How and where to rent comfortable housing in Japan in 2021

Renting housing for long or short term: options and prices

As elsewhere, in Japan you can rent a room, apartment, separate house or office space. It should be taken into account that living quarters here are usually measured in tatami - mats for covering floors. The standard tatami size is 1.8 m by 0.9 m.

Not long ago, Japanese citizens were allowed to rent out rooms in their homes. However, rent can be provided for no more than 180 days a year, which significantly limits the supply on the real estate market.

What's available for rent today?

The easiest way for a visitor to choose a room is in a guest house. In this case, the bathroom, toilet and kitchen will be shared. However, the level of comfort in such establishments is much higher than in conventional hostels. True, the price varies within $100 per night.

The apartments offered for rent are apato or manseong.

For those who want to save money, an apato is suitable - a room in a two-story house with paper partitions instead of walls, but with a separate entrance. Such an object with an area of ​​20 m² will cost approximately $700 per month.

If you want to rent an apartment in Tokyo for a long period of time, it is better to choose a mansen - an apartment in an apartment building with concrete floors. However, rent in this case will cost $800 per month. As a result, the cost will largely depend on the area where the rental housing is located.

When choosing a suitable property, pay attention to the conditional abbreviations that indicate the features of the housing layout:

• 1K – 2K – apartment with kitchen and one or two bedrooms;
• 1DK – 2DK – apartment with kitchen, dining room and one or two bedrooms;
• 2LDK – 3LDK – apartment with living room, kitchen, dining room and two or three bedrooms.

As for renting offices, the price for a one-room space in the capital of Japan starts from $3,000. Warehouses with an area of ​​1,000 m² can be found starting at $6,000.

Apartments in Japanese new buildings

Small modern apartments in Tokyo for daily rent are often cheaper than hotel rooms with similar conditions. At the same time, you have the opportunity to choose apartments with the most favorable location to reduce costs on public transport.

Japanese new buildings can delight you with exclusive living conditions. For example, you can choose an apartment with original wall paintings and an area of ​​several hundred square meters, but with only one bedroom, but with storage for 200 pairs of shoes.

The average rent for a modern one-bedroom apartment in a new Japanese skyscraper is 480,000 yen ($4,300) per month; with two bedrooms – 590,000-700,000 yen ($5300-6200); with three bedrooms – 1,180,000 yen ($10,500). Renting a studio apartment will cost a little less – 250,000-300,000 yen ($2,300-2,700).

The average cost of renting one night in a Japanese new building varies from $90 to $350, depending on the area of ​​the room.

The secondary housing market and old housing stock

Those who want to save as much as possible on accommodation should take a closer look at old housing stock. It should be borne in mind that in addition to the monthly rent for the apartment, the tenant must immediately pay a deposit, which, as a rule, is equal to two to three months’ rent. This amount is taken as a guarantee that you will not cause any damage to the property. However, the chances of seeing your deposit at the end of the rental period are small: at best, you can get a third of the amount back, since the owner will always have claims that will require monetary compensation.

Another obligatory rent payment is a gift to the owner of the apartment. It is assumed that this is gratitude for his current and future kindness towards his tenants. The gift must be given once at the conclusion of the contract. The traditional gift to the owner of the apartment for allowing you to live in his premises averages $1,000-2,000 - its size is usually agreed upon in advance. But if housing is not in great demand, owners are often willing to give up this bonus.

Another nuance is gifts for neighbors. A box of chocolates, cookies or souvenir towels you bring with you will guarantee you a friendly attitude from others. You decide for yourself what to give to those who live in neighboring apartments.

If you want to fully return the deposit and do without a gift to the owners, at your disposal are apartments and houses located in close proximity to the railway tracks, or in buildings whose roofs are used as a base for the rails of high-speed city trains.

Sometimes superstitious property owners may offer an apartment or house at a reduced price if it is considered disadvantaged. In the Land of the Rising Sun, there are even specialized auctions of “bad” housing, from the Japanese point of view. However, for visitors, such real estate is a chance to save on costs.

Features of renting villas and private houses in Japan

A private house in Japan is usually made of wood, concrete or a combination of materials. Usually this is a detached villa or house in a residential area. Although in many cities private houses are often located next to apartment buildings.

A modern private house is a building no higher than two floors, and modern Japanese villas are often combined buildings designed in the constructivist style.

The combination of concrete and wood makes them more attractive in design and at the same time more practical than traditional Japanese villas. It is in such houses that you will find the strong walls and separate rooms familiar to Europeans.

