Introducing the Rankings and Best Areas for Ideal Child-Rearing in Josai & Johoku Area

“Chintai Smocca” (hereinafter referred to as Smocca) https://smocca.jp/, a rental property and apartment search portal site operated by ZIGExN Co., Ltd. (Headquarters: Minato-ku, Tokyo, Representative Director, Operating Officer, and CEO: Joe Hirao, Tokyo Stock Exchange Prime: 3679, hereinafter referred to as ZIGExN), has released the third edition of the Smocca Research Report: “Tokyo’s Child-Friendly Area Ranking – Josai & Johoku Area Edition (*1)”. Following last year’s reports, “Tokyo’s Child-Friendly Area Ranking – Central 6 Wards Edition” (https://zigexn.co.jp/en/12023/)and “Tokyo’s Child-Friendly Area Ranking – Joto Area Edition” (https://zigexn.co.jp/14127/), this third edition focuses on the western and northern parts of Tokyo. We will introduce two types of rankings: the “Overall Ranking,” created based on Smocca’s independently aggregated reviews and evaluation scores across three categories—accessibility, safety, and the child-rearing environment—and the “Child-Rearing Score Ranking,” which focuses solely on the child-rearing environment score. (*Aggregation period: June 2021 – August 2024)

　*1: Suginami, Nakano, Nerima, Itabashi, Kita, and Toshima wards.

■The Child-rearing Environment is Improving in Tokyo’s 23 Wards—Changes and Expansions in “Liveable Areas” as well?

A few years ago, the issue of children on waiting lists for daycare was a significant concern for families raising children in central Tokyo. However, the number of children on waiting lists has been decreasing each year, showing signs of improvement. According to a survey by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government, the number of children waiting for daycare placement has declined each year since 2018, reaching 286 in 2023, with 30% of these children residing in Kokubunji City, Hino City, and Machida City (*2).

With child-rearing challenges in Tokyo’s 23 wards continuing to improve, we may begin to see changes and expansion in the areas that families consider “Liveable Areas.”

*2 Tokyo Metropolitan Government Bureau of Social Welfare and Public Health, “Status of Children on Daycare Waiting Lists (2023),” “Status by Ward, City, and Town (2023).”

Smocca publishes the “Livable City Information” https://smocca.jp/livability, based on independently aggregated reviews and category-specific evaluation scores. This information includes rankings of the best stations and wards to live in, organized by various categories like the number of family members and travel time to the nearest station, all based on user feedback.

Even within the same ward, the atmosphere and convenience of neighborhoods can vary by “Area.” For this reason, Smocca has created a “Child-Friendly Area Ranking,” evaluating “which areas within the Josai and Johoku are best suited for child-rearing,” using independently gathered review data.

■Ranking Based on Key Points of Child-Rearing: “Accessibility,” “Safety,” and “Child-Rearing Environment.”
Smocca’s “Livable City Information” sets the following four indicators when ranking the friendliness of child-rearing:

• “Accessibility”: The ease of access to workplaces and medical facilities.
• “Safety”: The overall safety of the area.
• “Child-Rearing (Environment)”: The availability of educational facilities such as libraries and schools.
• “Entertainment”: The availability of recreational facilities such as amusement parks and parks.

However, when reviewing the reviews related to “entertainment”, many users responded with comments about “karaoke and drinking.” Since these factors do not significantly impact child-rearing, we ultimately decided to focus on three key indicators: “Accessibility,” “Safety,” and “Child-Rearing Environment.” We created the ranking by calculating the average score for each of these indicators, rated on a scale of 1 to 5 by users.

This time, we focused on 15 areas by further subdividing the Josai and Johoku areas (Suginami, Nakano, Nerima, Itabashi, Kita, and Toshima wards).

＜Overall Ranking of Child-Friendly Areas＞

We will introduce the top 1 to 4 areas in the ranking, along with their characteristics and surrounding information.

