Okubo's image varies widely. To some people, it's a nasty urban jungle filled with sleaze. To others, it's a foreign world of fascination.
And for some newcomers from overseas, it may be the only place where one can feel at ease.
Since the bubble era of the late 1980s, the area centering around JR Shin-Okubo Station in Shinjuku Ward has been known for its high density of foreign residents, especially those from East and Southeast Asian countries.