Roomy Japan

Foreigners’ Survival Course in Japan: Choosing a Place to Live

admin — Tue, 07 Feb 2012 09:28:34 +0000

Whether you are in Japan as a tourist, on business, or for schooling, one of the most daunting tasks is finding a good place to live. The choice should be based on your particular needs. As an example, if you are a student, you will need some place that has a sense of community and that is cheap. The choice should also be based on your particular preferences such as your preferred climate. You should make such considerations as location vis-à-vis your interests, ease of transport, the pet policy, the crime rate, and availability of basic amenities.

Living in larger cities such as Tokyo, Kyoto, Yokohama, Nagoya, and Shizuoka is advantageous in that you will get the support of the Diaspora, and you are more likely to find such things as convenient stores and banks where English is spoken. Consider such neighborhoods as Hakodate or Sapporo if you love your peace and quite.

If you are in Japan for schooling, the best place to live is in your campus’s hotels or near your campus. If you are in the country for business and the hotels are too expensive for you, you could always stay in a guesthouse.

Do your research through recommendations, through independent reviews in travel magazines and review sites, and through online discussion forums for tips on the best and the worst places to live. This is the only way, as an example, that you will learn that Osaka is dirty, it has a high rate of insecurity, the homeless situation is very bad, and it has the 2^nd largest unemployment rate in Japan.

Do your search early to avoid disappointment. Consider enlisting the services of a professional to help you with the search. Professionals like travel agents and real estate agents have the experience and contacts necessary to get you exactly what you are looking for.

How to find decent guest house in Tokyo

admin — Mon, 12 Dec 2011 06:36:03 +0000

You were accepted in an exchange program in a Tokyo university and you just cannot wait to go to Tokyo and start the learning experience. What do you do first? You must find a place to stay. You can search online so you can book a place to stay in once you arrive in Tokyo. A famous type of guesthouse in Tokyo is called Tokyo guest house Tokyo apartment by share style. The Tokyo guest house Tokyo apartment by share style means that at least 3-5 people will share the guest house.

This type of guesthouse is called a share house. Share houses have private areas and common areas. Private areas are the personal rooms of the guests. The common areas include the kitchen, living room, lavatory, laundry room and many more. This is a cost-effective way of renting a place since you get to share the house with someone else as opposed to paying the whole guesthouse for yourself. Share houses are also cheaper than apartments.

Share houses are located in quiet and highly accessible areas but you do not have to pay much for it. Houses are fully furnished. The kitchen has a refrigerator, stove, microwave, over toasters and other kitchen appliances. Private rooms have beds, air conditioner, basic furniture and free internet connectivity. The washroom has a washing machine and a dryer.

Share houses provide you comfort while staying in a city you are not familiar. You will stay with foreigners most of the time so you get to learn about their culture as well. Housemates will be helping each other out to have a clean home and a peaceful relationship with everyone. You can build friendships with your housemates as you can cook, play and tour Tokyo together.

Staying in share houses will make it a more memorable experience for you. You get to know more about the Japanese culture and the different cultures of your new friends as well as explore Tokyo together.

Advantages in Living in Tokyo Apartment

admin — Sun, 11 Dec 2011 05:13:13 +0000

In big places, many property developers build for rent apartments and it really work out. This is because interest to remain in a directory personal building in places is quite big. The causes include insufficient area to set up negotiations side or homes in places and area prices are already expensive. While the flats are designed up and down require less area so the price is cheaper. Tokyo Apartment has several options for you to take for they have wide selection of apartment type such as mansion, heights, single house and many more. This apartment comes in optional prices and you can have Tokyo apartment depends on your financial availability.

Apartments are usually designed in ideal places, which is near to business or office. By remaining in a house near to where the function will be able to decrease exhaustion, and keep you away from the tiring days. You can also go to the housing more easily so that you can rest more. Apartments in Tokyo are very stylish and easy to find. The fast paced life of city places and easily create the choice to live in a house is regarded more realistic. Apartment models are usually not very big, so you will not have to run for cleaning your room form time to time. You will not also have problems in taking care of the lawn, convenience amenities, water, or air movement because there has been the supervisor in cost to it.
Japanese apartments have 24-hour protect and CCTV tracking, so that citizens can be tranquil when I have to depart his model. This is important because most city places that function will take a longer period outside, either for working, dinner or excitement. Facilities available in the flats are also the middle of attention. Health Facilities such as health club, damages, strolling monitor, excitement space, small market, dinner places, dinner places, and other amenities will create the house citizens do not have to go far in order to match their needs.
If you wanted to find a place to live under the strong influence of science and technology, then Tokyo Japan is the perfect location you are looking for. The country has thousand of foreign people living in different apartment type that can be found in the city of Tokyo. Many believe that you can live luxuriously in much affordable apartment prices in your own life style satisfaction. You only need to see the housing advertisement through the Internet or via friend recommendation, and then you will simply discover the wonder of living comfortably in Tokyo Japan.

