View At Home:Finding a Place
Only a small percentage of people living in Japan inhabit the countryside, leaving the remainder (most likely including you) to fight for space in the cities. Consequently, homes may be much smaller than you are used to, probably without a garden and much closer to your neighbours than you may prefer.
Homes are categorised as either ‘appatou’ (short for apartments and are wooden one-floor homes in a one- or two-storey building) or ‘manshon’ (concrete one-floor homes in a several-storey building). There are also Western-style two-storey or more houses that tend to be inhabited by wealthy Japanese families or are provided by companies to foreigners on ex-pat packages. There are also ‘gaijin’ houses, filled with foreigners who each have a small private or shared room and communal kitchen, lounge, and bathroom facilities.
The size specifications for apaatos and manshons are: 1K (a room and a kitchen), 1DK (a room and a kitchen/dining room), 1LDK (a room, a living room, and a kitchen/dining room). A 2LDK means the place has an extra room.
Priorities
It’s important to sort your priorities when looking for a place to live. City centres (especially Tokyo) are expensive, but the benefits of living close to your work and where you like to go out will become more apparent the longer you live in Japan. You may have to pay a bit more rent, but you’ll save on travel expenses and gain some peace of mind.
Guarantors
In most cases you need a guarantor to rent an apartment, and there are many agencies that speak English and specifically rent to foreigners. Note that a guarantor is also required for Japanese people seeking a new home.
For those on ex-pat packages or earning higher incomes, your employer may assist you with finding an apartment, or you can go to one of the posher estate agents. In many cases, your company will pay your rent, and expatriate housing is significantly nicer than what I described above.
Cost
Unique to Japan is the ‘key money’ system. Key money is between one- and three-month’s rent; it is non-returnable and payable to the landlord/lady as a ‘gift’
You will also pay a damage deposit; this can be up to three-month’s rent and, theoretically, is returned to you when you leave. The reality, however, is that rarely will you see any of your deposit when you leave, regardless of how conspicuously cleaned and repaired you leave your place.
The third payment you have to make will be required if you find the apartment through an agency, in which case you have to pay them the equivalent of a month’s rent. Many of the agencies that deal with foreigners don’t charge an agency fee, but check first.
When you calculate everything, including one month’s rent in advance, a new apartment could cost you up to eight month’s rent. However, don’t despair, if you take your time and look very carefully then you can find a fairly decent apartment without spending a fortune.