I’ve been living in Japan for 8yrs now. My colleagues and friends always teased me that MOVING OUT is my hobby. Being able to live in different places every year is something I look forward to. Downside is, it is actually very stressful, more over expensive. So let me share some simple tips to lessen that stress!

TIP 1. Location? What are you looking for? City Center like Tokyo? Is it convenience? Transportation accessibility and distance to the station. Near work? If with family with kids, consider their school as well. Tokyo alone has 23 wards.

23 Wards of Tokyo

TIP 2. LAYOUT? Here in Japan every time you search you will encounter 1R, 1K, 1DK, 1LDK, etc. These abbreviations will help you to understand, R as Room, D as Dinning, K as Kitchen L as Living and the number before the letter stands for number of rooms. (Below sample image)

TIP 3. BUDGET? (Ex. Y70,000-Y100,000) You need to be READY for the TOTAL MOVE IN COST FEE. Expect that it’s going to be pricey since you have to pay for the DEPOSIT and KEY MONEY. But there are times when some of the agencies have campaigns like NO DEPOSIT and KEY MONEY payment. So better to be patient and diligent. (Below sample computation)

And lastly, once you decide, it’s time to call for an agent. Some sites have a portion “Contact Agent” Take note that most of the agents can’t speak English, better to have a friend who can speak Japanese to help you out. Based on my experienced I encountered not so polite agent because I am a gaijin (foreigner), don’t fret most agents are very nice and kind. They will assist you up to the last step, which is contract signing, Key issuance, and moving day.

INQUIRY SMAPLE

Remember Location, Layout, Budget and Real Estate (Fudouyasan).