Job Discussion Forums

[Rob1209]

Hi all,
I'm going to be taking a job in June that covers several language schools for children, mostly in Gifu prefecture, and possibly Aichi prefecture as well. The outgoing teacher lived in Kani City. My employer tells me that Kani City or Mino Kamo City are the best places to look for apartments, in terms of location suitability. I need to find an apartment for me and my girlfriend, as the company only provides single occupancy apartments.
I've been searching on the internet and forums and found very little information in English on this area, and would appreciate any information anyone could pass on, whether you've lived there, know someone who does, or just know a bit about it.

Things I'm particularly interested in hearing about are:

General information and thoughts on the area, vibe, perceptions, what's good and bad about it. You can be brutally honest.

Ease of access via public transport to Nagoya, Tokyo, Gifu & Kyoto.

Apartment searching - where I might find listings on the web for this area (preferably in English, but I do have Japanese family who can translate).

Also, I'll be training in Nagoya for 2 weeks from 25th June, and then placed in Kani area after that. My plan is to fly out to Nagoya around 5th-8th June, base myself there (maybe a month in LeoPalace), and spend the first 2 weeks looking for an apartment in Kani City, by getting the train from Nagoya.

Is this a realistic window to be able to find an apartment ready to move into by early July at the latest? What kind of problems should I expect to face?

Thanks, as always, for the advice,
Rob

[Glenski]

Doesn't your employer want to help you find an apartment (or already have one ready)? Seems odd to hire someone to come thousands of miles away to a new land without at least doing that little to help them.

As for what to be prepared for, security deposits (key money) that could be 2-5 times a month's rent. If you have to get a place on your own, expect few places to be furnished (LeoPalace is), and if you get an unfurnished place, that means furniture, appliances, curtains, bedding, kitchen stuff, space heater (usually the only means of heat), and maybe even light fixtures. 100-yen shops go only so far in providing those things, as do secondhand shops.

[Rob1209]

Thanks for the reply Glenski.

Just to clarify a few things...

My employer only offers apartments on a single occupancy basis. For those taking up the apartment offer (the vast majority of employees), they locate, secure, and cover the initial expenses (key money etc) for these apartments. However, because I am going to Japan with my girlfriend, and living apart is not an option, I was given the job on the basis that I would have to secure my own apartment in the area they recommend. Some general advice is probably possible, financial help not. That's okay though, I'm well aware of the start up costs from research and the many good threads about it in these forums.

My main concern is area-specific info such as which areas are considered good (safer/access to amenities/picturesque/cost of apartments etc), and which areas should be avoided, as well as transport links.

In terms of finding accommodation for ourselves, I'm interested in how difficult this would be without speaking Japanese myself. My girlfriend is half-Japanese and fluent in speaking, but may struggle with certain estate-agent vocab, and will certainly struggle with reading kanji. She does have lots of aunts/uncles/cousins etc in Tokyo who may be able to help, but as it's a long way from where we'll be they will only be able to assist in the search for 1 or 2 days max at one time.

My back-up plan, which may become the main plan, is to book into LeoPalace for 1 month in Nagoya, 2 weeks before training starts, and travel to Kani/MinoKamo daily to look for apartments. If I don't secure one I'll consider another short-term contract with LeoPalace in Kani/Mniokamo area so I have somewhere to go after finishing in Nagoya, and buy more time for looking around. It may even work out better to stay longer term in LeoPalace, depending on the apartment finding results. Wonder what people's thoughts are on this?

[mitsui]

I think the site athome.co.jp is good, but it is in Japanese.

[Calico]

How bizarre, i literally just moved out of Minokamo after a year this past Monday (I've returned to America).

I can't really help with the apartment hunting, since mine was provided by the company, but I can definitely provide info about the area. Feel free to PM me with any specific questions.

I will say off the bat that Minokamo especially has a huuuuge Braziian immigrant population. There are hundreds of little shops, convenient stores, churches, and services provided in Portuguese. Minokamo itself is largely bilingual in Japanese...and Portuguese. So if you know Portuguese or are interested in Brazilian culture on the side, it could be an ideal area. (It also means that it's a very foreign minded community with lots of services in multiple languages, which is quite a deal for "rural" Gifu.)

[OneJoelFifty]

Your girlfriend will be fine speaking to the estate agents. I had to muddle through recently, and my Japanese is awful. Admittedly I got my girlfriend to help out with a few translations, but overall it was okay. If I were you, I'd have your girlfriend do the corresponding if you can, as it might help reassure landlords that might otherwise not want to rent to a foreigner.

You should check the websites for the areas you want (just Google the area name plus 'アパート', you'll likely find some apartment search sites), and take a look at what's out there. You'll have to fill out an online form or call the agents, but once you get an email back you can deal with that agent directly and do most of the correspondence by mail beforehand. That way you can get some viewings lined up while having had time to look at the information on each beforehand.

Also, prepare an introduction email stating exactly what you want (rent, size, building age, separate bath/toilet, minutes from station, etc). On the websites you find there will be a long list of search parameters. You'll have to select what you want on the sites, but you'll be asked again when you contact the agents. Also be aware that you can specify you want somewhere without key money! There are places out there.

Good luck, please share how you get on.

[Rob1209]

Thanks Calico - what a coincidence! I've PMed you a rather lengthy one, please feel free to comment wherever you can.

Thanks Joel, that's really practical, useful info for apartment searching and has eased a lot of my concerns. Will keep you updated with our progress.