# Japan Neighborhoods

> The first English-language platform providing neighborhood-level crime statistics for Tokyo, Japan. Powered by 7 years of official government data.

## About

Japan Neighborhoods provides crime statistics, safety scores, property prices, and demographic data for 5,078 neighborhoods across Tokyo's 23 special wards and 26 Tama-area cities. All data comes from official Japanese government sources — not crowdsourced.

Founded by Yoshiki Utsunomiya, a Tokyo-based data engineer.

## Data Sources

- **Crime Statistics**: Tokyo Metropolitan Police Department (警視庁), annual reports 2018-2024, 36,222 records
- **Population Data**: 2020 National Census (国勢調査), Statistics Bureau of Japan
- **Property Prices**: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) REINFOLIB API
- **Station Data**: 649 Tokyo railway stations with walking distance to each neighborhood
- **License**: Crime data is CC BY 4.0 (Tokyo Open Data), requires source attribution

## Key Pages & Guides

- Homepage: https://japanneighborhoods.com/
- Tokyo Overview (23 wards + 26 cities ranked): https://japanneighborhoods.com/tokyo
- Interactive Crime Map (3,110 neighborhoods): https://japanneighborhoods.com/guides/tokyo-crime-map
- Is Tokyo Safe? (data analysis): https://japanneighborhoods.com/guides/is-tokyo-safe
- Safest Neighborhoods in Tokyo (Top 25): https://japanneighborhoods.com/guides/safest-neighborhoods-tokyo
- Cheapest Places to Live in Tokyo: https://japanneighborhoods.com/guides/cheapest-places-live-tokyo
- Tokyo 23 Ward Comparison: https://japanneighborhoods.com/guides/tokyo-ward-comparison
- Tokyo Rent & Prices by Ward: https://japanneighborhoods.com/guides/tokyo-rent-by-ward
- Safest Tokyo for Families: https://japanneighborhoods.com/guides/safest-tokyo-for-families
- Ward Comparisons (e.g.): https://japanneighborhoods.com/compare/shibuya-vs-shinjuku
- About & Methodology: https://japanneighborhoods.com/about

## URL Structure

- `/tokyo` — All Tokyo wards ranked by average crime rate
- `/tokyo/{ward}` — All neighborhoods in a ward, ranked by safety, with property prices and Cost Index
- `/tokyo/{ward}/{neighborhood}` — Individual neighborhood with 7-year crime trend, breakdown by category, demographics, and nearest stations
- `/guides/{topic}` — Data-driven guide articles
- `/compare/{ward1}-vs-{ward2}` — Side-by-side ward comparisons

## Safety Grading System

- **A+**: ≤ 2.0 crimes per 1,000 residents (Very Safe)
- **A**: ≤ 5.0 (Safe)
- **B**: ≤ 10.0 (Average)
- **C**: ≤ 20.0 (Below Average)
- **D**: ≤ 50.0 (High Crime)
- **F**: > 50.0 (Very High Crime — typically commercial/entertainment districts)

## Key Facts (2024 Data)

- **Safest ward**: Suginami (4.4 crimes per 1,000 residents)
- **Most dangerous ward**: Shinjuku (77.2/1K — inflated by entertainment district foot traffic)
- **Safest neighborhood**: Minami-Ogikubo 2-chome, Suginami (0.24/1K)
- **Total neighborhoods covered**: 5,078 (23 special wards + 26 Tama cities)
- **Total crimes in Tokyo 23 wards (2024)**: 70,081
- **Most common crime**: Bicycle theft
- **Year-over-year change**: +6.4% (2023→2024)
- **5 safest wards**: Suginami, Setagaya, Nerima, Ota, Meguro
- **Median condo price (23 wards)**: ¥40.7M ($270K USD)
- **Cheapest ward**: Adachi (Cost Index 59)
- **Most expensive ward**: Minato (Cost Index 210+)

## Crime Categories Tracked (37 subcategories)

1. Serious crimes (robbery, arson)
2. Assault (battery, injury, threats, extortion, weapons)
3. Burglary (residential, commercial, school, office, shop)
4. Theft (bicycle, shoplifting, pickpocketing, vehicle, motorcycle, purse snatching)
5. Fraud
6. Other offenses (intellectual crimes, gambling, lost property)

## Important Notes

- Crime rates use residential population (2020 Census). Business districts with low residential population (e.g., Marunouchi, Kabukicho) show inflated per-capita rates.
- Data covers reported/recognized crimes only.
- Property prices are from MLIT REINFOLIB API (actual transaction data, not listing prices).
- Cost Index: ward's median condo price relative to 23-ward average (100 = average).

## Sitemap

https://japanneighborhoods.com/sitemap.xml

## Contact

hello@japanneighborhoods.com — For data licensing, media inquiries, research partnerships, or corrections.