Fans of authenticity should remember that a classic Japanese house actually has no foundation and is designed exclusively for living in the summer. Most often, such a house is one large common room, divided into separate rooms by means of paper partitions.

It is possible to rent a floor or an entire house - the cost starts from $2000 per month.

Modern commercial real estate in the Japanese market

Like housing prices in Japan, the cost of renting commercial real estate depends on the characteristics of the property and its location.

As for offices, you can rent two types of space:

• internal office without windows - average rental price 1010-3010 yen ($8.9-26.6) per day per person;
• office with windows - average rental price 1,140-4,600 yen ($10-40.7) per day per person.

At the same time, it is possible to rent a permanent office or a room for a few days a month or even for a few hours.

The average cost of renting warehouse space across the country is $300 per square meter per year.

The cost of commercial rent also depends on which island the property is located on. The most expensive is Honshu, and the cheapest is Hokkaido. The distance of the object from the metro and city center will affect the final cost.

How much does rent cost in Tokyo?

The procedure for renting housing in Japan: list of documents and deadlines

A tourist or businessman has two options for renting housing in Japan:

1. Short-term daily rental.
2. Long-term lease for a period of six months to two years.

In Japan, it is not possible to rent housing for a period of more than two years. Therefore, if you are interested in long-term residence in the country, you will need to renew your contract every two years. When planning to rent an apartment in Tokyo or other cities for several years, remember that renewing the contract with all associated costs will fall on your shoulders.

The search for housing in Japan should begin well in advance, as rental applications must be submitted at least a month in advance.

It is worth paying attention to whether the rental housing includes the cost of utilities, whether there is free Internet, and whether pets are allowed.

It should be borne in mind that the tenant pays exclusively for “bare meters”. This means that you can move into a completely empty apartment without even a chair. Therefore, if you are interested in furniture, you should clarify this in advance. The exception is the so-called weekly apartments for short-term rental, which are offered fully equipped.

When drawing up a contract, be sure to read and clarify the rules of residence - they usually contain prohibitions on any actions that could lead to a change in the appearance of the housing. And this is not just about painting walls, replacing windows, damaging floors or housing stray animals. Even driving a nail into a wall can be considered a breach of contract, for which you will be subject to serious compensation.

List of documents for renting housing by a foreigner

When planning a trip, you should prepare in advance the package of documents required for renting accommodation:

• alien registration card;
• passport with visa;
• a certificate from your employer containing information about your income level;
• bank account details necessary to work with the insurance company.

It should be borne in mind that even renting an apartment in Japan for a week is impossible without a visa, which will not be issued to you unless there is confirmation of your financial solvency.

How much does public transport cost?

Tokyo's public transportation system is complex, including buses from various carriers, a monorail, one tram line, and a subway, some of which is operated by TokyoMetro and some by Toei.

• One bus trip will cost from 200 to 300 ¥ (131.8 –197.8 rubles) depending on the route and carrier company. A daily pass for Toei buses costs 500 ¥ (329.6 ₽).
• One trip on TokyoMetro lines costs from 170 to 310 ¥ (112.1–204.4 RUR) depending on the distance. For connecting trips on the Toei Line, you can purchase transfer tickets.

For ease of payment, it is worth purchasing a Pasmo card; it can be used to pay for trips on different types of transport. Cards come in denominations from 1,000 to 10,000 ¥ (659.2 –6,592.2 ₽), 500 ¥ of any amount is a refundable deposit.

There are several options for daily passes in Tokyo:

• 24 hours on Tokyo Metro: 600 ¥ (395.5 ₽).
• 24 hours for all Toei transport: 700 ¥ (461.5 ₽).
• 24 hours on public transport (Tokyo Metro, all Toei transport, JR trains): 1,590 ¥ (1,048.2 ₽).
• Tourist subway pass (Tokyo Metro and Toei): 24 hours – 800 ¥ (527.4 ₽).
• 48 hours – 1200 ¥ (791.1 ₽).
• 72 hours – 1,500 ¥ (988.8 ₽).

To navigate the subway, you can use the Tokyo Subway Navigation app, and for transport in general, you can use Google Maps.

How to find a suitable apartment or house in Japan

It should be noted right away that any transactions for leasing commercial or residential real estate in Japan are carried out only through agencies or relevant websites - it is impossible to work directly with property owners without intermediaries. But there are options here too!

Searching for housing on your own in Japan: Guest Networks

Guest Networks are an option for those who are interested in the cheapest accommodation in Japan. The most popular of them are CouchSurfing and Hospitality Club. After registration, you can find a host in the city you are interested in. Accommodation will cost you completely free of charge or for a symbolic gift at your request.