1st Place: Takaido Area

The prestigious first place in the ranking goes to the Takaido Area, which is also famous as a rich neighborhood. It has earned the highest overall score among the areas introduced in the past two articles, confirming that it is undoubtedly a highly livable area. One of the standout features of this area is its exceptionally high safety score. The area is home to prestigious schools such as Kokugakuin University Kugayama High School and Tokyo Metropolitan Nishi High School. Additionally, many families with children live here, contributing to the calm and quiet residential neighborhood. The area also boasts excellent transportation links, with the Inokashira Line and Keio Line providing access to Shibuya and Shinjuku in about 30 minutes.
The area is well equipped with daycare centers and kindergartens, and there are several private and general hospitals within the vicinity, ensuring that families with young children can raise their children with peace of mind. Essential parks for child-rearing are also abundant, with Inokashira Park and Takaido Park serving as popular weekend spots for families.
In addition, Suginami Ward offers its unique child-rearing support program, the “Child-Rearing Support Coupon”, which allows access to paid services such as temporary daycare, parenting courses, and participation in parent-child events. A free support coupon worth 20,000 yen is provided at birth, and for children aged 0 to 2 years, families receive 20,000 yen worth of free coupons every year, along with an additional 20,000 yen worth of paid support coupons.

2nd Place: Hikarigaoka Area

Coming in close second place is the Hikarigaoka Area. This area also received high ratings, with all scores surpassing 4 points.

The area offers excellent transportation convenience, with the Hikarigaoka Station on the Toei Oedo Line providing access to Shinjuku and Shibuya stations in about 30 minutes. Additionally, Hikarigaoka Station is a terminal station, which makes it a great spot for those who appreciate sitting during their commute. The surrounding area is also well-connected, with the Fukutoshin Line and Yurakucho Line nearby, ensuring excellent access to the city center.

The Hikarigaoka Area also received a high score for safety, coming just after Takaido Area. According to user reviews, the area is relatively new, with many families living there, and the police frequently patrol the area. As a result, residents feel safe even when going out at night.

Additionally, Nerima Ward has achieved zero waiting children for daycare facilities for “four consecutive years” since 2021, and its child-rearing support measures are exceptionally well-developed. For example, the ward has certified the “Nerima Kodomo-en” as a facility that integrates a daycare center and a kindergarten, offering extended childcare services outside of regular kindergarten hours (9:00 AM to 2:00 PM), including early morning and evening care. This is particularly helpful for dual-income families or for those who need temporary childcare for urgent matters. Moreover, one of the area’s main features is the Hikarigaoka Park, which spans approximately 600,000 square meters and is one of the largest parks in Nerima Ward. People can enjoy a variety of sports such as tennis and baseball, making it a popular spot for families with children.

3rd Place: Ogikubo & Narita Area

Ranked 3rd is the Ogikubo and Narita Area.
The area offers high transportation convenience, with Ogikubo Station serving both the JR Chuo Line and the Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line. It takes just 8 minutes to reach Shinjuku Station, and with easy transfers, the area offers excellent access to most parts of the city center. Notably, the Marunouchi Line is a starting and terminating point, meaning there’s a high chance of getting a seat during commuting hours. However, if you live on the northern side of the Ogikubo and Narita area, such as Iogi or Shimoigusa, you can only access the Seibu Shinjuku Line, which makes it a longer and less direct route to Shinjuku Station.
Regarding the safety of the area, opinions seem to vary depending on whether you’re in the northern or southern part of the region. In the northern part along the Seibu Shinjuku Line, the general impression is that “there aren’t many people on the streets, and the town maintains a calm atmosphere at night.” In contrast, around Ogikubo Station in the southern part, which has more entertainment districts, users comment that it tends to become noisy at night. However, despite these differences, the area as a whole has received a safety score exceeding 4, indicating that it is considered safe overall.
As mentioned earlier, Suginami Ward is particularly focused on child-rearing support among the 23 wards, offering financial assistance that benefits families raising children. The area is also home to several green spaces, such as Otaguro Park, where families with children often gather on weekends to enjoy nature.

4th Place: Asagaya & Koenji Area

Ranked 4th is the Asagaya & Koenji area.

