
HOUSING Buying a house in Japan, then be prepared to work hard for it. Most cases, you need to speak Japanese well or have a Japanese speaking person who can spend several days helping you. Real estate prices are coming down in Japan. (1) BASIC PROCES I have no idea how you'll make decisions on where to live. But one thing that makes Japan interesting is that you'll find big differences in Tokyo, farming town lacking in basic services while the very next train station features a modern mall with all the amenities. This is one contrast. Some cities look very clean and nice, while others are busy . You can live in a place with convenient transportation options, or in a (usually cheaper) place where you have to use a car or ride the bus to go anywhere. (2) Determine how much space and rent fee you need, including the number of rooms and approximate square meters. My house is 110 square meters. That's considered small in other contry. But it's bigger than average here. Another way to measure space is in the number of Tatami mats that fit in each room. A big room would be 6 or more Tatami mats in size. You can callcuttu tatami by 3.3. My bedroom has 8 Tatamis, If you want a living space where you can relax (especially as a family), you may be happier with an L (living room) that measures 14 Tatamis or more. 2DK - 2 rooms plus a dining/kitchen / 3DK - 3 rooms plus a dining/kitchen 4DK - rooms plus a dining/kitchen / 2LDK - 3 rooms, a living room, plus a dining/kitchen 3LDK - 3 rooms, a living room, plus a dining/kitchen / S - extra storage space . (3) MANSION,APARTMENT Finding a house, "mansion," or apartment. A "mansion" is basically a nicer, usually newer apartment building (usually built better than apartment buildings, The cost is basically highest for a house, then mansion, then apartments. (4)Once you know the town where you will live, go to the nearest train station/Internet. You will find local realtor's offices located on the main streets right around the station. You can most likely visit them one by one on foot. The offices are easily identifiable by the postings they all have in their windows (see the picture above or get there card and check the one you like in the internet). At the realtors office, you can look at the available apartments too (sometimes they'll have stacks of them on sheets of paper). (5) Them will give you rental application form to fill. The owner will need to approve you (not just the application, but the kind of person you are). Many owners will not rent to foreigners. Aside from any prejudices the owner may have, there are practical reasons for this: foreigners often don't speak the language, understand unspoken rules about how you treat an apartment (e.g., they may wear shoes inside, put pictures and posters on the walls, make loud noises, etc Technically, it's illegal to discriminate against foreigners in housing, but owners don't need to explain why they turn people down. In addition, you will be asked to provide a Japanese/your company"guarantor." That's kind of like a co-signer on a loan. if you can find one. Don't despair. Japanese people also have to find guarantors when they rent or make other kinds of transactions. If you have a Japanese friend he or she may be willing to help. (6) Don't count on getting approved the first time though. Next you will establish a date to move in and pay a substantial amount of money up front. Generally,advance payment will be 3 to 6 times the amount of one month's rent. So if you're monthly rent is 200,000yen, you'd need to pay up to 1,200,000 in advance just to move in. You may get some of your Deposit back later, but don't count on all. Iet me make you understand what all the advance money is for, (1) 2 months Deposit,(2) 2 months Key money to thank the owner of the house for giving you the apartment,(3) Rent fee for the month you want to move in,(4) The Agent fee.Don't get angry about this that's the way it is here in Japan.

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