Tokyo’s Jimb?ch? district has been crowned the world’s coolest neighborhood for 2025 by Time Out, leading a diverse ranking that celebrates urban areas defined by culture, community, and distinct local character. Known as a bibliophile’s paradise, Jimb?ch? boasts around 130 vintage bookstores, retro cafés, and popular curry houses, blending the city’s literary history with a thriving contemporary coffee scene.
Compiled from global editor insights and local surveys, Time Out’s annual list evaluates neighborhoods based on culture, livability, food and drink, community engagement, and an elusive “sense of nowness”—the feeling of being at the heart of something special and current. This year, the ranking favors spots prized by residents as well as tourists, bringing lesser-known enclaves into the spotlight.
The top five includes Antwerp’s creative Borgerhout, São Paulo’s Barra Funda, the multicultural Camberwell in London, and Chicago’s Avondale, celebrated for its small businesses, retro bowling alley, and vibrant local music scene. Each neighborhood offers a blueprint for vibrant, inclusive, and sustainable urban living—showcasing how unique local identity and community spirit can create destinations worth exploring.
Certainly, there are many interesting neighborhoods on the list worth checking out if you happen to be in the area!
