Tokyo Zokei University is about a 15-minute walk from Aihara 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.
Tokyo Zokei University runs a single campus in Hachioji City, where every Formative Arts student spends all four years — no relocation involved. From Aihara Station on the JR Yokohama Line, a free school bus reaches campus in about 5 minutes (or a 15-minute walk).
The real favorite is Aihara itself, directly served by the school bus, with rents in the low ¥50,000s. Neighboring Hashimoto Station is a terminal with Keio Line access to central Tokyo and redevelopment-driven shopping, and some frame the choice as "Aihara to save on rent, Hashimoto for convenience." Katakura, Hachioji-Minamino, and Tamasakai are also popular with students.
The ranking below overlaps with reality unusually well — Katakura, Hachioji-Minamino, Minami-Hashimoto, Tamasakai, and Hashimoto all match genuine student favorites. The one big gap: Aihara itself, the school-bus hub, doesn't appear. Use the Aihara rent level as your baseline, then compare the matching stations in the ranking.
Katakura is a hilly Yokohama Line suburb of Hachioji with walkable access to Keio-Katakura — two practical lines, modest rents.
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