Appreciating the Night view of Tokyo

admin — Sat, 08 Oct 2011 08:40:52 +0000

Tokyo is one of the most expensive and advanced cities of the world. Despite its location as earthquake prone area, it has developed luxury apartment Tokyo hub. The apartments consist of low to high rise buildings. In the recent March 11 double disasters; there has been no reported collapse of any luxury apartment Tokyo center. Japan had strictly enforced a strategic building code commanding the use of building designs that are earthquakes resistant.

Appreciating Japan at night
At night, the city of Tokyo is vibrant and looks even more amazing with the enchanting night lights. The beauty of Tokyo at night can be appreciated most when you have the chance to stay at any of the city’s luxurious hotels. Among Tokyo’s 40 to 50 storey buildings are the Roppongi Hills, Mori Tower, Tokyo City View, Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, and Tokyo Tower. These buildings are provided with large observatory and special viewing room. The view decks provide a perfect view of the entire Tokyo during daytime and nighttime. In Tokyo Tower for example, the large observatory and special view room is 150m and 250m in height, respectively. While the Metropolitan Government Building has 48 floors and is 243m tall. It has two observation floors (North and South) located 662 feet above ground, allowing a 360 degree panorama of Tokyo. The North observation room is open late at night to give a chance to enjoy the spectacular night view of Tokyo. No entrance fee is charged.
The most of the city panoramic view can be viewed at Tokyo City View from 250m above sea level. It is located at the center of Tokyo and offers a perfect 360 degrees night viewing when the city is filled with urban lights. It has the following galleries (Gallery 1, 2 and 3) which are designed primarily for viewing specific areas. Sky Gallery 2 is directed at Haneda Airport offering the view of Tokyo Bay, flights taking off and landing at Haneda Airport, and an iconic view of Mt. Fuji and at night, the floor is illuminated by soft light from light boxes suspended from the ceiling, while the glittering night cityscape creates a fantasy ambience while Sky Gallery 3 liberates the atmosphere of the 11 meters high atrium space where visitors enjoy a astonishing panorama that captures the liveliness of the city.
The harvest moon in Kudan Hill in Chiyoda City is also a popular sightseeing spot in Tokyo, and has long been known as a place to sit at night while waiting for the moon to rise. This is long practice in Japan appreciating the moon since olden times. Autumn is the best season for viewing the full moon because the moon is at the easiest angle to view from the Northern Hemisphere.

The Eco House in Japan

admin — Fri, 07 Oct 2011 08:36:31 +0000

Government’s call for an eco house
At the 34th G8 Summit in Hokkaido, together with other member nations, Japan had agreed and committed to help solve reduce the environmental threat by addressing the crisis through reduction of carbon emissions (CO2) by 50 percent before 2050. Japan is now working to achieve more than the target and achieve a truly ’Low Carbon Society’ by reducing CO2 emissions by as much as 80% within the next 40 years. The plan included the reduction of Japan households’ energy consumption. Japanese household energy consumption had risen by 40% since 1990. The government has committed to improve the quality of life of the people through the introduction of new home designs with the use of natural sources such as air, light, water and heat to experience a more comfortable way of life.

The community in response
Panasonic Corporation is one of Japans largest electronics manufacturing company. The company changed its name in 2008 from the Matsushita Electric Industrial Co. to the Panasonic Corp. It responded to the call and proposes a way of life with virtually zero CO2 emissions by enhancing energy-saving performance of its home appliances. CO2 emissions are also thoroughly reduced by utilizing building materials with high insulation performance. Energy is also supplied by creating and storing energy with a combination of solar power generators, fuel cells, and storage batteries. Panasonic’s energy management system linked these benefits by smartly controlling the use of energy.
The eco house model
Recently, Japan’s ‘Eco-House’ project has been completed. The twenty unique sustainable homes were constructed all throughout the country where it aims to set new national standards for home and environmental designs. One of which is the Shimane Prefecture, a structure overlooking the Japan sea. The incredible “Stairs House” offers an intimate interior while providing a welcoming exterior environment. The solar house is built not just for the family, but for all the neighboring children to enjoy the surroundings. The exterior design of the house takes the form of a huge staircase that reaches up to two stories and provides spaces to view and to relax. The interior is a thoughtfully-designed space that consists of bookcases, cubbies, and open rooms that are illuminated especially by uniquely designed windows that continuously change light adapted to different weather conditions. The passive heating and cooling elements and other green building strategies applied to “Stairs House” is a remarkable development designed primarily to be kind to environment as it is to its neighborhood.

