That's right, I 'm looking for a mansion ...

Looking for an apartment at the moment, which in Japan, especially Tokyo it seems, is a rather daunting task. The cost can be astronimical and the typical size is much smaller than what is found in the US typically. Of course, there are many factors that affect the cost. Some of which are the proximty to the urban center of Tokyo, the walking distance to the nearest train station and which line it is, the age of the building, and various other things. Of course there are gaijin houses (foreigner houses) which are a step up from a youth hostel. Basically it a large apartment where everyone has their own room, but share kitchen and bath. It's very affordable, if you dont mind sharing a space. It's so affordable that more and more young Japanese are even renting there!


The fun begins with a stop down to your local fudousan (real estate agency. A lot of them won't deal with foreingers, but a few do. It helps if you can speak Japanese or come with your boss (such as I am doing). There are basically 2 choices: an apaato or a manshion. An Apaato (short for apartment) is usually an older wooden building with tatami floors and very thin walls so you can hear every slurp of your neighbor's soup. They tend to be cheaper and larger, but usually with not great heating and can sometimes be bug-gy. The other type, which I am currently in temporarily and trying to find, is a mansion. Don't let the name fool you - it doesn't describe the size, its just a name to distinguish from apaatos. The features of this type are think concrete walls, multi-story, security lock, balcony, and furoringu (wood flooring). They tend to be much more expensive and smaller, but newer and nicer. In most cases, you have to buy your own fridge and washing machine, but they arent that expensive.



Apartments are measured in -jo which is the equivalent of one tatami mat, or about 1.65 meters sq. So a typical 6-jo room is about 12 sq meters (or 10' x 12'). The number of rooms are labeled such as 1K, 1DK, 1LDK, 2LDK and so on..the first number is the number of bedrooms and K = sep kitchen, D = sep dining area, L is living room, and just a 1 is a 1-room studio with kitchen as part of it. Also, the toliet and shower are in separate rooms, which if you think about it, makes a lot of sense...

The sticker shock comes in when you consider all the associated costs with the move in, for either type. The first hit is the reikin. Basically its a gift (bribe) given to the landlord for letting you rent their place. It's usually 1 or 2 months rent. You don't get that back. Then there is the shikikin. That is the security deposit and chances are, even if you leave the place immaculate, I've heard you never see all of that back again either. That is also about 2 months rent. Last, but not least, is the chuukai-tesuuryou which is the finder fee for the real estate company, which is usually one month rent. So in all, we are looking at about 5 months rent up front, or about 5 grand. Most of which goes bye-bye. As they say, "shikata ga nai", or "there's nothing you can do about it".

On the way to work

I have to say that one of the first things I am noticing is that despite being in a huge urban area, everywhere is so CLEAN. There is absolutely no trash, buts, NOTHING i the streets or on the sidewalk. It's kind of freaky. Today I saw a woman waking ob the street pick some trash from an otherwise spotless street that wasnt even her own! definitely their is the this is our community vibe going on. The other strange thing for me is how QUIET it is also. It's almost like being in the suburbs, in terms of noise level.

There are vending machines like every 10 feet with anything from beer to asprin, and of course soda and drinks. But rarely do you ever see someone walking and eating/drinking. There are lots of posters of what I guess are politicians all over too. I especially like the one this guy. There is just something about him....


Recycling here is a HUGE deal and if you don't follow the rules you can get into some trouble. Things are separated into burnable(moerugomi), non-burnable (moenaigomi)and recyclable. It's kind of a hassle but once you get used to it it's not a big deal and with the amount of trash a city of this size must make, its probably a good thing to do...


Finally, I found my new coffee shop, but it's not like my beloved Starbucks. The employees are polite but reserved, like in most shops and for a coffee that is about half of a starbucks tall size, its like 3 bucks..it is pretty good though I must admit. And the name is ST MARC'S CAFE so it must be meant to be...lol

Please go and come back ...

At first I was surprised at how small my new workplace is, but then again, most spaces are much smaller here I am learning. It's very clean and the computer equipment is blazingly fast. Dual plasma monitors and tons of RAM and processors, this computer smokes the ones I used at home. Other thing I noticed is when these guys are at work, THEY ARE AT WORK. That means little chit-chat, surfing the net for hours, or doodling. I like a quiet workspace so is fine with me. I can see why Japanese companies are so productive. The other nice thing I like are the daily office aisatsu. These are greetings and saying that you make to coworkers (or at home to family) that are said upon leaving and returning. It's not even a conscious thing, its just done throughout the day. Like, "I am going out and will be back" meets with roughly "please go and come back" and "welcome back" upon return. At the end of the day if you leave before others you say, "I am sorry to be leaving before you" and the reply is "you worked hard today, good job". I don't know why but it's just kind of a nice thing I like...

Well, I made it ...

After a crazy last few days selling my stuff, cleaning, packing, and saying farewells, I was finally at the airport ready to go. My one bag was 30 lbs over the limit and would have been an extra *drumroll* $300! I was able to get it down to 20lbs over and it was only $25 more (go figure). I always dreaded being oneof those people at checkin with their bags open and clothes and underwear strewn about, but now I know the honor..lol. Flight was great but long, of course. After the 14 hours in the air, I then had a 2 hour bus ride to Tokyo (Narita airport is actually not in Tokyo) and then a short taxi ride from the station to my new office. I was really tired but just to finally be there. After meeting my boss and new coworkers, I got to see the new office. Pretty cool environment and everyone is being really helpful. After that, they took me out for dinner and sake. Food was great and it was a lot of fun. Then, my boss took me to my temporary apartment, which is conveniently located close to the office. It's very small compared to my apt in philly, but surprisingly I don't mind it so much. It's clean and has TV, sofa and bed, washing machine plus a balcony. It's only for one month anyway.