Living in Japan - JapanNewbie.com

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	What your Tokyo room might look like.

	Tokyo at night.

	Might be the view from your room!
	More pictures of life in Japan

Finding a place to live in Japan is a difficult, and expensive endeavor. Hopefully we can help you get started in your quest for housing.

Japanese homes are expensive, small, but more commonly apartments, or slightly larger 'mansions'. Actually owning property is not something that young people do often in Japan.

Finding a place to live in Japan can be difficult for a foreigner who has just arrived. The difficulties arise in many forms, the foremost being that it is up to the 'oyasan' whether or not to rent it to you. There are laws to prevent discrimination when renting out their property, however they are poorly enforced. There are reasons for their discrimination, such as foreigners usually only stay for a short time so it is not as profitable for a 'oyasan' to rent to a foriegner as it could be for a long term Japanese resident.

Your chances will be improved if you already have a job and your employer will act as your sponsor when looking for an place to live. The backing from your sponsor will ease the oyasan's worries and add credibility to your cause. Even better would be a hook-up where your employer provides housing.