Originally Posted by
jib71
So which places in outer Tokyo metro are not undifferentiated crud?
Let me set some arbitrary parameters -
- Outside the Yamanote line
- Within 30km of Nihonbashi as the karasu flies
You may include places that are crud (provided they're differentiated) or undifferentiated (but not crud)
I nominate Sangenjaya, Kichijojii, Shibamata, and Disney Land ...
Westward, I think it's all crud until you get to Takao-san, Ome, and Okutama. I love Okutama, really a nice place. Northward, all crap until Annakaharuna or closer to Nikko. Southward, you have to go all the way past Atami, into Izu-hanto before declaring victory. And East, it doesn't lose its cruddy patina until Narita town and beyond, although the Northeast angle at Mito and Tsukuba isn't too bad.
There are pockets here and there, of course. Nokogiryama in Chiba comes to mind, very neat, and Kamakura and the Enoshima area are quite nice.