This is where house hunting usually starts in Japan and where you can find what the average rents are for apartments in your area.
To help you get started in navigating the confusing but important world of Japanese real estate, Kumon has put together this handy guide. Kumon is a leading education provider in Japan, and if you are looking to move forward with Japanese language studies, their introductory course has been designed to deliver effective lessons that can be tailored to your own needs.
Building regulations in Japan stipulate a lot of set standards across real estate, which means that you can find many of the similarities from district to district and city to city.
Prices can depend on location, size, style of rooms, facilities and, perhaps most importantly, which direction your room faces. Take advantage of these terms to help your living in Japan.
LDK – This gives you the best indication of how big an apartment is in Japan. (L=Living, D=Dining and K= Kitchen). So, an LDK is usually bigger than a DK as it has an extra room that can be used for general living.
畳 – Tatami. This is how you work out the size of a particular room. Room sizes in Japan are measured by the number of tatami mats (which are all themselves one standard size) laid out on the room floor.
家具付き= Kagu Tsuki (Furnished). Most apartments in Japan come with (literally) the bare essentials only. If you want to save yourself many trips to home furnishing stores and can afford the extra fees, look for this type of apartment.
角部屋= Kado Beya(Corner room). This one is simple. Some people prefer to have a corner room that offers then a side view out of the building they are in rather than take a room in the center.
即入居可= Soku nyūkyo-ka (Available now). If you are looking to move pronto, look for room cards that contain this on them.
南向き= Minami Muki (Facing south). Do you mind which way your apartment faces? Plenty of folks in Japan do as a room that receives sunlight is believed to keep those living inside nice and healthy. On a more practical level, it also helps you dry your clothes after you have washed them.
Interested in taking your Japanese to the next level? Find out more about the Kumon course here or contact them directly.
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