Recent Articles
Using Japanese real estate agencies
Advice on using real estate agents in Japan
If you are looking for long term accommodation in Japan, there are various ways to go about your search for the ideal apartment or house. Searching through one of the local real estate agents, although sometimes difficult, can often get you some great deals. When using a real [...]
Bignavi.jp
Bignavi Accommodation will include comprehensive information on how to search for various types of accommodation in Japan for both visitors and long term residents.
For the time being, if you want to start searching for accommodation, please visit Bignavi.jp where you can search for expat accommodation, normal rental properties, budget accommodation (ryokans, guesthouses, youth hostels etc.) [...]
Weekly Mansions
A weekly mansion is a furnished apartment for short-term stays. From a size vs price perspective, they are generally more expensive than other housing such as guesthouses and ryokans. One of the big differences between a guesthouse and a weekly mansion is that guesthouse accommodation is conducive to meeting other people and socialising, whereas weekly [...]
Super Hotels
Super Hotels in Japan
Super hotels are a new type of budget hotel which offer cheap, clean accommodation with a minimilistic attitude towards staffing. The goal of the hotel chain is to maintain high customer satisfaction while offering lower prices than previously possible. They are able to do this because of the unqiue system they employ [...]
Serviced Apartments
Serviced apartments in Japan are furnished, self contained apartments that are usually rented for short periods of time, from several days or weeks up to a few months. The number of people allowed in the apartment is usually determined by the rent.
Most serviced apartments are located in city areas in convenient locations and provide you [...]
Monthly Mansions
Monthly Mansions in Japan
The word “mansion” is misleading and actually refers to modern apartments in concrete buildings, while “apartment” refers to older units in conventional structures.
As the name suggests, a ‘monthly’ mansion is an apartment or mansion which allows you to stay for a period of at least one month without the need for key [...]
Guesthouses
Guesthouses in Japan
A ‘Guest House’ is an apartment or a shared house. They are also known as ‘Gaijin’ (Foreigner) houses because foreigners make up the majority of the clientelle, but more and more Japanese locals are starting to realize that it’s a pretty cheap way to rent.
There are a wide variety of guest houses in [...]
Youth Guest Houses
Youth Guest Houses in Japan
Youth Guest Houses are a new type of Youth Hostel which cater for groups of 2-6 people. The main room has a bathroom, luggage area and lounge area. At the moment there are about ten places in Japan with this type of housing available: Two in Hokkaido and Tokyo and one [...]
Key money and deposit money
What is key money (reikin) and deposit money (shikikin) and how do they work?
Definition of Key Money
Key money (or ‘gratitude money’) written in Japanese is 礼金 (reikin). The first character means ‘thanks’ or ‘gratitude’ and the second character means ‘money’. In Japan it is a non-refundable payment and can often be about the same [...]
Capsule Hotels in Japan
Capsule Hotel Summary
Costs: Approximately 2,000-4,000 yen
Benefits: Convenient and cheap
Negatives: A bit claustrophobic
Size: Average is 1 tatami mat (910mmx 1820mm)
Ceiliing: You can sit but not do much else
Provided: Shampoo, brush, soap, razor, towels, yukata
Although capsule hotels are quintessentially Japanese, the first capsule hotel was only built in 1979 by a chap in Osaka by the name [...]