Placed in Tokyo- High or low likely hood of finding my own housing

10 comments

1. They are pretty overpriced, and never lived in any of these places so I can’t vouch for them, but there are share house services like Borderless house or Oak house where you can rent a room or an apartment all in English. You can also sign a shorter lease if you want to look for another place when you arrive there.

   Again, they are pretty pricey and I can’t vouch for them, but they exist if you really need to find something.

2. Unless you have a unique placement where the school choses for you (like a Tokyo island placement), JET will get you in touch with an English speaking real estate consultant, likely GTN or ReloJapan, (if they’re still using the same companies) for private and public schools, respectively. Though you can use either one you want.

   You aren’t obligated to accept their help, but they do most of the legwork as your guarantor and agent to help you find an apartment within your budget and other specifications that you may have.

3. Not helpful at all but did you just find out your placement?? If so what consulate did you go through 😀 but I hope you find the answer you need I am just weaseling on by

4. My understanding is that Tokyo folks are put in touch with a real estate agent but you can also hire your own. Details are probably headed your way soon.

   If there are UR apartments within reasonable commuting distance of your school, those can be a good option. No key money, no guarantor, known to be foreigner friendly, and rent is often cheaper. Downside is some buildings are older and not all have appliances included. I wasn’t in Tokyo but lived first in a UR apartment arranged by my BOE and then a larger one in the same neighbourhood that I arranged to rent myself. There’s some info in English, but I used Chrome to translate Japanese UR listings because they had more info and had pictures. Some real estate agents specialize in UR and there are several UR-focused agencies with services in English.

5. Hey! Tokyo jet here. Yes, you are responsible for finding your own housing, but you should receive some support should you want it. We have a lot of options available to us depending on what kind of living situation you’re interested in. You can find your own real estate agent, use the ones provided, use Craigslist, or find a sharehouse. Unfortunately because of the size of apartments in Tokyo there isn’t really a roommate culture, but some sharehouses have around 5 people and some are more like dormitories. It is a bit of a hassle to have to figure out all of this without a ton of support, but I also really liked being able to choose where I live. I get the impression that there’s a little bit less administrative support overall in Tokyo than in other placements (obviously esid), but there’s also a strong jet community here that you can lean on when you have questions. Please don’t worry!

   As for having no Japanese ability, most apartments in Tokyo don’t allow foreigners/require a level of Japanese which limits your options. The easiest would be to go through the real estate agency your school/BOE provides. Basically, you give them your needs/wants, they send you some places, you tour a few in your first weeks here (or you can pick one before touring), and then you move in!

6. There’s real estate offices with English service. That’s basically what you’ll have to do. Finding housing won’t be a problem. I think your biggest choice is going to be where you want to live. I highly suggest you consider commute time primarily, and direction. Tokyo rush hour every day is hell and something that you’ll be happier to avoid even if it costs more.

7. Do you mind me asking if you were placed in a private school or Tokyo BOE? Private school placements are put in touch with gtn (a real estate agent and guarantor ) who will help with finding an apartment. Most apartment require a guarantor so they tick both boxes and help with stuff like if something goes wrong in your aparartment you can contact them to help you ask the maintenance people etc. Some people has problems with Gtn replying etc but tbh if your nervous of finding one yourself etc they are handy enough. Their real estate website is
   https://www.best-estate.jp/en/ so you can take a look and see what to expect.

   Depending on where you’re placed in Tokyo the apartments will be more expensive etc but I’d start putting money aside now because most places have a move in fee of around 200,000 – 300,000 yen and unfortunately us Tokyo jets get no help with rent or move in fees.

   If you have any questions feel free to dm me! I’m more than happy to help! Congratulations on your placement! It’s abit scary at first having to sort out everything but once you settle you will have an amazing time!

8. You will have to find your own housing. If you are a private school jet you will be assigned the real estate company GTN and if you are a public school jet you’ll be assigned a different real estate company.

9. I’m a recent arrival to Tokyo and was connected with RELO JAPAN to acquire an apartment before coming here. Hopefully, they will send them to you so that you can find a foreigner friendly apartment. They sign off for your guarantor and you may get an apartment without having to pay a non-refundable deposit or key money.

   In total for start up costs, I paid around 320,000¥ before move in. You can have a look when you come here but I got that sorted so I could do other things like open my bank account, go to the city hall, and buy furniture and appliances for my apartment. I good relative size is definitely 30m2 or more if you want a big space. Mine is a bit smaller but it’s enough space for me with a walk in closet and a separate bathroom.

   For appliances and furniture, I bought them all new. I don’t mind secondhand and think that is a great option! But for my apartment, I needed specific sizes as buying these things means having accurate measurements for which one you can get. A “Just in case”!

   In total, I’ve spent around 126,000¥ for a washing machine, microwave, fridge, and a bed and mattress combo set. The last thing to be delivered will be the bed come tomorrow.

   I don’t do shared houses so I don’t have any say on them but if you don’t mind roommates, go for it!

   When you find your placement (school and all), check what area you’ll be working in and consider being a spot that will make your commute to work easy. I walk to work (20 minutes) and it’s a lifesaver because I don’t have to travel by train to go home. I pay 92,000 in rent and maintenance and do have water and sewage added as well as internet that came with the apartment.

   It is a challenge but if you’re up for it then I believe that you can do it!

   But for housing, they should send you RELO JAPAN as they have English speaking agents. Wishing you well on your journey until you get here and hope that everything goes fine with you. ✨✨✨

10. I recommend living walking, bicycle or direct bus ride distance from your schools, unless the are is obviously bad or too expensive. Rush hour trains are a huge source of stress. Real estate agents can work with this type of request if you ask them.