However, the period of such rentals is usually not long and is only suitable for tourists who do not plan to stay in Japan for more than a week.

At the same time, the period for which they will be ready to accept you is agreed upon in advance and may vary. At the same time, do not forget that you will have to resolve issues related to paperwork and visa issuance on your own and in advance.

Concluding housing rental transactions through agencies

Concluding a deal through an agency is an option for those who are interested in comfort and long-term rental. However, please note that in this case you will be expected to make mandatory payments: payment of the rent itself, agent’s commission, as well as a deposit in the amount of two to three monthly payments.

The cost of agent services directly depends on the size of the monthly payment. And only by adding up all these amounts will you find out how much it costs to rent an apartment in Japan for a month. At the same time, do not forget about the obligatory gift for the owner, which amounts to approximately two to three monthly payments.

Review of sites for searching and renting housing in Japan

The reputation of the resource is what you should pay attention to when making your own selection of housing on the Internet. First of all, we recommend using the following sites:

Booking.com is one of the leaders in providing online housing rental services. It features a very convenient search, a wide range of parameters and comfortable navigation. It is important that the service allows you to make a reservation and rental without using a credit card with payment upon arrival. The site has a system for rating objects and reviews from real users of the system. Here you can choose a hotel room, a room, an apartment, or a private house.

Airbnb.ru is an equally authoritative resource. Its main feature is the impossibility of renting or booking accommodation without a credit card. Moreover, the amount is debited from your account in advance. There is an advanced search for options, but the navigation itself is a little less convenient than on Booking.com. There is also a system of ratings and reviews.

Swap-house.com is a well-established resource for finding a host on your own. Browsing through options begins by selecting a continent, then a country and a city. In the advertisements you will see a photo of the system participant and the proposed housing, a description of the location, living conditions and contacts. The site has an instant messaging system and a participant rating system.

Hospitalityclub.org is another well-known resource for working directly with apartment owners. The site has a chat and forum. Navigation is not as comfortable as on Swap-house.com. Viewing offers is possible only after registration. By selecting a country, region and city, you receive a list of participants with their questionnaires, which outline the conditions of the host party.

Tokyo Museums

Museum admission prices vary. A ticket to the Tokyo National Museum costs 620 ¥ (408.7 ₽), to the Edo-Tokyo City Museum - 600 ¥ (395.5 ₽), to the National Museum of Contemporary Art - 430 ¥ (283.5 ₽), and to the Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum – 400 ¥ (263.7 ₽). The Imperial Palace can be visited for free, but only by appointment.

Tickets to the SkyTree observation deck will cost from 1,030 to 4,000 ¥ (679.0 –2,636.9 ₽). depending on how high you want to go and how long you are willing to wait in line. A ticket for TokyoTower costs 900 ¥ (593.3 ₽), and for MoriTower - 1,800 ¥ (1,186.6 ₽).

Holiday prices in Tokyo are higher than in Moscow. Food in supermarkets will cost significantly more – by ~172%, but food in cafes and restaurants is only 20% more expensive. Taxi fares in Tokyo are much higher. More details at numbeo.com.

Property value

Housing prices in Japan are quite high. This is due to two main factors:

• overcrowding and lack of available land for the construction of new facilities;
• the use of expensive shock absorption technologies, which are used to protect buildings from damage during possible earthquakes.

The most popular size of a Japanese apartment is 65 square meters. m. Such apartments will cost the buyer approximately ¥52,000,000 ($480,000). Therefore, you should not be surprised at how much a private house in Japan costs in rubles: if you consider that a country house with an area of ​​120 square meters. m costs about 65,505,000 ¥ ($600,000), then in Russian currency the cost of the house is 34,000,000 rubles.

Buying houses further away from the city center is much more profitable. In addition, when purchasing a mansion in Japan, it is not at all necessary to buy the land on which it stands - you can simply rent it for 50 years.

The table below shows the average cost of an apartment in Japan in yen and US dollars in the largest cities in Japan (prices are per 1 sq. m):

When planning to purchase real estate in Japan, you must remember that in addition to the apartment itself, you will have to pay some taxes and fees, which amount to approximately 8-10% of the purchase price.

Taxation of Japanese real estate

When purchasing real estate, both local residents and foreigners are required to pay tax at a rate of 1.4% of the purchase price. Real estate valuation in Japan is carried out by the local government and must be recorded in a special report. In addition, the city government retains an additional 0.3% of the property value, which is subsequently used for urban design and development. Another 0.4% will need to be paid if you purchase an apartment in a new building.