So we (my partner, my dog and I) are moving to japan next week on a working holiday visa for half a year – VISA, flights and everything dog related is already sorted out. Sadly our place to stay fell trough – they cancelled unexpectedly last week. I‘ve been searching since then, but most places don‘t allow pets, have nothing free for quite some time or don‘t allow short stays (under a year). We saved enough for rent (up to 150.000 Yen per month is no problem), but Hotels would quickly eat trough that…
I know, rule number 2 says to do your own research, but I just don‘t know where to look now. I don‘t want offers for places to stay, and I don‘t want you to search something for me, just a pointer in the right direction. I heard, it is easier to find a place to stay, while in Japan (going to a real estate office etc) – is that true / an option? We would opt for a hotel for 2-4 weeks and search for a place then while in japan.
Also please don‘t suggest to don‘t take the dog with us, that is not an option.
Thanks in advance!
Edit: regarding the dog, it is a samoyed, around 16 kg, 48cm. we don‘t have a fixation on a specific place to stay, everything is okay, as long as it is not in the deepest inaka – but even that would be better than nothing, we would just buy/rent a car / van and sell if before departing. (yes, we know, our dog is too big for public transport).
6 comments
This is a copy of your post for archive/search purposes.
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**Need a place to stay on a short notice – how?**
So we (my partner, my dog and I) are moving to japan next week on a working holiday visa for half a year – VISA, flights and everything dog related is already sorted out. Sadly our place to stay fell trough – they cancelled unexpectedly last week. I‘ve been searching since then, but most places don‘t allow pets, have nothing free for quite some time or don‘t allow short stays (under a year). We saved enough for rent (up to 150.000 Yen per month is no problem), but Hotels would quickly eat trough that…
I know, rule number 2 says to do your own research, but I just don‘t know where to look now. I don‘t want offers for places to stay, and I don‘t want you to search something for me, just a pointer in the right direction. I heard, it is easier to find a place to stay, while in Japan (going to a real estate office etc) – is that true / an option? We would opt for a hotel for 2-4 weeks and search for a place then while in japan.
Also please don‘t suggest to don‘t take the dog with us, that is not an option.
Thanks in advance!
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Unfortunately there aren’t easy answers. You are right that once you arrive in Japan you will more easily find fixed term housing that is additionally pet friendly, but that is just to say it will be easier relative to doing so from abroad and may not ultimately be easy at all. If you can’t find something between now and your trip, you’ll need to find pet friendly short term lodging while you finish your housing search with a rental agency. If you’re feeling adventurous you may just buy yourself a cheap house, pay your taxes and utilities, and sell when you leave or hold onto it for vacations.
The much better plan is to bring the dog after you arrive and find a place locally that accepts a dog. But I know you’ve applied for a certain date and booked a flight so that’s going to be tough.
Almost all hotels will require the dog to stay in a crate and you will not be allowed to walk the dog through common areas. 16kg is also problematic as there are weight restrictions of under 10kg usually both for renting and for HH hotels.
Sorry to be harsh, but you planned poorly. Gotta face the facts and start prioritizing what’s important for the dog, and realistically doable. I see diminishing returns for throwing effort into this path.
Try searching “pet friendly airbnb” and some areas you want to live in. I found a few this way. Some are full, but there was one in [Ome](https://www.airbnb.com/rooms/764969531009625240?source_impression_id=p3_1695772725_tJOudfUJpL9v0iZe#availability-calendar) that was available next week
Lots of places on Staycation.jp allow pets. And surprisingly a lot of AirBnBs, too. A Samoyed might be a different story…
Can you put your dog up in a pet hotel here?Meanwhile you and your partner can rough it in a hostel until you get sorted out. Idk how pet hotels work though but I figure people out them up there while they are traveling?