Job Discussion Forums

[gwynnie86]

Hi guys! So, my brain is melting so I'll try to keep this simple...

My partner is moving to the same city as me (in Shizuoka prefecture). I currently pay 60,000円 for a matchbox, which - while he COULD fit into with me - the claustrophobia would probably drive us both crazy. We don't necessarily have to live together, but the company has offered him a similarly sized and priced apartment.

Here's the thing... we are leaving Japan in August, anyway. It was a sudden decision, and we realise that it's hard to get short-term rentals like that. We'd probably have to pay some cancellation fee on the contracts, right? Well, the aim is to save money (and stay sane).

We could both squash into my apartment and save some money, although I've worked out that if we move into a two-bedroomed Leopalace, we will possibly save money (even after paying the deposits and key money).... we will have more space, BUT we'll be further from the downtown area, so transportation costs may go up considerably.

The other option is an apartment rental company that rent out apartments by the month. The problem is that they cost more than the other options, but they come totally furnished, with bills included and are RIGHT in the middle of the downtown area, eliminating transport costs but bringing back the problem of rent and space.

Ideally we'd move into one of the many cheap, large and conveniently located apartments on minimini.jp, but I'm worried that a) they won't rent to foreigners and b) they will only provide year-long contracts. My Japanese isn't good enough to navigate their website, so I don't really know what to do.

Can anyone give me advice? Our friends say that we should just suck it up and either squash together into my Leopalace or continue to live in our separate ones as it's only going to be for 5 months, anyway. What do you all think??

[Bread]

I'd normally say to look at guesthouses, but it sounds like you're out in the boonies so there might not be any. If you're currently in a Leo Palace, I think you can move to any other Leo Palace without paying a new deposit (or just paying the difference or however it works). If you get a contract for a real apartment, you'll be paying some pretty massive move-in fees in addition to probably a one-month's rent cancellation fee when you move out.

[Glenski]

Most apartments expect a 2-year lease, so unless you are willing to pay a hefty penalty fee for leaving that early, I can suggest only 2 things:

1. Stay where you are and get used to the claustrophobia. You did say it was for only 5 months. Summer is coming, so you probably won't spend that much time in it, will you?

2. Find someone who lives in your city and who knows of some exception to the norm, like LeoPalace or the place you mentioned. There may be others.

[OneJoelFifty]

I'd be surprised if there weren't more Leopalace apartment blocks for you to choose from, that might be closer to where you want to be. I think you can move around, as Bread said. Leopalace also offer a month-by-month rental plan, don't they?

Also a little tip, use Google Chrome as your internet browser. It will offer to auto-translate websites in other languages, I've just been through a search for a new apartment and would have been lost without it.