This area, adjacent to the Ogikubo & Narita area, offers access to both the JR Sobu Line and Tokyo Metro Marunouchi Line. Additionally, at Nakano Station, just one stop from Koenji Station, you can transfer to the Tokyo Metro Tozai Line, making access to Shinjuku and other central areas exceptionally convenient. The area is rich in nature, featuring Zenpukuji River Green Space and Sanshinomori Park, both popular cherry blossom viewing spots. With its calm atmosphere and a high number of family residents, users have commented that the area provides a safe and comfortable living environment.
One of the highlights of this area is the variety of local events and festivals held throughout the year. Seasonal events such as the “Koenji Bikkuri Daidogei Festival” in spring, the “Tokyo Koenji Awa Odori” in summer, the “Koenji Festival” in autumn, and the “Koenji Engei Festival” in winter help foster community interaction. For families with children, participating in these festivals provides a great opportunity for cultural experiences. In the Asagaya area, the “Asagaya Nomiya Festival” is held in early November, offering a perfect chance to explore the neighborhood.

■Smocca’s  Recommended Child-Rearing Area: The “Takaido Area” Offering Excellent Accessibility, Safety, and Child-Rearing Environment

In this third article, Smocca strongly recommends the Takaido area in the Josai and Johoku area as the top choice for raising children. It has been selected as the prestigious number one due to its exceptional combination of accessibility, safety, and child-rearing scores, which surpass those of the 35 areas introduced in the previous two articles. In addition, the area’s child-rearing support initiatives, backed by Suginami Ward, further solidify its position as the top recommendation. With excellent access to the city center and a safe environment, this area offers a peaceful, nature-rich setting where both adults and children can surely enjoy fulfilling moments.

＜Child-Rearing Score Ranking＞

Next, we will introduce the “Child-Rearing Score Ranking,” which is created based solely on the “child-rearing environment.” By visualizing the discrepancies between the overall scores and the child-rearing scores, we aim to prevent mismatches that may occur when people realize that living in an area does not match their initial expectations.

■Impact of the Convenience of Transportation in Rankings

When comparing the overall score rankings with the child-rearing score rankings, it became clear that there were some discrepancies in the rankings. Despite having high child-rearing scores, several areas ranked lower in the overall rankings due to many users feeling that the transportation options were inconvenient.

The Momoi area has climbed 8 ranks from the overall rankings, and it is believed that the convenience of transportation played a significant role in limiting its ranking. Among the 15 areas introduced this time, the Momoji area and the Saginomiya & Numabukuro Area were the only two to receive an access score below 4. In the Momoi area, only the Keio Line is accessible, and it seems that a 10-minute walk is required to reach the Keio Inokashira Line. Additionally, the nearby “Okinawa Town” drinking district may have contributed to the lower safety score. However, the area does offer large parks such as Rokakoshun-en Park and Tsukayama Park, and with Suginami Ward’s child-rearing support initiatives and relatively lower supermarket prices, it is undoubtedly a livable neighborhood for families raising children.

The Oizumi & Shakujii area was ranked the same as Nerima area in the overall ranking, but just 0.02 points behind the Asagaya and Koenji area, and placed outside the top 4. In the ranking based solely on child-rearing scores, however, they are ranked 3rd. This is likely due to differences in the convenience of transportation. While the Seibu Ikebukuro Line is available, users have commented that some stations, like Oizumi Gakuen Station, do not have express trains stopping, which often leads to inconvenience.

■ Lastly
There may be information that has become clearer now that the property search criteria, which were previously understood only by district or station, have been aggregated by area. Following the past two articles, this time we focused on the Josai and Johoku areas. In the final article, we will cover the Jonan area and provide a summary of the rankings from all four parts.

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【Method of Calculation】

The rankings are created based on a survey of 582 people from the target area, with the overall score calculated from three evaluation categories: Accessibility, Safety, and Child-Rearing.

・Survey period for the evaluation scores: June 2021 – August 2024

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■About “Chintai Smocca”

Chintai Smocca is a rental search website that allows users to browse rental housing from a database of approximately 5.5 million properties. It aggregates property information listed on various rental information services. The property listings are updated daily, enabling users to easily find fresh rental property information from all over Japan.

［URL］https://smocca.jp/