Moving Tips for Single Men in Tokyo
“Home is where one starts from.”
Hi there Stylish Friends,
I was browsing blog about moving in Tokyo the other day and noticed that there are not that many tips for (single) men in this city. There are tons of great articles about moving to Japan for the first time, where to live as a girl, where to live as an expat (why does foreign friendly always mean crazy expensive??), but never for the single man.
To make sure you make the right decision when moving, I have written down the things I learned over the years. I made sure that ladies and guys in a relationship can pick up some tips too, so keep reading if you are considering moving.
What does 1LDK, 1R, 1K even mean??
A common confusion living in Japan, the units which apartments are measured. Here is a list of types room are usually categorized at:
1R Means 1 Room
In Europe and the US this is usually called a Studio. Your kitchen, living space and bedroom will be 1 room. Most Japanese apartments have a balcony so keep that in mind
Typical size (sq m) 12~20m2
Small, but when you don’t care about having a lot of space or want to go as cheap is possible, this is for you.
1K Means 1 Kitchen
Usually a bit bigger than the 1R. The 1K is the same lay out as the 1R, except that the Kitchen is in a separate space from the living/bedroom. the most typical set up for these is that the kitchen is in the entry hall, next to the door(s) or the bathroom and toilet, followed by a door that leads to the living/bedroom.
Typical size (sq m) 20~25m2
Still not very big, but great for 1 person. I lived in this size room and it was great. I want my kitchen to be separate to keep smells out, so consider this.
1DK Means 1 Dining Kitchen
Basically a 1K with a bigger space in the kitchen area. This means you will have space for a table to eat at, whereas 1Ks usually don’t have this.
Typical size (sq m) 25~35m2
Slowly getting bigger in size on the charts. I think this is a good option for working remotely, because you will have space to put a proper table.
1LDK Means 1 Living Dining Kitchen
The most common size for 1 person who needs a bit more space. I live in one of these now because I needed the space for my cloths and wanted to have a sofa+TV space. The set up is like a 1K, but with an extra room that functions as the bedroom.
Typical size (sq m) 40m2~
Now the good thing is that the size is more similar to apartments in the west, but note that the price shoots up quickly depending on how central you live. 1LDKs can go from 32m2 all the way up to 200m2, so check that before you apply to go see the rooms
1SLDK Means 1 Service Living Dining Kitchen
A bit more common in the suburbs or outside of the central areas. The Service room is a small extra room added to the 1LDK setting and usually means a small office, walk in closet or storage room. the size of this room variates a lot.
Typical size (sq m) 50m2~
Not common in Central Tokyo. Might want to check out 2LDKs because the extra rooms will be bigger and this is a more common option.
+WIC Means Walk in Closet
Not much to add here. Keep in mind that this
+P Means Parking Spot
Sounds like a normal option, but trust me, this is great. usually parking spots have to be rented separately and the price can go up to the price of a cheap apartment! For car owners, definitely keep this in mind. Then again, who has a car in central Tokyo?
I gave an indication on the average sizes of the rooms, but sometimes they go way off on these estimates. 1LDKs of 40m2 are as common as 1LDKs of 90m2, so always ask for the size in m2. Which brings me to the other weird measurement standard in Japan: the “Jyo“.
Room Measurement Units
Rooms are usually indicated in 帖/畳 (Jyo). 1 Jyo is around 1.6m2 or 16.5 sq ft.
on lay outs of houses, real estate agents usually displace individual rooms with this unit. The overall space is usually indicated in m2, because.. I honestly don’t know..
Share House vs Apartment
The Share House
This is a common consideration point for many singles in Tokyo. this city is big, and can be surprisingly lonely sometimes. A great solution for this a Share house. There are many types and sizes of share houses. Usually a share house means that you have your own room to sleep/live in, and share the rest.
I lived in 2 different share houses in the first couple of years and really enjoyed it. I met tons of people who I still hang out with today and saved quite some money while doing so.
But isn’t it dirty?
I guess this is always a hit and a miss situation, but I lived in both a dorm like share house and a bit more fancy share house and I can tell you: both were very clean. Keep in mind that most bigger houses have cleaning staff that clean common spaces like bathrooms, kitchens and toilets daily. Let’s be real here, you don’t clean your toilet/bathroom/kitchen every day, so keep that in mind when considering!
There are lot’s of stories about share houses, so I might write a separate blog about it some other day.
Lower costs
One of the things with living in Japan is dealing with ridiculous initial fees for moving. Renting a regular apartment/house usually sets you back 3~5 times the rent price. Share Houses usually do not have any fees other than some admin fees that are around 20.000 ($200).
The Apartment
The advantage for apartments is of course the privacy. having your own place is great for those introvert moments, or times when you want to spend time time alone with the girl/guy you want to get to know a bit better.. If you know what I mean!
Seriously though, as a single this is a big point to consider. If your partner is not keen on using shared facilities, a share house can be a big problem when dating. A good solution is to take your business elsewhere, like a love hotel, or get your own place.
Where Should I Live in Tokyo?
This all depends on what you want, but let’s assume you are a single adolescent with a decent job/career ready to meet some new people or SO. As a person that lives that busy city life, I really recommend living in the more central areas for the following reasons:
- Easy to meet up with others
You don’t want to sit in a train for an hour every time you want to meet your friends. Keep in mind that the rent price is cheaper, but for singles, usually not that much.
