Tama Art University's Hachioji Campus is reached by bus from Hachioji Station. Here are the 15 cheapest stations within roughly 30 minutes* of it, sorted by studio rent. Balancing rent and commute time is the key to a comfortable first apartment in Tokyo — start your search from this list.
Tama Art University fixes each department to a campus: apart from the Integrated Design and Scenography, Drama and Dance departments (based at Kaminoge), the great majority of Fine Arts departments commute to the Hachioji campus, with no relocation between years.
This site lists Hachioji Station as the nearest, but in practice the shortest bus ride is from Hashimoto Station (JR Yokohama Line and Keio Sagamihara Line) — about 8 minutes from the north exit straight to campus. From Hachioji Station the bus takes about 20 minutes, though the station area's shopping makes it attractive. Minami-Osawa, with its outlet mall, and Seiseki-Sakuragaoka, about 30 minutes to Shinjuku by express, are also in the mix.
In the ranking below, Minami-Osawa (11th) matches reality, but the two key access stations — Hashimoto and Hachioji — are missing, while distant stations like Sagamiko and Fujino, hard to imagine as real commutes, sit near the top. Treat bus-connected Hashimoto as your first candidate, factor in rent levels at Hachioji and Minami-Osawa, and use the ranking as a supplement.
Sagamiko fronts its namesake lake with a direct Chuo Line ride to Hachioji and Shinjuku — lakeside living on a commuter line.
Fujino is an artists' town in the mountains past Lake Sagami, with a direct Chuo Line ride to Hachioji and Shinjuku — rural life within commuting reach.
Takaosanguchi sits at the foot of Mt. Takao with an onsen by the station and ~50-minute Keio expresses to Shinjuku — the archetype of mountain-base commuting.
Hakonegasaki (no relation to Hakone) is Mizuho Town's Hachiko Line station near Yokota Air Base, with Route 16 roadside shopping and Tachikawa access via Haijima.
Katakura is a hilly Yokohama Line suburb of Hachioji with walkable access to Keio-Katakura — two practical lines, modest rents.
Higashi-Fussa sits beside Yokota Air Base, where Route 16's Americana shops give the area its distinct flavor.
Higashi-Akiru mixes homes and farmland along the Akigawa terraces, with Tachikawa/Shinjuku access via Haijima.
Haijima is a four-line hub (Ome, Itsukaichi, Hachiko, Seibu Haijima) with solid station-front shopping — a high-value base for western Tama.
Kita-Hachioji serves an industrial-residential mix one stop from Hachioji's Chuo Line hub — practical for local factory and logistics workers.
In Japan there are often only a few weeks between acceptance and the start of term. A furnished apartment cuts both the setup work and the upfront costs, so you can start student life right away. See the Housing Guide (furnished / share house / standard rental) →
See the results-to-move-in timeline →
Compare rents line by line on the line index, or explore the area map.
*Travel times are estimates based on local trains (plus ~6 min per transfer). Express services are often faster.
*Rents are market estimates based on SUUMO listings and vary by season and property. Station data: ©ekidata.jp