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Setagaya
Special ward in Tokyo, Japan

Setagaya

Setagaya is a special ward in the Tokyo Metropolis in Japan.

Plan a trip to Setagaya→From Narita

It is also the name of a neighborhood and administrative district within the ward. Its official bird is the azure-winged magpie, its flower is the fringed orchid, and its tree is the Zelkova serrata.

Get in

Getting to Setagaya

Shimokitazawa is on the Odakyū and Keio Inokashira train lines, just a quick hop from Shinjuku and Shibuya respectively. Most of the action is around the South Exit. Sangenjaya and Futako-Tamagawa are on the Tōkyū Den-en-Toshi train line from Shibuya. Komazawa-Daigaku is also along this line and near Sangenjaya, and the Komazawa University campus is a few minutes from the station.

See

Worth seeing

  1. 01
    Carrot Tower

    This is the tallest building in Setagaya and contains a free observation deck on the 26th floor and Gamefreak Co.

  2. 02
    Gotokuji Temple
  3. 03
    Hanegi Park
  4. 04
    Kinuta Park

    A public park with a museum of modern art.

  5. 05
    Komazawa Olympic Park
  6. 06
    Machiko Hasegawa Museum
Do

Things to do

  1. 01
    Tollywood
  2. 02
    Kuhonbutsu River Green Street

    Take a date, canine friend, or both for an afternoon stroll from Jiyugaoka to Kuhonbutsu.

Eat

Where to eat

Shimokitazawa is your best option for restaurants and bars. La Befana, 5-31-3 Daita (30-second walk from Shimokitazawa West Exit),. Daily 12:00-14:00, 17:30-22:30. Good pizza from wood-fired stone oven, something you will be missing if you are staying for a long time in Japan. The lunch menu is excellent. Setagaya (せたが屋), Nozawa 2-1-2 1F,. 17:00-22:30. A famous ramen restaurant.

  1. 01
    Shiro-Hige’s Cream Puff Factory
  2. 02
    Village Vanguard Diner

    Hamburger shop that has many kinds of very delicious hamburgers.

  3. 03
    Universal Bakes

    Vegan bakery selling coffee, bread and doughnuts.

How locals move

Getting around Setagaya the local way

  • Get inHitchhiking into Tokyo is pretty easy, but hitchhiking out is considerably more difficult.
  • Get inIt's definitely possible for determined cheapskates though, see Hitchhiking in Japan for a detailed list of tested escape routes from the city.
  • Get inKokusai Kogyo Bus (国際興業バス) Keisei Bus (京成バス) Keikyu Bus (京急バス) Keio Bus (Japanese Website) (京王バス) Kanto Bus (関東バス) Nishi Tokyo Bus (Japanese Website) (西東京バス) Odakyu Bus (Japanese Website) (小田急バス) Odakyu Highway Bus (小田急ハイウェイバス) Seibu Bus (西武バス) Tobu Bus (Japanese Website) (東武バス) Tohoku Kyuko Bus (東北急行バス) One of the great ports of the world, Tokyo also has domestic ferry services to other points in Japan.
  • Get inHowever, none of the regular international ferries to Japan call at Tokyo.
  • Get inThe main long-distance ferry terminal is , on an artificial island adjacent to Odaiba in Tokyo Bay.
  • Get inThe main services from this terminal are: Ferries to the Izu and Ogasawara Islands leave from Takeshiba Terminal (竹芝客船ターミナル), adjacent to Takeshiba station on the Yurikamome line.
  • Get inInternational ferries and cargo ferries that also take passengers can leave from other terminals too, enquire with your shipping company.
  • Get aroundThe private lines are useful for day trips outside the city, and are usually slightly cheaper than JR.

From Wikivoyage: Tokyo, CC BY-SA. Not yet checked by us. Last edited 2026-09.

Text adapted from Wikipedia and Wikivoyage, CC BY-SA 4.0. Photograph: Wikimedia Commons (see file page), Wikimedia Commons.