Writer: Karen W.
Editor: Kurooto B.
Transrater: Juri A.
Hello everyone. Many people will be moving to the Ikebukuro campus starting next fall semester. Many international students will start living alone instead of in a dormitory in Ikebukuro, where rent and prices are higher than on the first and second campuses! Besides the help from PA, this information from J-track students and E-track students who have been living in Japan, will be useful for living on your own. I am going to share experiences from students that I have heard from on SLI’s official instagram account.
First off, I will introduce the process of finding a place in Japan.
- Decide what you require for the room.
The first thing you have to decide when you start finding a place is to know what kind of room you want to live in, where to live and what is around the area. You need to determine these conditions, otherwise you don’t know what kind of room you should look for.
②Go to the real estate agent
Once you have decided on what kind of apartment you want to live in, you can search for the various real estate agents online such as “SUUMO, MiniMini and ApamanShop”. If you are an exchange student who has just arrived in Japan and don’t have a clue about how anything works around here, you should consult with friends or acquaintances who have stayed in Japan for a while and who are a part of the SLI’s PA team and visit these agencies together.
③Go to view a room
After you find the room where you want to view, go to view inside the apartment with an agency. Once you find a good room, for some people, the only problem will be the cost to rent the room.
④Sign a contract
In order to rent an apartment, you have to prepare a large amount of money for an initial fee. like 100 thousand yen to 200 thousand yen. Also, you have to fill out all the required forms, and open a bank account to pay the rental fee.
④Prepare to start living in
To start off your new life, you have to bring your household goods from your hometown or the previous place and install an electric appliance. Also, you have to ask your family, friends or relocation company to carry your stuff in. To get electric appliances, use an appliance store near your new home, a second-hand store, or an app such as Zimoti. Moving costs a lot so it is important to find out the easy and inexpensive way to get the things you need.
Next, we asked TIU students who have moved in before they found a room about the things they did for moving over @tiu_sli, SLI’s official Instagram account. It can be divided into the following three main categories.
(1) How long it takes to find a place to live in.
(2) How do you find a place?
(3) During the moving process
Student A: (1)
(1) It took me about 3 months. During this time, I went to see many different rooms, but I couldn’t find a good place at all, so it took a long time. However, I was able to move in about 10 days after I found a room, so I was able to move in very quickly. However, I could only see the places which are managed by the real estate agency that I consulted with. Also, the service provided by that agency was not good, so I feel a little uncomfortable living there.
(3) I had to do all the moving stuff by myself. It was very tough for me. Also, It was difficult to find a good place so it took a long time. What is more, the way of sales approached by the agent who was in charge of me was so bad that it made me feel awkward.
Student B
(1) It took me about two months to find a place!
2) I was searching for a place by using the Sumo app and Kawagoe’s Minimini on site, and even signed a contract there.
3) It was hard to find a place that suited my needs. I even had to pay for appliances besides the rent fee so it is important to discuss with your parents.
Student C
(1) When I started living in a shared house, it only took me to decide on a place to live in .
(2) I asked a real estate agent to help me find a place.
(3) When I was looking for a place, I had to decide on if it is close to the station and the direction of the house, so it was difficult to find a good compromise.
Student D
It took me about 3 months to move in.
2) I talked with real estate agencies and looked at land when looking for a place.
(3) It was difficult because I had to decide on a room while looking at feng shui.
Student E
It took me about one month.
I looked on the Internet and asked friends to help me find a room.
(3) It was difficult to find an ideal place because of the rent problem.
Student F
(1) It took me about 10 days to find a place.
2) I made an appointment with a real estate agent and decided to move in on the same day, so I was able to move in quickly.
3) It was difficult to carry furniture in.
Thank you to everyone who cooperated in the survey. If you are thinking of moving, please keep in mind that it usually takes at least a month from the time you start looking for a place until you actually start living there. Some people manage to find a place and move in within 10 days, but please don’t be in a hurry and make sure to select the place that fits your criteria. This series on “living alone” will continue. Please look forward to the next article.
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