”Living in Tokyo” Are you an expat looking to relocate to Tokyo? Wanting to know which area of Tokyo is best for you to live in? Then, it is useful to know about the locality. Tokyo, the capital of Japan, is a prefecture with an area of about 90 km (56 mi) elongated from the west end to the east. People often imagine Tokyo as an entire urban area with high-rise buildings, but it is just a central part of the prefecture. Mountains, nature reserves, university towns, rural residential areas, the bay area with condo towers, and even 11 offshore islands are all part of Tokyo's multifaceted landscape. The Tokyo prefecture can be divided into four regions from west to east: specifically, the Western Tama Area in the west, the amid area Eastern Tama Area, and the rest in the eastern side Tokyo 23 Wards (=ku) West/East District. Central Tokyo falls on the 23-ward area of 627.6 sq km (242.3 sq mi) developed with commercial and residential districts. The expat-friendly places are mostly in the West District of 23 wards, including Shibuya-ku, Minato-ku, and Meguro-ku. International supermarkets, international schools, English-speaking dentists and hospitals, Japanese language schools, and diverse restaurants can be found easily in this area, which is why many expats relocate. Expats also live East District of 23 wards, where housing rental costs are relatively lower. Some expat-friendly towns are likely increasing in the eastern district since local communities of people from countries are growing there.