Not far from Shinjuku, a quiet neighbourhood where cherry blossoms on the slope above the Chuo Line draw people to take photos
The closest neighborhoods in the same city.
West of Higashi-Nakano Station's west exit, the Chuo Line runs in a dug-out trench, and in spring the cherry blossoms on the slope and the rape flowers on the embankment often draw people to take photos. In front of the station in 4-chome are the Moon Road dining street and the small theater Pole Pole Higashi-Nakano. The Higashi-Nakano Ginza street has many restaurants aimed at students, and it's lively at midday on weekends.
Though not far from Shinjuku, the streets here are quiet. There are many individually run small shops and old shopping streets here.
For convenience of daily life, this neighborhood ranks 37th out of 395 neighborhoods in Tokyo, and 74th for healthcare.
At the station, the JR Chuo-Sobu Line stops at every station; going east past Okubo, the next stop is Shinjuku. Underground there's also the Toei Oedo Line, and on Waseda-dori to the north of the neighborhood, Ochiai Station on the Tozai Line can also be used.
Along the Kanda River there is the Kanda River Four Seasons Path, running all the way from 1-chome to 5-chome.
1-chome to 3-chome are densely built up with housing. In 2020, the whole neighborhood had about 258 people per hectare. Yamate-dori runs north-south through the middle, with heavy traffic.
Judging from our street photos, cleanliness ranks 343rd out of 395 neighborhoods, and sidewalks rank 337th — the two weakest scores for this neighborhood.
The east exit has no elevator; the exit is about 6 meters higher than the road next to it, with only stairs. Elevators and escalators are all at the west exit, and the City office recommends that people with mobility difficulties use the west exit.
When Higashi-Nakano Station opened in 1906, it was called Kashiwagi Station, and only had what is now the east exit; the area around the east exit was the local center of activity. In 1917 it was renamed Higashi-Nakano, and in 1928, as passenger numbers grew, the west exit was finally opened.
After that, development mostly concentrated on the west exit side: the Oedo Line station opened in 1997, and the station building directly connected to the west exit, the free passage, and the station plaza in 2015 were completed one after another. Now about seventy percent of passengers use the west exit.
In October 2026, Nakano City settled on an overall policy for the area around the east exit, aiming to make the station and streets barrier-free while also preserving the area's vibrancy and living environment.
Next to be worked out are the accessibility improvements for the east exit station building, and the urban planning road and plaza on the south side of the east exit.
Compared with the 395 Tokyo neighborhoods in this guide (scores 0–10)
Hospitals with inpatient beds (2020 data), public elementary and junior high schools whose catchment covers this area, high schools and universities within 1 km, stations, parks of 1 ha or more, and large shopping malls and department stores. Many Tokyo junior high students attend private schools, so junior high catchments are only a guide.
Maps show the shops and the sights. What a street is like, you only know by walking it. TidyMap uses AI street imagery analysis and public facility data to turn each area's street environment and everyday convenience into something you can compare. Search an address and look at the street outside first.
How to read it: yellow = poor, blue = good; grey = not enough data
TidyMap rates the street environment and everyday convenience. It does not assess the home itself, safety, noise or actual living experience. Street environment scores use AI assessments of imagery; convenience scores use public facility data.
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