Hello! My partner and I are planning on moving to Japan, and I’m looking for some advice. Here’s some pertinent info to paint the bigger picture:
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\-My GF and I are both US citizens.
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\-GF has accepted a position with an English Language Fellowship in Tokyo through the US State Department. The position starts mid-August 2022 and lasts for a period of 10 months, ending in mid-June of 2023. She will be working in Shinjuku.
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\-Before the end of this month, I am planning on applying to the ISI Language school, at either the Takodanobaba or Ikebukuro locations to enroll in a 6-month course, starting in October 2022. I do not have any experience with Japanese, but am easing myself into the beginner lessons on Lingodeer. I plan on taking a general Japanese course starting at the beginner level.
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\-Which neighborhoods near Tokyo should we be looking for housing? We would really value being close to public transportation to and from home and our respective places of work/school.
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\-My GF is vegetarian and I am vegan. I understand there is more difficulty being vegan and transitioning to Japan from the US, but is it feasible to find vegan groceries/restaurants in Tokyo?
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\-There is a potential for us to bring our small dog (>15lbs.) with us and would also like to be walking distance to areas with parks/greenery in case we end up bringing our pup. She has had her rabies/Titer work done, and will be eligible to come without quarantine in September if we decide to bring her, in which case she will be travelling with me, as the timeline will work with my course starting early October
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Please let me know if there are any other pieces of info I can provide. Is there anything we’re overlooking? Any advice is greatly appreciated!
6 comments
Being vegan in Japan is doable, even more so in Tokyo. Restaurants are usually expensive as it feels more like a novelty. Get into the vegan groups for restaurants recommendations.
Also Japanese label laws are different than in North America; they don’t have to label all the ingredients. So a lot of fish and dairy hidden in stuff (Bring lots of pebto). The vegan groups will help you navigate those products tho
-Depends on how much you are willing to spend, or if you have animals. Does your GF speak Japanese? Commutes are normal for 30+ minutes. IMO closer to a station is better than A walk to a station, and a shorter train ride. Shinjuku has lots of housing from Shibuya to Shinjuku, and lots of young people live here!
-Vegan is going to be hard, hell vegetarian is hard. I was a vegetarian for 10 years and try to eat the best I can now. But, here in Tokyo, there are Vegan places to eat, but they are not…great, and they are super expensive. I have not found one Vegan focused store, more bakeries, and restaurants. Even Veggie is hard as a lot of Japanese people lump eating fish into vegetarians. Almost EVERYTHING here is cooked in some kind of fish/meat-based oil or broth. Plus, they don’t have to label if there is meat, fish, or egg in anything. It’s actually quite annoying, not that you would be able to tell easily not speaking Japanese. I have a coworker that’s vegan from AUS and she has been slowly introducing Eggs and milk back into her diet as it was near impossible to enjoy eating out with her current standards. Food for thought.
-Finding a pet-friendly, foreign-friendly, and non-Japanese-speaking friendly place is quite the task. The rental market is odd here. I assume her work would pay the move-in fees but expect to pay 5-8k move-in fees for all those features in Tokyo and with those ask and 2 people to pay 1200-1800 a month for 30-35M room. Some places charge more for 2 people to live in it.
I recommend looking for an apartment in the Nakano area. You can take a train (Tozai) directly to Takadanobaba or another train (Chuo/Sobu)directly to Shinjuku. Getting to Ikebukuro is easy with one transfer at Takadanobaba or Shinjuku.
Being a vegan is definitely difficult if you want to eat out a lot. Of course cooking at home is the easy answer. My vegan friends became vegetarians, and some of my vegetarian friends started to eat seafood.
Having a dog will make finding an apartment much more difficult. You’ll most likely have to settle for a less desirable place, or shell out more money. It’s a small dog so that makes it a little easier. There’s a nice park called Heiwa Park in Nakano that has a dog run, running track and a newly opened city fitness facility
> I understand there is more difficulty being vegan and transitioning to Japan from the US, but is it feasible to find vegan groceries/restaurants in Tokyo?
https://www.reddit.com/r/JapanTravel/wiki/advice#wiki_food_aversions.2C_allergies_and_specific_diets
> here is a potential for us to bring our small dog (>15lbs.) with us and would also like to be walking distance to areas with parks/greenery in case we end up bringing our pup. She has had her rabies/Titer work done, and will be eligible to come without quarantine in September if we decide to bring her, in which case she will be travelling with me, as the timeline will work with my course starting early October
Going to be VERY hard to find pet-friendly housing for two foreigners who will have a 6 mo. visa and a 10 mo. work contract.
Two unmarried foreigners, one a language student staying short term, the other one with a 10 month contract, and also dog…
You like challenges, now do you ?
If you haven’t been able to find an apartment, here’s a very detailed and in-depth guide to helping you find one and things to look out for! https://youtu.be/TFeijoNpsfg