station. However, other areas still seem to be undervalued. Compared to the six central wards of Tokyo, rent prices are 20-30% lower, and the used condominium market is half the price.

For example, the area around JR Oji Station. In particular, the area next to one station of the big terminal is a good target. The area around Asukayama Station and Takinogawa 1-chome Station on the Tokyo Sakura Tram (former Toden Arakawa Line) and Nishigahara Station on the Tokyo Metro Namboku Line is a bit of a mansion district. The area is located at the easternmost edge of the Musashino Plateau and has a good view. I think the high ground in that area is a good place to live and is a good target,” said Fukuoka.

What about Itabashi Ward, which came in fourth place?

Itabashi Ward is well known for its “Happy Road Oyama Shopping Arcade,” a 560-meter-long arcade extending from in front of Oyama Station on the Tobu Tojo Line to National Route 254 (Kawagoe Kaido), which runs parallel to the south. The arcade is located on the “Happy Road Oyama Shopping Street! (TBS), and has become synonymous with this shopping arcade,

I think the area has always been safe. Recently, the Oyama shopping district has become so famous that people from other parts of Japan come all the way here to see the sights, and I see a lot of people from abroad. I only know this area, but I think it is a nice town.

He said with a smile. Fukuoka explains the charm of Itabashi Ward as follows.

In a word, it’s the best town in terms of cost and time. The real estate market is even cheaper than in Kita-ku. Compared to central Tokyo, rents can be reduced by 50,000 to 100,000 yen, and in some cases, prices are one-third of those in central Tokyo. As for the Oyama Station shopping district area, a huge redevelopment project is currently underway, so the best time to buy is before it is completed,” said Fukuoka.

In the case of Itabashi Ward, the Oyama shopping district is very famous, but there are many other areas of interest as well.

Personally, I would recommend the areas along the Toei Mita Line, which is directly connected to Otemachi. In particular, from Itabashi Kuyakushomae Station to the Itabashi Honmachi area, there is a busy shopping street called “Nakajuku Shopping Street” along the old Nakasendo Road, which reminds me of an inn town. There is also a bridge called “Itabashi,” which spans the Shakujii River and is said to be the origin of the name of Itabashi, and an old private house café converted from a 100 year old house.

Not surprisingly, this neighborhood was the location where the Maeda family of the Kaga Domain spread out their suburban residence, and the place names “Kaga” and “Kanazawa” remain in various parts of the area. The Kaga neighborhood is a so-called “quiet residential area,” and is an educational area where the elementary schools are said to be of a high level. If you actually visit the area, you will be surprised at the gap between the image of a “downtown” and that of a “suburban” area,” says Fukuoka.

Itabashi Ward is also attractive as a “compact town.

Akabane, Tobu-Nerima, and Kichijoji Stations are concentric circles from Shinjuku Station

Tobu-Tojo Line’s Tobu-Nerima Station offers a good balance. Although the station name is Nerima, it is actually in Itabashi Ward, which has a large “AEON Itabashi Shopping Center” and “AEON Cinema” in front of the station. It is a compact town representing Itabashi Ward.

The atmosphere of Itabashi Ward changes completely along the Toei Mita Line, the Fukutoshin Line Yurakucho Line, and the Tobu Tojo Line. The Tobu Tojo Line is downtown, the Mita Line is a quiet residential area, and the Fukutoshin Line offers direct access to the city center. It is recommended that you narrow down your search based on which line matches you best.

The “Tokyo North” area is now attracting renewed attention. Mr. Fukuoka reiterates the appeal of the “Tokyo North” area as follows.

The younger generation doesn’t really care about the brand power of the city, and they choose their neighborhoods with a very dispassionate eye. It is safe to say that a town where young people start to gather is likely to become popular in the future.

Incidentally, the distance between Akabane Station and Shinjuku Station and the distance between Tobu-Nerima Station and Shinjuku Station are both about 11 km, which, when considered in concentric circles, is not much different from the distance between JR Kichijoji Station and Shinjuku Station. Incidentally, the market price for a new family-type condominium in the Kichijoji area is around 150 million yen. Even when you think about it, you can see how good the typa and cost performance is,” said Mr. Fukuoka.

In addition to Kita and Itabashi wards, there must be many other places in the 23 wards of Tokyo that are considered to be good spots to live.