Walking home from breakfast this morning, I paused along the way at a realtors just to take a look at what kinds of places were available, and it hit me that I hadn't done that in a long, long (very long) time.
Back in the day, I used to browse notices for rental properties all the time. I mean, you never know when something better might come along. Yes, everyone will tell you horror stories about how expensive it is to move here. There are a lot of places that'll want you to pay five month's rent up front - two months as a deposit, two months "key money" (礼金 - reikin), and the first month's rent. But if you look around a bit you should be able to find places where you can avoid most of those fees.
Then there's also the racism you run into here and there. I have walked in to realty shops only to get a big batsu from the staff - arms crossed in an "X" sign meaning don't even come in. There are some renters that outright refuse to rent to non-Japanese. The common excuses are that they're afraid they won't be able to communicate important rental details because of language barriers, or that gaijin are a flight risk, but that's just bullshit. I mean, most places that refuse foreigners will tell you to go to hell before even bothering to find out how much Japanese you speak. Never mind also that you could easily be Japanese but just of mixed race parents.
Anyway, I jumped through all the hurdles and got my current apartment in the summer of 2003. It was fairly cheap because of a lack of parking and the somewhat far distance to the station, but I get a fantastic view of the lake every morning when I leave for work and (now) can sometimes see Mt. Fuji and the Tokyo Sky Tree in the same panorama on a clear day. I love this apartment.
Now, I could ramble on endlessly about 10 years in one place, but I think that's more appropriate for the actual anniversary. So what I'd like to do now is offer some tidbits of advice for anyone thinking of renting in Japan. So here goes.
10 tips for renting in Japan
1. Prod before you sign anything. Find out as much as you can about the room you're going to rent. Is it near the station? Is it near bicycle or car parking? What kind of tenants will be living around you? Are the rooms cable ready? Does internet come with the rental agreement? Is it furnished? How are the facilities? Is the room high enough up that you need an elevator? Think of 100 questions to ask and ask them.
2. Be careful with your choice of realtor. There are a lot of shady rental places in Japan that will try to screw you over big time. The biggest sign they are dirty: if they ask you what your price range is and then pull out 3 sample apartments that are all exactly what you set as your upper limit, just walk away.
3. Negotiate. You may not have much leverage at first, but after living somewhere for a few years it's often very possible to get around 10% of your rent knocked off. I've done this twice. It helps of course if you have a decent relationship with the landlord.
4. Be friendly and expect them to do the same. If the booking agent seems even a bit aloof or dickish, leave and go somewhere else. Odds are the unfriendly types are hiding something from you.
5. Walk the walk. Before you sign the deal, make the actual walk from the nearest station to the apartment. It doesn't matter if you plan on driving all the time, there will be days when you can't and if the walk is a hellish uphill journey it'll eventually be the reason you end up moving.
6. Stay overnight. This one I didn't know about until three years after moving to Japan, but there are a lot of realtors that'll let you spend the night in a place to see what it's like. If there are loud trucks rolling by, partying college kids, or pachinko machines making a ruckus at 2 A.M. trust me, you'll be happy you found out before moving in. Oh, and if you find any of these my advice is to not move there.
7. Find out about the area. When you do the station walk, pay attention to what's nearby. IMO if there isn't both a convenience store and a supermarket within walking distance of an apartment, don't move in. A place gets bonus points if it has a video rental shop, at least one fast food restaurant and a drug store within easy walking distance. Trust me on this.
8. Is the place clean? This is a simple one. If you visit an apartment and it just feels shabby, move on.
9. Is it safe? Japan is overall a country renowned for its safety, but there are areas where bag snatchings or gang activity are common. Of course it's hard to know much about this before moving in, but my one piece of simple advice here would be, if you're moving in to a place near a station, don't ever pick a room on the ground floor. A lot more break-ins occur if the apartment is easy to get to. I say go for a 3rd floor room or higher up if you can.
10. Finally, how is the view? This one is a big reason why I'm still in my current apartment after almost a decade. The scene over the lake is really nice. In the spring there's a line of cherry blossom trees in front of me and in the summer there's a fireworks display that goes off in the park across the street. It is at times a really pretty place and that's important for me.
If you prefer a city scene, get an apartment that at night when you stand on the balcony with a beer in hand you can gaze at the city lights below. In any case, remember: your job and your life will cause you stress, and at the end of the day what do you want to be able to see when you get home?
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OK, that's enough for now. I hope you enjoyed the read and if anyone does have any questions about renting in Japan, feel free to post them in the comments section below.
Have a nice day!
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