Renting an apartment as a foreign student

admin — Thu, 06 Oct 2011 07:03:46 +0000

Types of Housing for expat in Tokyo

Tokyo is one of cities in the world where expats, foreigners and students are spoilt for choice when it comes to housing. Residential housing in Tokyo is built to meet the needs of all cadres of foreigners, but at a cost! The housing here is built to cover the lifestyles of the foreigners and range from high, mid and low rise luxury apartments. Most of the houses in Tokyo are small; this is the reason why real estate agents have taken note of building modern houses with large sitting rooms, bedrooms with master en-suite and are spread around all parts of Tokyo. Housing for expat in Tokyo ranges between apartments and mansionette.

When looking for a house in Tokyo as a foreigner, it is important to find out before signing the contract (which normally is written both in Japanese and English) what the law requirements in regard to bringing a pet to Japan entails. Looking for a house can be time consuming and the language barrier is usually a big hindrance to foreigners. It is imperative to decide on the type of housing required and seek the services of a translator or a reputable real estate agent who will provide the above services at a small fee. Foreigners incur a lot of money when they settle in Tokyo because of the many charges that are required from the landlords or the estate agents.

The agents are usually able to provide advice on the kinds of houses available in the market and their prices, and are most of the times e able to help customers negotiate the overall pricing. Renting an apartment in Tokyo involves several payment methods. Upon identification of the apartment or house in question, a deposit (which is equivalent to one months rent is paid), monthly rent, key money (amounting to two months rent as a ‘thank you’) is a must, an agent fee has to be paid and some real estate agents require maintenance fee and finally upon the end of the contract a renewal fee which also amounts close to another two months rent. A foreigner intending to settle in Tokyo must be ready to part with a large sum of money in-order to comfortable enjoy the living surroundings.

Always have your emergency bag ready in Japan

admin — Wed, 05 Oct 2011 06:53:24 +0000

The Government of Japan has constantly reminded its citizen to always have an emergency bag ready with them at all time. The bag is at times referred to as ‘Tsunami bag’. The bag got its name from one of the worst ever Tsunami to ever hit Japan at the beginning of 2011 killing hundreds of people and leaving others un-accounted for. Many people are still living in temporary shelters as they wait for the Government to settle them or rebuild their destroyed homes.

Any re-occurrence of a Tsunami cannot be ruled out, and depending on what a lot of individuals went through before aid got to them; it is imperative and important to have a bag ready as per the Government requirements. The bag is known to carry a lot of emergency (essential) supplies. The first requirement is that the bag should if possible be fire-proof and large enough to carry supplies for at least 3 members of a family. There has to be a first-aid kit inside, a sleeping bag or blanket, drinking water containers, camping knifes, portable radio (to help keep informed of any happenings), sanitary products, foods (canned, dried, high energy), and gloves amongst others.

The emergency’s bag main importance is to help over the first few days after a catastrophe like what happened in Japan. Most of the times the destruction is massive and any available help usually takes long to come by. With items such as identification details, cash (coins or phone cards), ropes, torch and an extra pair of batteries, survival becomes easy as help is awaited. The emergency bag is not restricted to the homes only, car owners are advised to carry one in their bags and even those working in offices need to have with them at all times, spare clothing, a pair of comfortable shoes and high energy foods in case disaster strikes.

The list can include a lot of items as per individual’s requirements and their ability but the basics are a must have for each citizen. Apart from the kits each, family is required to inform all the occupants of the house where the emergency kit is kept and if possible agree on what steps to take incase of such eventualities. The disaster preparation kit is a must have for every home.

The Necessary Insurance for Renting a House in Japan

admin — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 06:35:17 +0000

Renting an apartment
Actually everything about Tokyo is expensive, the foods, goods, drinks, parking spaces including Apartment rental Tokyo package. If you are moving to Tokyo, the first thing to do is to negotiate with your employer about the apartment rental Tokyo terms and conditions. If your transfer is of short notice, move to Gaijin houses, it is quiet low in rent and without much hassles in getting the necessary house insurance. Gaijin houses may be occupied singly or shared. House deposits are usually about one month’s rent only.

