Housing in Japan is one of the biggest subjects of complaint among foreign residents - it is generally expensive and cramped and often needs to be completely furnished. Vast swathes of the population live in blocks of tiny apartments, known completely inappropriately as 'manshon' - gardens are basically non- existent, although virtually all housing has reasonable sized balconies. Prices vary depending on how close to the city and transport you are, age of the building (any building over twenty years old is considered somewhat old), type of building, facilities etc. Contracts are usually for two years and are normally extendable for a fee equalling around 1 months rent.
Real estate agents or 'Fudosan' advertise housing by the type of accommodation and the number of rooms. An 'apaato ' is generally made of wood and a 'manshon' of concrete, with the latter being preferable due to better heat and sound insulation. The rooms are described by letters - K=Kitchen, DK= a combined Kitchen/diner and LDK= a Dining/Kitchen with some extra space that can be used as a living room.
The number added to these letters will be the number of other rooms included.
For example:
1K= 1 room plus a kitchen
2LDK. = 2 rooms plus a combination living room/dining room/kitchen.
The rooms are generally measured by tatami, a Japanese style mat which is slightly less than 1m X 2m.
Finding a place to live in Japan is no easy task. Deciding on the area means a compromise between convenience, size and cost and a look at some of the weekly and monthly rental magazines will give you a pretty good idea of what is available. These publications are in Japanese however with a bilingual train map and a bit of patience it doesn't take long to work out what's what. Once you decide where you want to live you will need to take a trip to the area to visit some 'Fudosan' and see what properties are available.
A word of warning here - unfortunately looking for a place to live in Japan is one activity where it is highly likely that you will come across some rather entrenched and blatant racism. Due to real and not so real worries, a sizable proportion of landlords will refuse to entertain the thought of renting to foreigners, especially if they have no means of communicating with them. You maybe lucky and not come across any problems, but it is more likely you will suddenly find vacant properties suddenly becoming unavailable or other similar ploys. What makes it even worse is that as the law is so vague in this area, there is practically nothing you can do - my advice is to try and ignore it and move on to the next property.
For this reason and to make everything else a little smoother it is very advisable to take a Japanese speaking friend along with you when you start your search. Most agents will not be able to speak English and if nothing else will be unable to explain the finer points of the deal if they cannot communicate with you.
Another point to note is that the majority of contracts will require the signature of a Japanese guarantor who must be willing and able to indemnify the landlord from any loss or damage you may cause. Very often the tenants company will take on this role but if that is not possible a friend or relative maybe able to help, although certain proof of income is required. As a last resort there are some professional guarantor companies who, for a fee, will act as your guarantor - not horrendously expensive but a painful process with lots of paperwork required.
Having decided on your new home the fun really starts. The hardest part to cope with is the 4 - 6 months rent you will be forced to pay to the landlord and agent as a precursor to moving in. The breakdown is as follows:
Reikin or key money (0 - 3 months) - this is a non returnable 'gift' to the landlord for allowing you to let his apartment Japanese and foreigners alike are forced to pay this money and no matter what you thoughts, if you do not pay, it is unlikely you will find anywhere to live.
Shikikin or deposit (1 -4 months)- this is to cover damage caused by the renter. It is very rare that this will be returned in full.
Realtor's fees (1 month)- monies paid to the real estate agent for his introduction.
On top of these costs most apartments will be unfurnished and will need all fittings and furnishing, including basics like curtains and light bulbs upto refrigerators and ovens.
The big exceptions to these rules are expat. housing, weekly manshons and gaijin houses. Expat housing is normally much larger and more expensive than the norm and is situated in convenient and central locations. Often these will be semi furnished and the rents will be paid for by the occupiers company - a definite plus and without doubt the best way to go if you can.
Weekly manshons are short stay apartments, once again normally centrally located and fully furnished. They tend to be rather cramped and expensive but offer an alternative for tin the short term.
Gaijin housing is somewhat like a house share, with a group of people sharing the rooms and facilities of a house or apartment. They tend to be somewhat run down and a little off the beaten track, however are usually cheap, furnished and require no key money or landlord fees.
Some Real Estate Agencies and Advisory Centres contact information can be found on our links page.
