[Bay]

If you have not already reserved an apartment through Sakura House, you should definitely check out the J&F Apartments website (www.jafplus.com) first before dealing with Sakura House. My friend recently had a horrible experience with Sakura House, and found out that they have somewhat of a reputation around Tokyo for taking advantage of their renters. Even if you decide to go with Sakura House, DO NOT pay to reserve an apartment in Japan without seeing it. I know it's hard to go to another country without knowing where you are going to live, and if you only have a month you want to be settled sooner than later - but take it from someone who learned the hard way, it is well worth it to pay for a few nights at a hotel, ryokan, or even a guesthouse or youth hostel so that you can make an informed decision, rather than locking yourself into paying for a place sight-unseen. If Sakura House will not show you the apartments you are interested in before you make a decision, do not rent from them.

I checked, and there are quite a few J&F apartment buildings with vacancies in the area you are looking at (along the Chuo line relatively near Shinjuku). I know that J&F will arrange for someone to meet with you and show you the apartment(s) before you make a decision. Ask for Shingo, who speaks fluent English (better in person than on the phone). Shingo was very frank about the pros and cons of each apartment - even going so far as to admit that one of their older apartments has a cockroach problem (by the way, whichever agency you go with, you should ask if the building has a cockroach problem - not uncommon in older buildings).

J&F charges a one-time 30,000 Yen, non-refundable cleaning fee up front - which may seem high compared to Sakura House's 10,000 Yen non-refundable up-front "wear and tear" fee, but unlike Sakura House, J&F actually uses that money to pay for their apartments to be cleaned after someone moves out! (I can fill you in on my friend's Kamimachi Heights horror story in that regard, if you are interested.) J&F also charges utilities separately from the rent for most of their apartments, so you have to tack another 20,000 Yen onto the rent to calculate what you will pay monthly.

The area you are looking at does seem really convenient as far as transportation on the JR lines; Setagaya is also a really nice area, but it is more remote. It depends on whether you want to hang out where you are living and experience the neighborhood, or if you are going to be going to Shinjuku, Akihabara, Ginza, etc. almost every day. I think it will pay to actually go to these places, see what the area is like, how long it takes to walk from the station, etc. - give yourself some time to make an informed decision, just like you would when choosing a home anywhere! Before you leave, you can make arrangements by phone or e-mail to see the apartments you are considering, so that you can make a decision in a reasonably short time after you arrive.