So, I’m no stranger to living and working in a foreign country but I’m feeling anxious about my finances and my first months in Japan.
I’m moving to Hyogo to start a uni job in April and I’m looking forward to being in the classroom again.
However, I’m not sure I’ll have enough money to set myself up. The fees just to rent a flat freak the hell out of me. I’m
Teaching online and saving all I can but I don’t really know if its enough.
I want to go mid March so I have enough time to settle in and thought of doing Airbnb for a month but those are also exorbitant.
I feel so stuck and very uncertain about this next step.
Just needed to vent I guess
4 comments
Be ready with how housing rentals works in Japan. If you speak good japanese, most likely you can get good deals and reduce some of the “standard” fees. But then if not you’ll end up with how housing agents treat foreigners alike.
Not all places require key money, but it may be that the place you want requires key money, so be prepared.
Also, instead of AirBnB, look at weekly mansions, I found them to be cheaper when I was looking for similar options.
ETA: go Suumo and look at apartments in the area you’re interested in so you can get a sense of the general rents. Those apartments won’t be available when you come, but it will allow you to budget and feel more prepared.
Maybe pick up some part time work to pad your finances? In three months if you worked even an additional 10 hours a week that’s 120 hours at let’s say as low as $15 an hour that’s another $1800. Just a thought. I don’t know how big of an impact that would make in your situation, but it is a workable solution for anyone with some spare time.
Consider spending a few months in a ‘guest house’ type place so that you’ve got your initial accomodations sorted and you can find a more suitable place once you’ve got boots on the ground.
See if any of the places listed here are in a convenient location and fit your current budget:
https://www.guesthousebank.com/a_area/p_hyogo/L_en/