Job Discussion Forums

[lam]

Hi everyone. Well yesterday i went to a pre-departure seminar for Nova. I will be leaving on April 13 with my Girlfriend and her good friend. We are all hired by Nova where i am working part time on a WHV, and the 2 girls will be full time on sponsored Visa. We have only been told that we will be landing in Tokyo, so we're not sure of the exact location of where we will be placed yet.
After reading Johannes post i was concerned about the living arrangements. we were told that females and males will not have to share accomodation. They told us that it was strictly female or male only. We chose not to live together and the 2 girls will live together and i will live with someone else.
We will look at finding a 2 bedroom place as soon as we can because reading through the forum everyone suggest is a better option, especially if all 3 of us are sharing the rent.
I have been to a few websites regarding apartments in Tokyo but does anyone have any other suggestions? we are looking for a furnished place. Sukura-house.com seems pretty good from what we can see.. Just looking for other peoples opinions...

Thanks heaps in Advance
Lam

P.S: We can't wait to get over there.... getting really excited now with only 5 weeks to go...

[johanne]

I worked for NOVA almost 10 years ago, so things may have changed. Do any others with more recent experience know if NOVA does indeed honour requests for non-coed accomodations?

[kevinyam]

I had asked for a single apartment and Nova claimed that that wouldn't be a problem but I was put into a shared apartment anyway. My roommate is fine, but the place is small and lacks in privacy. I can't even have a conversation on the phone without him hearing every word I'm saying. Also the building doesn't allow any satellite services so the television situation is bleak.

[lam]

Well we hope that we can move out of NOVAs apartments asap. How long would it take to find a place after we arrive? I am assuming that we would have to live there the first month but then after that we can pretty much move out whenever we want right?

[Rorschach]

You can move out as soon as you want. I'm pretty sure you can tell Nova that you don't want accomodation if you have something else lined up. Just be prepared to bring a lot of money as key money is a killer. There are places that don't require key money but you really have to shop around.

[melirae]

Keep in mind about furnishings too. If you decide to go and find your own place, you could get lucky and land in a place with all the trimmings, or you may have to come up with things like a fridge and stove on your own. Luckily, you can get most of your kitchen goods pretty cheaply at the 100 yen shop and if you start out in a NOVA place, you can take your bedding with you when you go.

Some of the one-bedroom NOVA places in Osaka rent for 65,000 but they are pretty crap from what I hear and really tiny. Be careful of moving into a place on your own- try to ask friends or other residents of the building you are moving into about utility prices. I know a girl who moved into a much bigger place that was farther outside of the city. Her rent is much cheaper, but her utility bill is enormous and her commute time is almost double. Plus she had to furnish the place. In the end she is paying the same, and maybe some months a little more for her rent even though it's not NOVA. But, she is very happy with having much more space and she likes the new area she lives in. You have to decide what's most important to you and be aware that you won't necessarily save a lot more by living in a non-NOVA apartment.

[lam]

Thanks for the replies. I was looking at places that offered the following. 1. No key money 2. fully furnished 3. Only 2 months deposit (around there)
Another thing is that we would have 3 people paying for a 2 bedroom place, because my girlfriend and i will be sharing and our other friend will have her own room. Thats why i think it might work out cheaper this way. Instead of all 3 of us paying a total of 180000 yen a month for NOVA apartments, we can spend that much on a much more comfortable and nicer place.
What does everyone think? Am i just dreaming?
Another question. Do we have to have our alien registration first before we can even start deciding to move out into our own accomodation? Not sure if this is correct but read somewhere it can take up to 3 months to get one.

[Iwantmyrightsnow]

Won't take you 3 months - a few weeks if I remember back so far ago.

To share a 2 room apartment with 3 people you need a modern 2ldk that has completely seperate bedrooms. In Osaka you could expect to pay between 80-100,000 per month for that. But is is necessary. Cheaper apartments will have the rooms divided with shoji (paper doors) and absolutely no privacy. Look into public housing- deposits there are really low.

[lam]

Hi Just bringing up an old post.
My girlfriend, our friend and I have both recieved our arrival details for Nova today.
Well to say we were surprised would be an understatement.
I am posted in Yokohama and my girlfriend and her friend are going to be in Kawasaki.

This is where the problem begins, we requsted that we live close to one another and no guest houses if possible. I was fortunate enough to be placed in an apartment in Aoba-Ku near Azamino station with 2 other flatmates. Unfortunately my girlfriend and her friend are placed in a guest house near Noborito station in there suburb which i cant remember.

The girls want to move out as soon as they arrive because they dont want to be living in a place where there are shared showers and toilets.
Can someone please help point us in the right direction in finding a place to move in together?... doesnt matter whether it is Yokohama or Osaka and we are willing to pay up to 180,000 yen a month on accomadation. maybe up to 200,000 yen.

The girls are highly stressed now regarding this, so i am trying to see whether i can get as much information regarding an apartment that is furnished but dont know where to look. I have done a few searches through the forum, but still need more help.

Can people please help us... it would be much appreciated

Thankyou in advance for your help guys.

[ranmawoman]

Nothing is wrong with the NOVA apartments. They are actually quite nice, although I live about 20 mins away from the station. The apartments are fully furnished and quite new and modern. At least the ones that I've seen are. The only thing is that they charge an arm and a leg. You gotta know people who speak Japanese to help you with the key money and things like that. I know of a few people who are looking for apartments after 2 years at NOVA accomodations and they are having a great deal of problems..

[worldwidealive]

Nova placed them in a guest house with shared facilities? Meaning facilities shared by more than those living in the same living space, 3 or 4 people? As much as some complain about Nova's housing, that's the first I've heard of that. Are you sure and how do you know?

WWA

[lam]

Hi again,
Well on the arrival details it says that the bathrooms for male and female are downstairs as with the toilets. and there are 30 rooms in the guest house, so we just assumed that they are all shared. Well if they aren't shared then that is better for the girls.
Doesnt matter anyway we will be looking for a place to move in together as soon as we can.

[worldwidealive]

Wow. And just how much is their rent for this flop house?

WWA

[Winmarr]

What would be the deal if I came over with my (non-teaching) wife? Would we be able to pay for one room, or would we be charged as two people?

[worldwidealive]

Nova will not rent to non-teachers as they secure their payments of rent through payroll deductions. But, if they did, you would pay per person, not per apartment.

WWA