Location

1-chome Shoto is a quiet high-class residential hilltop next to Nabeshima Park. Shoto Nagaya is a 7-minute walk from Shinsen Station and a 10-minute walk from Shibuya station. From Shibuya Station you have access to 8 different train lines: JR Yamanote Line, JR Chuo Line, the Tokyo Metro Lines (Hibiya, Ginza, Hanzomon, Chiyoda), Tokyu Toyoko Line, and the Keio Inokashira Line. You can easily get to most of the popular areas in Tokyo within 20-minutes via train.

There’s lots to see on the walk to Shibuya Station from this property. Heading out from the apartment going right and following the paths to the right, you’ll reach Bunkamura and the Shoto Post Office. Taking a left at Bunkamura you’ll pass the Tokyu Department Main Store on your left. Following the main street to the right, you’ll pass through an area that’s considered a center of youth culture with many commercial facilities to your left and right. Continue heading straight along the Bunkamura-dori St. and you will find yourself at the Shibuya Scramble crossing. Once across the street you will be at Hachiko Square and in front of Shibuya Station.

The area currently known as Shoto was originally the location of the residence of the Kishu Tokugawa family and later the Nabeshima family. Nabeshima Naohiro, lord of the former Saga Domain, turned the area into tea fields and named it “Shoto-en” (transl. Shoto Garden). Today the Shoto part of its name still remains. After a couple of decades, the tea garden closed and a farm was opened. In the wake of the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, the Nabeshima family sold their land which later became a luxury residential area. Hidesaburo Ueno, aka Eizaburo (1875-1925)—who was a professor at formerly University of Tokyo and is known as the owner of a famous loyal dog “Hachiko”, was a resident of Shoto. Part of land belonging to the Nabeshima family’s residence was developed as a park after World War II and became what is known today as Nabeshima Shoto Park. As Shoto has good living environment and the convenience of living close to Shibuya, many stars and celebrities reside here.

Located around the corner, the Nabeshima Park is a place of relaxation where you can enjoy watching a waterwheel running in a spring pond and see various animals who call the pond home. During spring, when cherry blossoms bloom, it becomes a popular cherry blossom viewing spot in the neighborhood. If you take a walk in the opposite direction, within walking distance you will find Yoyogi Park. At Yoyogi Park you can enjoy a weekend walk in surrounded by lush greenery.

There are many art museums and cultural facilities in the immediate neighborhood. Within a 5-minute walk there is the Toguri Museum of Art, The Shoto Museum of Art, and Bunkamura. A little further away, still within walking distance, is the Nezu Museum. Shoto has various opportunities for residents and visitors alike to experience high-level art and culture without going too far.

As there are public schools within the neighborhood and the educational district of Komaba (where many prestigious schools are located) and the British School in Tokyo (near Shibuya Station) are within walking distance, the location is desirable for families with children and foreign families alike.