The Commercial district is much more urban in appearance than any other area of Tomoeda. It is easy to see the area is much closer to central NeoTokyo and the hustle and bustle of the city, with cars racing from place to place, and people crowding the streets. It is not as intense as in central NeoTokyo, this seems to be a more suburban area, though still within the confines of the city. Tomoeda would be the place to find casual dining experences or things that are harder to find in downtown NeoTokyo. There are also computer stores and music and manga stores lining the streets - usually near the local coffee house, yet Tomoeda is still small enough a neighborhood that rolling ramen carts still can be seen on the streets.
Tomoeda's School District seems a cross between the Commercial and Residential districts. It is quite urban but also has a large number of trees. The buildings in this part of the neighborhood are immense, large square parcels of land divided by chain-link fence and separated from the street by a large brick wall. The only break in the masonry is for the small staircase into the common yard of the three schools, with gates that open only for mornings and afternoons. At all other times, the gates are closed tight - either to prevent tardy students sneaking in, or students that are in from sneaking out, though this is billed as for the safety of the students and the schools. The elementary and middle schools share a soccer pitch and baseball diamond, and the high school has both basketball court and football field.
This area of Tomoeda seems to be the least developed of all the districts. There are paved sidewalks and a street, but the area seems to be mostly trees, grass, and wildlife. On one side of the street is the Tomoeda public recreation area, but the locals have nicknamed it Penguin Park after the centerpiece of its playground. On the opposing side of the street is the Torii of the second biggest Shinto shrine in Japan. The kanji on the top of the Torii identify the shrine built into the mountain as 'Tsukimine.' The rather heart-attack provoking staircase that leads up to the top of the mountain would look intimidating to all but the most fit of people. This district has the most lovely scent of all the areas in the district, and birds and Chichita chirp proudly and loudly throughout all the warm weather days.
Think 'houses,' lots and lots of houses, really close together. Suburban living at its finest! The residential district is just far enough from the city that there are no real apartment buildings, but still close enough that there are moderately tall buildings, particularly near the commercial district. It is quiet and the air is clear thanks to the foliage but the area still maintains the feel of being within a city. Quiet and relatively free of crime, Tomoeda's Residential District seems the perfect area to raise a family or to retire to, yet not as provincial as to make one think they live out in the country.
