Accomadation in Tokyo
 

Hi There,
I'm looking for a good place to rent an apartment from in Tokyo. I was living in Chiba for the last 2 years and was wondering if someone that has experience could direct me to a company or persons that are trust worthy. I don't really want to ask anyone to be my guarantor so that is a bit of a possibly sticky issue. Im looking to find somewhere in Shibuya, Harajuku area.


Thanks in advance.

AL

Well, Shibiuya and Harajuku are going to be very expensive, but then, so will most of Tokyo. I'm curious, is Tokyo an absolute? In my experience, Yokohama is considerably cheaper.

Google "Sakura House". They have a good selection of apartments in a variety of locations.

well i heared shibuya is some kind of party district with many discos, bars etc. about the others i didn´t hear anything^^

Don't expect a lot of educated opinions from this site, Japanga.

I like Ueno because it is centrally located, but quieter than some of your other choices.

Thanks, I'm going to have a look around and get a bit more familiar with the different areas before I decide where to live.I have a job by Tokyo St, but not sure if I want to live anywhere to close to there.
To tell you the truth I think Harajuku is starting to look better. I went there last night with some friends and really liked the fact that it seems very safe at night. One of the few havens on the Yamanote line, Japan is pretty safe anyway, but just the extra bit of safeness seems really appealing.

You really found Harajuku to be safer than other stops on Yamanote? I have never heard that opinion before, though besides Shinjuku and Roppngi, I felt all of Tokyo was reasonably safe.

I think Tokyo is very safe, I just noticed there seems to be less of a night life in Harajuku and perhaps as a result it seems safer.

Sorry! I misread the topic. I thought you were like staying in Tokyo. Like at a hotel. I have no idea where the best place to live permanently is. I stayed in Shinjuku and I really loved it. And I was really close to the train station. I guess you've seen it but it was suuuuuuper clean there being the business district I guess. I got up early one morning and there was a guy cleaning the cracks in the sidewalk!

Never been to Tokyo, never will, but if you're looking for a cheap place to say even IN Tokyo....this guy is dead-on.

Sakura house is fine for short term stays. I'd reccomend the one in Juuban, myself. However, more than a few months is a total rip off. The OP will need a genuine apartment.

$500 dollars for an entire month in an apartment versus the same amount in a normal hotel for about 5 days?

Why do you think it's such a rip off? I really am curious...bad experiences or something?

Also, how could you rent a normal apartment in Tokyo while on vacation?

Pardon the double post, merged the two together.

Japanga has lived n Japan for two years. He is loooking for a longterm solution. Sakura House is not a longterm solution in terms of amenities/standard of living vs. Cost.

OHHHH I didn't notice he was already in Japan, my apologies for blindness
>.<

If a long-term place is required, I'd reccomend finding an estate agent. Meanwhile, Sakura House may be an option for somewhere temporary while looking for a longer-term location.

I voted Shibuya since that's what my partner recommended although it looks like MMM's choice is more like me.
:D

I voted for Futako Tamagawa. I've always liked this area because of the big river that seperates Kanagawa prefecture from Tokyo (you could regularly go jogging/cycling along the banks). It's a convenient location too, having the Denentoshi and Ooimachi lines, also being a stop for express trains.

Personally, I would like to live in Machida. It feels like a more organised and less busy version of Shibuya. Instead of having everything scattered about the place like in Shibuya, your Tokyu Hands, Tower Records, Yodobashi Camera, Book Off etc will all be virtually in the same spot (I think I remember seeing a 109 shop there as well). You can go directly to Shinjuku via Odakyu line.

I voted for Ueno because i like the Area. I than saw that you put kichijoji up on your list and that would definetly be my top spot for living in Tokyo. I have lived close to kichijoji (Inokashirakoen) for 2 month and it is a really nice area. It is quiet, very safe, not to many tourists (at least foreigners), has any shop you need and the Inokashirapark is very nice.
The Park has a small lake, is nice for running in the evening and has a craft market every weekend.
And if you live just a little bit away from the main station the prices drop. I stayed at Oak-house (Guesthouse style) wich was quite nice but id recommend a appartment if you are staying longterm (lets say more than 3 month).