- More places to eat out
I am not a big cooker, so I like to eat out a lot. Eating out is more affordable than in the west and eating by yourself is definitely more socially acceptable.
- 1K sized rooms available everywhere, without bankrupting you
The more central you live, the smaller places are. this means that the category 1K rooms are more common in central areas than in the suburbs (not that they don’t have them, but you know what I mean). If you live
- Can taxi home if needed
After a late night of drinking, walking can be quite the challenge. also, taking a cab home makes you look better when you’re getting lucky, so making sure you don’t go bankrupt cabbing home when you have that big night, is a thing to keep in mind. Avoid taxis as much as you can though, public transport is great here.
- When dating: Location is a flex
A bit of a superficial topic, but I noticed a significant difference in reactions of people I spoke to when I lived in the suburbs towards Chiba vs living in a fancy place like Ebisu. Status is quite big here and location definitely comes with status here. This goes for both the location of your office and your living space. I was quite surprised how much of a flex it was to live in Ebisu. This should not be your main point of attraction, but we men got to use everything we can use out there! It’s a tough place out there.
- So where are these central areas?
To keep it short: Shinjuku-ku, Shibuya-ku, Meguro-ku, Shinagawa-ku are some of those areas that are very central and have tons of hidden jewels to live in. Yeah sure it can be expensive, but it comes with a lot of benefits when living in these areas. So what can you do to keep things in budget?
Budget
Besides choosing a location, always set a budget. the most common budgeting rule is 1rd of your net income should be the max rent you should pay, and I generally agree on that.
Let’s say your budget is 80.000 yen ($800) per month, but you want to live in the city center, consider these things when looking the average costs of an apartment:
- Distance from the station
The further you go, the cheaper apartments usually get. so if you don’t mind a walk, this is a great way to reduce costs
- Building Age
Another big factor can be the age of the building. the older it gets, the cheaper the rent usually is. Sometimes you can get an older building which has been renovated recently, giving you a good deal for a great apartment. The downside of going older is usually how it looks though. As for earthquake safety, don’t get a house that was built before 1981, as they don’t conform to the New Anti-seismic Structure Standard.
- Designer Mansion
The name kind of gives it away, but “Designer Mansions” usually means that the apartments look nicer than the average places. Of course this usually comes with a cost, but worth considering. I personally am greatly affected about how good my building entry/apartment looks. The feeling of accomplishment is great for your mental health in my opinion.
- Accessibility
Besides the distance from the station, the public transport convenience also greatly impacts rent prices. some train lines are les convenient, usually leading to better rent prices. I.e. living on the Inokashira line or Toyoko line are great for when you want to live close to Shibuya, but don’t want to pay top dollar for your humble home.
Timing
Another big thing is timing. In Japan there are 2 times a year when most people move: March-April and September-October. The reason for that is that most new jobs start on either the 1st of April or the 1st of October.
So what this means for you is: don’t move during these times. seriously the housing market is crazy so just don’t unless you really have to. here are some reasons why:
Too much competition
Most houses on popular websites like SUUMO and HOMES will be gone before you finish writing up your name in Katakana.The good stuff is probably already gone
The nicer houses (especially ones with nice pictures in the ads) tend to be reserved almost immediatelyReal Estate agents will offer you the bad stuff
A common thing I noticed: the real estate agents will show you a series of really bad houses followed by some houses that look fine, but feel amazing after all the bad ones.Moving services are more expensive
I noticed several moving services are more expensive because it is a busy season (as if that if our fault)No room for negotiations
This is something people think is impossible in Japan, except it is certainly possible. But not during the moving season
Negotiating prices
This last point is overlooked because of cultural standards. Negotiations are definitely possible. When negotiating a prices, keep in mind that there are 2 parties you are negotiating with: the real estate agent and the landlord.
The real estate agent is your friend when it comes to negotiating with the landlord, so stay away from his fees until the end.
The part which are usually negotiable with the landlord are the ‘Key Money’, the rent price and the first month of rent.
My strategy was to state from the very beginning of any contact that the Japanese system is very expensive, especially compared to back home. This sets the real estate agent in the mood for whats coming.
Try to get the key money to go away first. This is just an extra fee the landlord wants for you moving in and you will see NOTHING of this back. I managed to get rid of the key money on several occasions so it’s definitely an option.
The second part is the first month of rent. When you really like the place you’ve visited, make sure to mention that it would be great, but adding the first month of rent just pushes in over the line. Sometimes the landlord agrees on this, especially when the house has been vacant for a while.
The last part is the agency fee, which the real estate agent changes you. Now don’t pity with them, they receive a lot of money for the amount of work they do, so don’t hold back. Generally speaking, do not pay more than 50%of a month rent to these guys. When they start pushing back, just say you (or your friends) got this discount so you definitely do not want to pay more. If it seems like a tough guy, make sure you mention you are talking to other agents and that they already gave you a guarantee they will go down to 50%. Never mention who else you are talking with (if you are).
Following these tips and not giving in to the talks of the agents will generally give you at least 100.000 yen ($1000) discount, which you can spend elsewhere, like your wardrobe!
What are your major struggles when moving? Would love to hear other people’s experiences on this.
