In 1982, things were looking up for Gotanda. It was the headquarters of Sony — the hottest electronics company on the planet. A building boom of office buildings, karaoke and capsule hotels hit the neighborhood. Today, Gotanda looks much like it did in 1982.





Companies in Tokyo want their headquarters in the neighborhoods and buildings with the most status. It looks good on a website and a business card. Somewhere along the line Gotanda became unfashionable — that was it. The area hasn't seen a lot of investment since.

In 2006, Sony moved their headquarters to nearby Shinagawa, Minato Ward (they maintain a technology center in Gotanda).

Charm

Gotanda has red light district that's a much smaller version of Shinjuku's Kabukicho.

The area has plenty of cheap eateries and nightlife. The general 1980s feel of Gotanda is charming enough.











The business district around Gotanda is filled with manufacturing firms. There's also a surprisingly green residential district in the area.

Convenience

Gotanda is located beside Shinagawa (one of the most convenient locations in the city). It's also close to upscale residential districts such as Meguro and Ebisu.

Gotanda's many hotels represent a good value at a convenient spot.

Renewal

Tokyo land is too expensive to languish forever. Gotanda sits on the Meguro river. Just down the river Nakameguro was a dive area in the 1980s — now it's one of Tokyo's best residential neighborhoods.

The river looks like this in Nakameguro.



In Gotanda the river looks more like this.



Gotanda is ranked #5 of 8 best Salary Man neighborhoods in Tokyo

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