Expats choose Minato-Ku when relocating to Tokyo

If you’re lucky enough to be relocating to Tokyo, the magical city’s favourite district for foreign residents is Minato-Ku.

A relocation to Tokyo can be the chance of a lifetime to take in one of the planet’s most fascinating cities. Steeped in history, mystery and with the ghosts of the past drifting along its streets, Tokyo can be everything inquisitive, adventurous expats ever dreamed about. The district of Minato-Ku is home to embassies, multinational corporation headquarters, broad streets crammed with fashionable stores and secret alleys with tiny eateries and traditional shops. To cap it all, the district’s legendary nightlife draws expats and locals alike to party until dawn.

For accommodation, Minato-Ku is Tokyo’s most expensive district, long favoured by the expat population for its facilities and mix of old and ultra-new. Akasaka and Aoyama are the district's major commercial areas, with Roppongi a hub for fashion, shopping and buzzing nightlife. Toranomon is greener and quieter, and residential Moto-Azabu offers expatriates high end housing in low rise settings combined with the much-loved Azabu-Joban shopping street and its traditional Japanese stores set alongside high-end Western shops. The super-efficient Tokyo metro covers the entire district and gives easy connections to all the city’s varied transportation options.

Roppongi is a favourite with expats for its mix of green spaces, landmark developments including Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown and the area's transformation every night from business hub to party central for locals, tourists and expatriates alike. For those into what’s now and what’s new, Aoyama is the place for its fashionable streets crammed with upscale boutiques, cafes, and bars and its quiet, elegant residential areas. The area is set close by popular Harajuku, Omotesando and Shibuya, making it a good choice for new arrivals.

For those looking for a high-end lifestyle, Takanawa and Shirokane offer abundant green spaces along with discreet, prestigious eateries and stores in an unusually peaceful location dotted with Shinto shrines and Buddhist temples. They’re the two most affluent areas in the whole of the mega-city, perfect for expat professionals working at the high end as regards positions and salaries. Minato-Ku itself has everything the upwardly mobile expat might need, including international schools, hospitals with English-speaking staff and international supermarkets stocking foods from across the world. Whatever your expat needs, this unique district has something for everyone.