I came to Japan in September 2022, with my japanese wife and 1yo child.
The apartment we got in is a 2LDK with 2 year contract. My wife liked it because the building is very new, but the truth is it has been hard to live there, for many reasons.
One of them being the apartment has a balcony. To access the balcony, there are 2 sliding glass doors, one in the bedroom and one in the living room. Beside those doors, there are 4 holes, 2 for installing air conditioners, and 2 for ventilating the apartment.
The problem is these 2 ventilating holes have a rotating lid to be closed, but they never close completely. The lid lets the outside airflow get inside anyway, which translates into having to use a lot more air conditioner to keep the room warm in winter.
Has anybody encountered this same problem in new apartments in Japan? We want to move out as soon as possible, but the contract forces us to pay 2 months+cleaning fee to go out. We have complained about it to the real estate company, but they say they can’t do anything. Any suggestions would be appreciated, thank you!
8 comments
A drafty apartment? *Just Japan Things*
The vents are pretty standard. Chances are anywhere you move will have them too.
You can buy lids for them to stop the draft. But then there may be mold issues.
I bought my current place used and the old people who lived in it prior actually taped up those vents so there’s one solution. I have since renovated though and changed to more airtight ones when closed.
I put a plastic bag over anything drafty at my place fixed with an elastic band. I doubt a small gap will have any real impact on your AC though.
Was there a manual included for the vents? The ones in my place are supposed to be open 24/7, and so far we haven’t noticed any unpleasant drafts.
standard fixture in japanese apartments. rent another apartment oriented southwards.
The vents are fairly standard. We tape them up in winter. Not sure if this is the right thing do, but it helps. Heating and cooling in Japanese apartments and homes is ridiculous compared to places with good central heating/air with good insulation.
Yes, this is intentional. They don’t put holes in the wall for no reason!
Ventilation is important, especially in Japan where windows are usually concentrated on one side of an apartment. Mold is a real hazard, and these vents allow air to circulate and stops the buildup of condensation.
You can get lids at the home center, or just tape them up with plastic for the coldest months. Don’t leave them permanently sealed or you’ll risk mould, but for 8 weeks or so over winter when it tends to be dry anyway you should be fine