Sangenjaya, located in Setagaya Ward, is one of the well-known commercial areas and, like Jiyugaoka and Kichijoji, often ranks high on lists of "most desirable places to live".

Its proximity to Shibuya, reputation as a neighborhood where many celebrities reside, and its influence on the cafe boom have led to it being described as a "fashionable" and "trendy" area.

The Carrot Tower, a mixed-use building constructed as part of urban redevelopment projects, serves as a landmark near Sangen-jaya Station on the Tokyu Den-en-toshi Line and Tokyu Setagaya Line, though it is officially located in Taishido, not Sangenjaya.

The name "Sangen-jaya" (literally "three tea houses") derives from the presence of three tea houses, Shigaraki (later Ishibashirou), Sumiya, and Tanakaya, located near the bifurcation of the Oyama Road and Noborito Road, bustling with the temple visitation boom from the mid-Edo period.

The area is the basis for a district called Yongen-Jaya in the video game Persona 5 and its spin-offs, just outside of Shibuya.