Neat low-rise homes and parks laid out by land readjustment on both sides of JR Naruse Station, with the cherry-lined Onda River to the north
Naruse Station is built on a slope, with the station building below the platform: seen from the north exit it looks like an elevated station, but from the south exit it looks like an underground one. The neighbourhood north of the station is called Minami-Naruse, and the one south of the station is called Narusegaoka, with the railway line forming the exact boundary between the two. The character "南" (south) in Minami-Naruse isn't relative to the station - it refers to the southern half of the old Naruse village, since the original settlement was further north. The area around the station, almost 100 hectares, was developed into a residential neighbourhood in the 1970s through land readjustment (replotting land and straightening roads).
Looking at our street photos, greenery ranks 11th out of Tokyo's 174 neighbourhoods, the best of the seven categories for this neighbourhood. The streets are clean too, ranking 28th for cleanliness. Along the Onda River to the north, both banks are lined with cherry trees, and in spring a cherry blossom festival is held centred around the Naruse Chuo Bridge area. Both riverbanks have cycling paths, so you can also take a stroll along the river anytime. Minami-Naruse is home to the Machida Municipal General Gymnasium, which serves as the home ground for ASV Pescadola Machida of Japan's top futsal league (the F League) - it's about a 10-minute walk from the north exit. Every year on the first weekend of August, the Naruse Festival is held at the roundabout by the north exit.
The Yokohama Line's Rapid service doesn't stop at Naruse, so you can only take the Local; public transport ranks 170th out of 174 neighbourhoods, the weakest of the seven categories. There are a few supermarkets near the station including Seijo Ishii, but daily shopping only ranks 167th - if you live further from the station, you'll have a bit of a walk for groceries. Minami-Naruse is entirely hilly with very little flat land, so when house-hunting it's worth actually walking the route to the station.
The place name "Naruse" comes from the residence here of Naruse Shirotaro, a member of the medieval warrior band Yokoyama-to. Shiroyama Park in Minami-Naruse is said to be the site of Naruse Castle, a satellite fortress of Kozukue Castle in Yokohama. In 1889, Naruse Village merged with four nearby villages to form Minami Village, which was then absorbed into Machida Town in 1954. The land readjustment project around the station was established in 1972, with the land exchange completed in June 1979. Naruse Station opened in April of that same year, and Minami-Naruse 1-chome through 7-chome were newly established in June.
In April 2025, Minami-Naruse Elementary School and Minami Dai-ni Elementary School merged into "Naruse Elementary School". Until the new school building is completed, the old Minami-Naruse Elementary School building will be used, with prefabricated classrooms added. The new school building is being constructed on the site of the old Minami Dai-ni Elementary School in Naruse 7-chome by the Onda River, and Machida City plans for it to be in use from the 2028 academic year (Japan's academic year starts in April).
Compared with the 174 Tokyo neighbourhoods in this guide (scores 0–10)
52 blocks · Curated boundary · Data version 2026-10-04
Compared against the Tokyo neighbourhoods in this guide; metrics without enough data are not ranked. Shopping counts convenience stores plus the nearer of a supermarket or a traditional market (public and private retail markets); night markets, vendor zones and shopping-street shops are not counted. Transit is rail-first with a lower weight for buses.
TidyMap rates the street environment and everyday convenience. It does not assess the home itself, safety, noise or actual living experience. About data limits
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How to read it: yellow = poor, blue = good; grey = not enough data
TidyMap rates the street environment and everyday convenience. It does not assess the home itself, safety, noise or actual living experience. Street environment scores use AI assessments of imagery; convenience scores use public facility data.
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