Back For Attempt Number 3!

Wow! I didn't expect this much hiatus from witting this blog. It certainly has been pretty busy for me recently. I know everyone is busy, so it really isn't an excuse but whatever. Anyway allow me to get up to date since May.

May was a very stressful month where i was just finishing up my work contract with AEON (ended in July) and i didn't have a job or eveer to n an apartment. If you cannot speak Japanese, it is so difficult to find an apartment. All of real estate agents cannot speak English at all, so obviously it can be rather difficult for a foreigner to find his/her own apartment. Luckily I was able to get help from my really good friend and manager. She sacrificed her Sundays to go with to the the real estate agencies. ( i say sacrificed because that was her only day off) So, I am extremely grateful for her help!

A note about apartments in Japan. If you are planning on renting your own apartment by yourself you will need a bit of cash. Depending on the size and the location expect to pay in the ballpark of 300,000yen (around $3000) in cash up front. Generally this cost is two months rent, agency fee, deposit, and key money (money equal to the rent of the apartment that you give to the landlord to say thanks for letting me rent this). This was the first time I paid for something with that much cash, so it was strange to have over 360,000yen in cash on me.

Location is also huge when looking for an apartment. Knowing where you want to live and what train station you want to live is very important. How far your apartment to the station is key as well. I really recommend no longer than a 15 minute walk. When the agency says the apartment is a 15 minute walk its really a 15 minute walk..if you walk fast.

Anyway, I was able to find a nice apartment that is only 2 minutes from 2 stations. I have easy access to east Saitama and north Tokyo like Ikebukuro. In terms of size of the apartment, the living area is bigger than my previous apartments, but the bathroom and kitchen is smaller. I don't mind this because i rarely cook a lot and you don't need a big bathroom!

In my next post I will talk about the fun adventures of Furniture shopping! Till Then!