A lot of you seem to read my first blog detailing what my apartment in Ohtawara looked like - HERE, and that's cool! The blog provides an accurate description of my apartment in Ohtawara, Japan.
However, I want you to know that should you ever come to live in Japan, you are NOT going to get a place like what I have described. The place provided to me, was the exception and definitely not the rule. I don't want to mislead you (at least not like this).
Your apartment in Japan is going to be small. It will be so small that the mice will all be hunchbacked (I believe all mice are, but that's beside the point).
Apartments in Japan - size and rental cost is first of all determined by location. Big cities like Tokyo... you could have a place that's a 3m x 3m tatami-matted room with a shared bathroom... and that's it. Kitchen? Bedroom? No. Just one small room. But what do you care? You'll be out working or seeing the sights anyway, right? Ri-iiiiight. So, what might a small place like this cost? Try US $2000 (200,000 Yen) a month? Outside of Tokyo, the prices begin to come down, of course...
What did my mansion cost? Well, I was maybe 200km north of Tokyo... the place was a 3-bedroom, living room-dining room-kitchen (ldk) with a large bathroom area complete with a separate shower stall and a separate water closet. There was also a gas heater for hot water... lots of amenities like washer/dryer, stove, microwave, etc... I paid 30,000 Yen (or $300 US) per month... The place was subsidized by the OBOE (my bosses).. in reality, the full rental costs would have been around $1200 (120,000 yen).
For example... my girlfriend Ashley's place was a hovel. I hated it.There were two tatami rooms (each about 3m x 3m (or less)... there was a long, narrow kitchen with tile. She did have a bathroom ... with a sink, Japanese toilet with a western toilet perched atop it that was difficult and dangerous to use... but the bathtub... oh, dear god... I watch Ashley use it once... pouring hot water from the sink into it... she sat down, scrunched up her knees and soaked. It's like what they used to use in the old west of the US. These tubs are called furo.. or if we look HERE - and see the first line, it is written in a more honourable way ofuro (see another blog for more honour and dishonour - ONANI). So... what did Ashley pay in rent? If memory serves me correctly, it was about 12,000 Yen ($120 US).
So... she was able to save more money than me, but I'd rather pay more and live in comfort anyday...but, as my girlfriend, she spent most of her time living in luxury at my place (ate my food, too)... all of which meant that not only did I spend more on rent, I spent a lot more on groceries. On the plus side, I got sex. I traded food and shelter for sex. Dating or legalized prostitution? You decide. Of course, I was too blind to see any of that - probably too much onani.
Oh... I almost forgot... whenever you rent an apartment, it's not unusual for the owner to ask for something called reikin (key money).
Reikin is a mandatory payment made by the renter to the landlord. It is a gift, and is not a deposit that is returned when you leave. It's a scam, in my opinion, but it's a legal scam.
Sometimes you'll get lucky and the reiken is the same amount as the original deposit (shikikin) which is the equivalent of two or three months rent. However, the reiken can be six months rent or more. Still want to go to Japan?
Here's a list of possible rental costs, with about five to seven month’s worth of rent being a standard cost:
- Reservation fee (tetsukekin) of 1-month’s rent that is paid when the tenant applies for an apartment and before the contract is signed. After the contract is signed, the money is included as part of the deposit.
- Security Deposit (shikikin) of 2- to 3-months’ rent that is used to cover any damages to the apartment or unpaid rents and fees. You may get a partial refund of this, but the odds are good you won't.
- Key money (reikin) of maybe 1- to 2- months’ rent which is considered a 'gift' to the house owner when making a contract and is not refundable
- Advance rent – 1 month’s rent which is paid before the month starts.
In my case, the OBOE (Ohtawara Board of Education) took care of everything. I had zero move-in costs. In fact, I don't believe any AET (Assistant English Teacher) on the JET (Japan Exchange & Teaching) Programme had to pay any key money... though I could be wrong... not every AET was/is as open (big-mouthed) as myself about thier situation.
Now that I`ve scared you, know that there are some affordable rental apartments in Japan.Looking on-line, I found this SITE. I have no idea how good or bad the apartments are.
As well, look HERE for some nice-looking apartments that are quite expensive.
Just remember, people often get what they pay for. I got lucky. I could have had a small, cramped and cold apartment like Ashley for less money... but my apartment was my home for three years. Rent according to your budget and to your needs.
I hope you found some of this mildly interesting. It's factual.
Somewhere in my huge, inexpensive apartment - betcha can't find me!
Andrew Joseph
Today's title was sung by Janis Joplin... it's a song of monetary envy. And, should you just wander into Japan and try and rent a place, I won't envy you.
You can listen to this beautiful pearl of a woman sing; C'MON.
PS: The photo above - that's my rental apartment in Ohtawara-shi. I had more room than I needed, but I was always glad to have it. In one of the rooms, I kept my clothes; in the other, I hung my clothes to dry during the heavy humidity summer and whenever I felt like not spending the electricity to dry my clothes... yes, I could have hung the clothes out on a balcony... but if I waited too long, the spiders would come out to party on my underwear. You can read about that HERE.
