Job Discussion Forums

[Sevarem]

Hello hello,

I've been lurking for a bit, but after doing a lot of reading, I've decided to come out into the open.

Recently, I've applied for a few ESL jobs and now I'm waiting to hear back. In the meantime, I've been looking at the housing options each school offers...

And suddenly, it's horror story after horror story! Tales of a married couple living in a run down apartment with slugs covering the tatami and mud between the walls and no running water. Further stories of apartments with no hot water, mold on the wallpapers, no fridge, no phone, located in dangerous, dirty neighborhoods or next to sewage treatment plants. Even more stories of administration pushing the teachers into these horrible apartments and refusing to pay key money on anything better, even when the teacher manages to find a better place.

So I guess my question is, how common an occurance is this? If you're living in Japan right now, would you care to share your current living situation?

[Glenski]

Don't expect a palace when you come to Japan, because employers who offer housing are trying to do this as cheaply as possible for them. Furnishings will be secondhand as teachers pass things down from one to another.

That said, I don't think you really have to worry much about housing quality in general. I used to live in a 30-year-old apartment building. I was on the 5th floor, and because of building codes, there was no elevator, so I had to carry all of my kerosene up the stairs in winter (in 18-liter cans). The windows were a bit drafty, but I could still seal them with plastic to keep the heat in. The rest of the place was quite comfortable, and I had no complaints.

Look at these web sites to see pictures of what some people have found for apartments (some, but not all are company sponsored).

www.markinjapan.ca/features/apartment/index.htm
http://vocaro.com/trevor/japan/home/index.html
http://ekhardt.com/tokyo/myapartment/Iapartment.html
http://www.tiger-marmalade.com/gallery/apartment
http://www.collin.org/travel/japan/apartment/apartment.html
http://www.globalcompassion.com/home.htm
http://www.greggman.com/japan/apts/tokyo%20apts.htm
http://daveahlman.com/arch/arch_apt.htm
http://chaninjapan.utopiades.com/Information/Apartment.htm

If you want to see my old place, send me an email.
[email protected]

[Gordon]

You're looking at a few extreme examples. Anything is possible of course. Your more common problems will be cramped living conditions, cold winters and no central heating. You will have portable kerosene heaters, so you won't freeze. Cochroaches abound in Japan, but if you keep your place as clean as possible and put out lots of traps, they aren't so bad. The housing isn't pretty, but you will be able to live here, 130 million others do.

[Brooks]

I think this comes down to the mansion vs. the apato.
I have lived in both. Mansions cost more, but since the walls are thicker, the noise is less, and they are warmer in the winter.

I lived in an apato for over three years. When I moved in I had no hot water in my kitchen. I would have had to buy a hot water heater for 9,000 yen and pay 8,000 yen for someone to install it.

I had to pay for my fridge, stove, furniture, etc. But the apato cost less. But in the winter it was colder.

[Sevarem]

Thanks for replying. The list of links was especially helpful!

Having a small apartment is not a problem. The apartment I live in right now is pretty small. I just didn't want to be in a place filled with slugs, mold and no running water!