I found this site along my searches Tokyo Apartments -Reasonable Apartment Accommodation Guesthouse however dont have any experience with it!

Personally, I wouldn't live anywhere in the metro area. I don't like the noise or the smells, or the expense.

There are no "cool" places to live in the city unless you live in Roppongi Hills, or in one of the newer towers springing up in Toyosu. What's cool to tourists is often obnoxious to residents. Unless you have a rather large income, you may find that the cost of living in a cool neighborhood means you have to live in a closet-size apartment with a view of a brick wall.

Since you are working near Tokyo Station, you might try looking for an apartment in Kanda, which is the nearest place with reasonably priced apartments. Meguro is also not too bad, though it is farther away. Ueno is two stops from Kanda, but the neighborhood looks much the same.

I love not having to live in the city, in June I'll be moving into a brand new 2 bedroom house with a yard. The house is located in a quiet valley where all I hear in the mornings and evenings is the sound of birds and frogs. It's about the same size as my GF's apartment in Tokyo, but the rent is 1/6th of what she pays.

I won't answer as I have no idea about Tokyo.

Kansai was my home turf..

Kyoto is a beautiful place and North would be my choice..

just move in here, and the places listed above are mostly expensive. Personally I prefer to get a place somewhere in Itabashi Area, a few minutes out of Ikebukuru. There are some cheaper apartments there and convenient to other places..

But if you prefer the metro area try checking this place in Shinjuku
http://www.japandanceart.com/

Sakura House Tokyo Apartment Service Review
 

I lived in a Sakura House apartment for 1.5 years. My experience was a positive one. I recommend this place as a good way to start out in Japan.

The good things about Sakura House

1)The facility was older but very well maintained.
2)The deposit was around $300 and $200 and was fully refunded when leaving. I spent the time to clean the list of things they wanted cleaned up.
3)Trash management was handled for you. You only had to put the trash out in to designated containers provided for you on the second floor. The cleaner took care putting out the right trash on the right day.
4)As long as you’ve paid your deposit of $300 and reserved the apartment online. Just go get the key when you arrive.
5)No key money, no guarantor necessary
6)Utilities and Internet are included in the rent you pay.
7)You don’t have to deal with the utility companies to set up water, gas, electricity and internet. This simplifies things greatly
8)It’s cheap to get in to Sakura House as it only costs about $300. It can potentially cost thousands of dollars to get in to a place in Japan through the regular channels. Below is an example of what you could be facing. The amounts vary from place to place

* Key Money/Bribe Money = 1 Months Rent
* Realestate Agent Fee = 1 Months Rent
* Deposit = 1 Months Rent

There were a few problems with living in a Sakura House apartment.

1) I had to go to Shinjuku to pay the rent which was a huge pain. They didn’t have some way of paying rent by credit card even though you can pay your deposit by credit card.
2) The apartment was far from the closest station and it was far from central Tokyo. Walking 15 minutes to the station every morning to get to work is a huge pain. I’m guessing most Sakura House apartments are older and far unless you have the money and are willing to put out the big bucks over $1000/month.
3) The apartment you get for the price you pay is usually smaller, older, or far. A similar apartment would be much cheaper if you spend the time to search and can get someone to lend to a foreigner and if you can get a guarantor.

Extra Information

1) Almost all Sakura House staff are pretty young in general. You’re not dealing with a typical Japanese company
2)Sakura House is a good place to start off in when you first come to Japan. Everything is taken care of for you and you can hit the ground running.
3)If you can deal with the utility companies in Japanese, if you have a guarantor, and if you have a lot of money you can probably skip Sakura House and find a place using the thousands of Fudosan or realestate agents. Most foreigners coming to Japan wouldn’t fit that criteria so Sakura House might meet your needs better.

JNT
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