When we decided to make the move to Japan, we thought about what we should bring and what we should leave behind. We had been warned that Japanese apartments are very small, and that Western furniture may be too big to fit into the apartments. While that can be true, it isn’t always the case. What you choose to bring and what you choose to leave behind will depend largely on what kind of apartment you rent when you get here.
There is no real consensus on how much additional pay is offered in expat packages, housing allowances, or expense allowances to relocating employees, and how much your company offers will be a key factor in what kind of apartment that you rent. Getting into an apartment in Tokyo is expensive. Most apartment companies charge between 4 and 6 months rent as a deposit, then up to two months rent in key money, plus one month plus five percent in agency fees. Given that apartments in expat areas range in price from $3000 to $20,000 per month in rent, an initial payment of between 5 and 9 months rent is a lot of money, even at the lower rent amounts. If your company pays the upfront costs, and you can swing the additional monthly rent, then I would recommend getting as much apartment as you can afford. There are two reasons: 1) the more money you spend, the larger the apartment you can get; and 2) there are significant tax deductions for housing costs. If you can maximize the tax deduction, then try to do so. Also, if your company pays your rent for you, up to a certain yen amount, then take the maximum benefit offered. If you don’t maximize, you most likely will not get the difference in cash from your company, and you won’t get the maximum tax deduction. If, however, your company pays you a lump sum in cash to cover housing expenses, then the extra cash you keep in your pocket by taking the smaller apartment will go a long way to offset the awful exchange rates between the dollar and yen and the Euro and yen. It’s your decision.
So now that you’ve decided on a budget for an apartment, the next step is to get an agent. You can’t rent an apartment in Tokyo without an agent (well, you can, but it is much harder to do so because the management companies prefer to deal with agents and not prospective tenants). There are several websites for agency services in Tokyo, and most if not all of them list apartments that are currently for rent. Here are a few: Prime Properties, Century 21, Mori Living to get you started. These aren’t the least expensive by any means, in fact, they may be among the most expensive, but they are a good starting point and will give you an idea of apartment costs and sizes. Your company may actually dictate which agency you can use, in which case, the agent will contact you and arrange for you to view properties.
So what should you bring and what should you not bring?
Bring: a queen sized bed with a good mattress; Don’t Bring: a king sized bed - it isn’t likely to fit into your bedroom, and if it does, you won’t have room for anything else.
Bring: bed sheets, bath towels, anti-perspirant, fluoride toothpaste; Don’t Bring: laundry detergent, kitchen cleaning supplies – the Japanese products are very inexpensive and work very well.
Bring: frying pans, kettles, cooking utensils that fit on your stovetop; Don’t Bring: The large turkey roasting pan, 11×9 baking pans and sheets, large muffin pans, or anything designed to fit inside the oven that is over 10 inces wide or tall – unless you get a really posh place, it won’t fit into the oven, presuming you even get an oven.
Bring: the children; Don’t Bring: the pets. This is highly controversial, but it can be very difficult to import your pet without either a long quarantine, or at least six months notice of moving to complete the pet evaluation and rabies series that is required to import your pet. If your beloved Fido is elderly, then please do him the favor of finding him a loving home with a relative before you move. On top of it, it can be hard to find an apartment that allows pets (except where the celebrities live, they all have long haired chihuahuas, sometimes 5 or 6 of them). If you do find an apartment, the pet fees are much higher than in the US.
Bring: your laptop, home PC, ipod, appleTV, your DVD collection, your toaster, coffee maker; Don’t Bring: rice cooker, KitchenAid mixer, large countertop appliances – you may not actually have countertop space for them in your kitchen, and why would you bring a cheapie rice cooker into Japan?
Bring: your health records, your kids’ health records, all important paperwork you could conceivably need in the next three years. If you put any of these things in storage, you will regret it. Better to have important paperwork and not need it than to have put it in storage and need it a month after you get here.
The economy right now stinks worldwide, but maybe it stinks just a little less in Japan. If you get the opportunity to live here for three years, now may really be the time.
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Filed under: Daily life, Family, Miscellaneous, Random Tagged: | Apartments, expat life, Japan, Life, Moving, Relocating, Tokyo
great advise, having just completed four years living in Tokyo. Think about banking before you go as well, since checks are not handled in Japan. Best advise have an ATM card and have your pay deposited directly in the bank. It’s easy and you’ll get the most current exchange rates.
Make sure you get a COLA (Cost of Living adjustment since the yen is quite strong now but not long ago was considerably weaker.
Last idea would be to see if they have english speaking staff on duty at your apartment building. This is a real plus, since most people don’t speak English and they can help with directions, reservations, etc.
Japan is a great place to live. Clean, safe, lively and interesting. If you have the opportunity jump at it.