Renting an apartment in Japan will take some time to arrange with many things to consider. The costs of the rent will include “key money” (reikin), deposit (shikikin) and rental agency fee. Key money is actually a “gift” to the owner of the apartment and non-refundable. Deposits usually cover 1 or 2 months rent. The money is supposed to be refundable upon moving out. The real estate agency fee usually covers one month’s rent and is non-refundable. And on top of these requirements, there is the house insurance you have to pay. Tenants are not covered by landlord’s contents insurance policy or home insurance policy. This would mean that in case of calamities or risks such as: fire, flood, theft or household damage, the tenant is expected to pay for repairs taken from the deposit. As a tenant, by law, he is liable for all damages to the rented home or apartment caused by fire, accidental explosion, theft and other perils.
Comprehensive Housing Insurance
It is also a requirement in acquiring private apartments that a foreign national has to find a Japanese guarantor before he may be allowed to occupy the apartment. For this purpose the tenant shall secure a Housing Insurance to eliminate the risk of any financial loss or trouble for such guarantor in the event of any accidents. For tenants, Home Insurance is designed to protect the house contents, and cover any loss in the event of damage to your rented property.
The coverage of the insurance will include the following: a) Protection of tenant’s legal accountability. This coverage provides protection of the person’s room if damaged by a covered risk. Under typical lease terms, the tenant has to provide legal compensation to his landlord for the damage and b) Protection against personal liability. This coverage provides protection against accidental bodily injury or property damage to others for which the person is accountable, for example, throwing something and injuring someone or a water leak damaging someone’s property. However, there is no provision for earthquake coverage in standard insurance policies. It must be obtained separately.

Learning Space Management from Japanese

admin — Sun, 02 Oct 2011 06:34:24 +0000

Japanese house plan
Japanese house design is admired globally for its simplicity and flexibility. It is more of open and organized spaces, and clean lines which reflect highly disciplined beauty. The Japanese concept of beauty lies in asymmetry. For Japanese house design, symmetry is stagnant and asymmetry is creative. For them, in asymmetry the balance between left and right is altered to create a dynamic beauty. The primary consideration in Japanese interior designs essentially remains in Space Management. This is not a surprise considering the high value of real estate in Japan and the increasing population. Basically, Japanese families of different generations live under one roof.

Surprisingly, they were able to design the house without compromising their individual privacy or their quality of life.
In both traditional and modern Japanese houses, the interior is practically without walls. Shoji screens, sliding panels and curtains define spaces. In Japan’s traditional house, the translucent paper room dividers will determine the size and shape of the room. Japanese have developed a way to make everything fit in a small space. In addition, the customs of taking off one’s shoes before going indoors remains a universal Japanese tradition. Ritual baths, futons for sleeping, low tables for eating and tatami-covered floors for sitting also speak of the long practice as one of Japanese traditions.
Japanese house content
In the western houses, rooms have specific functions and filled with household equipments and furniture. In contrast, Japanese houses the rooms are multifunctional; it can be a living room by day and a bedroom by night. This kind of flexible environment requires flexible furnishings. Japanese people live without so much furniture, the room is usually provided with one, low table only and the following items:

Tansu or “chest” which refers to sophisticated, mobile cabinets originally crafted for a variety of purpose;
Futon which is a cotton-filled mattress that can be rolled away to make space and lay at night time to sleep on. During the day they are stored in the closets.
Tatami mats from the Japanese word “Tatamo” which means to fold up. The mats are used as floor coverings. Pillows can be provided as quick sittings on these mats.
Shoji screens are sliding screens which are very popular even in modern Japan. Their main function is to offer privacy and diffused light. They are made from wood lattice and rice paper which provides adequate ventilation.

How to Rent an Apartment in Tokyo?

admin — Wed, 24 Aug 2011 02:09:00 +0000

It is difficult to find out the best apartment for living if you don’t have enough idea on what type of apartment you want. It would be a trying experience if you lack information. Almost all people return dejected because they don’t have correct information about what they want? Here in this article, you can find enough information on how to rent apartments in Tokyo. You may have seen advertisements like Tokyo apartments for rent in newspaper or media. Before getting attached to these advertisements always look up for certain facts.

Firstly, you should visit the apartment that you intend to live for. You should have a look on the surrounding places of the apartments. You should also consider the facilities in the surrounding places. Apartments which have beautiful interiors may not be good. If they cannot provide enough external support, your selection will fail. You should look for basic facilities like transport facilities, hospitals, schools, recreation centers, etc. Without exterior support, it is impossible to live.

After you have estimated external features, you should look for facilities provided by these apartments. If possible, try to make a list of facilities that you can avail from the apartment. You can possibly achieve all the requirements from Tokyo apartments. In fact, availability of facilities alone will not do the work. Price is a matter to be concerned with while choosing an apartment for rent. All of us prefer to have enough facilities in affordable price. Therefore, it is essential to estimate the price requirements.

If the price requirements go above your dream, it is better to stay away from such deals. Spending for costly living can tamper with yourbudget and can cause serious problems. Sometimes, you may have to spend enormous money for living in such apartments. Search for an affordable deal. If you are convinced with the requirements and budget, you can have them. There are number of apartments available in various parts of Tokyo. So don’t choose one as soon as you see them. Make sure that it meets your requirements. Keeping these facts in your mind will help you to have a beautiful living place.