Hello everyone!
My partner and I are currently planning to move to Japan for a year and I need some advice. Until yesterday I only had two cats. However, I have no found a stray and no shelters are accepting the stray at this time. Taking care of the stray myself is unlikely but I also might have to.
Which leads me to my questions
Legally, can I move to Japan with 3 cats for two people?
Is it possible to get an apartment that would accept all 3 of us?
Is it feasible? And if not, how unfeasible is it?
4 comments
I imported my two dogs from Singapore when we relocated, and I believe the process for cats is very similar. The import process is quite lengthy and can be expensive, even if you are doing in on your own. Plan on it taking 6 months, unless you are from a country recognised as rabies free by Japan. You can check out Japan’s guide to importing cats and dogs [here.](https://www.maff.go.jp/aqs/english/animal/dog/import-free.html)
Housing-wise I believe it would be very difficult. If you can find a place that accepts foreigners with multiple pets, don’t forget about the fees. In addition to the usual deposits, you would also need to pay extra pet deposits.
If you would only be here for a year the process may be too involved, costly and stressful for all of you. It’s tough, but it may be better to find them temporary relocation where you are now.
I brought 3 cats and a dog over from America a year and a half ago. The biggest issue was the cost to get them here. I found a 2 storey house on the outskirts of the city where the landlord only added ¥5,000 per month for the pets.
It is doable but there’s a lot of work involved. There will be a lot of places that refuse because of the pets, jack up the price, or do other stuff. I had one place I was interested in – another house that looked real great. Real estate agent got back to me and said pets are ok … if they stay outside all the time. So that was a no.
Legal yes. Possible to find an apartment/house that will let you, yes. However, having even one cat will exclude you from 95% of apartments/houses in Japan.
Having said that, there are some easy ways to find places these days. [Lilful Homes](https://www.homes.co.jp) lets you search by tags, such as [「ペットと暮らせる二人暮らし」(Two people with pets)](https://www.homes.co.jp/chintai/ltag/5402/list/). You can then narrow down using the filters on the left. For example, in Tokyo’s 23 wards there are 4,320 places that allow pets and are over 50sq.m.
I’d strongly recommend finding a place before moving the cats here.
Legally yes.
The process is difficult, takes 6 months preparation, and can be difficult to find a place and they may be quarantined for a while wheb you arrive. It’s also a very stressful process for the cats. If you’re only coming for a year, i would highly recommend against bringing them.