Top pastime-related housing solutions
Dance For those part of a dance group or who want to rehearse standup comedy gags. Kitchen and lounge are shared, bedrooms include aircon and fridge. www.oakhouse.jp
Eco These mansions have communal spaces powered by solar panels, which you can even use to charge your electric car. Save up to ¥1,200 monthly on electricity bills. www.ipd.co.jp
Art Multipurpose rooms allow artists, musicians, dancers, etc. to do their thing. Soundproof gym doubles as jam space for band practice, first floor a gallery for exhibitions. http://meturl.com/arthouse
Pets Many apartment blocks won’t let you live there with a pet. These ones will. www.pet-adpark.jp
Cars The “garage house” allows you to live in the same room with your automobile. www.garent.jp/owner
Bikes More of a garage than a mansion, the front door is “motorcycle friendly,” and glass bathroom walls allow you to scope your bike at all times. www.early-age.co.jp
Mutenka Live in a harmonious setting in this abode made from organic construction materials. www.siam-india.org
MetroHomes
Japan’s biggest English-language housing site has launched
Sick of browsing through a million hard-to-use sites to find an apartment? Those days are over! Foundation partners (and four of Japan’s largest realtors), Ken Corp., Plaza Homes, Japan Home Search and Sumitomo Realty have joined forces with other real estate agents and Metropolis to create Japan’s largest English-language housing website. At present MetroHomes offers thousands of properties to rent. Very soon, properties to buy, as well as guesthouses and serviced apartments, will also be on the menu. The interface is easy to use and intuitive, and the listings are the most complete you will find on the web. Go ahead, give it a try, and find your new home in Japan.
Key features:
● Over 10,000 rental properties to search through
● Add favorites to a basket to keep an eye on them
● “What’s New” column updated daily by participating realtors
● “Property Spotlight” features a home of the day
● Guesthouse, service apartments and houses for sale to be added
● Intuitive search filters
www.metrohomes.jp
Home Search
Helping you find your abode
*mouseover to enlarge images
Azabu Court
For the cultured traveler stopping by Tokyo for a brief vacation or business trip, steer clear of the downtown lice-infested bunkhouses packed with lepers and thieves. Hang your bowler hat, Chanel handbag or diamond-encrusted walking cane in the vestibule of one of Azabu Court’s fully serviced apartments—in the heart of the sophisticated Azabu neighborhood—and inhale the sweet air of the privileged.
Full service, in Azabu Court’s case, includes free broadband, an in-house concierge, and laundry/dry-cleaning pick-up among other services, to ensure you are more comfortable than a Roman noble in the dying years of the Empire. Apartments feature an equipped kitchenette to enable all kinds of domestic activity, and residents also receive free, automatic membership to Fitness Club Hiroo (and ¥700 tickets for fitness programs) to maintain freshness of body and spirit.
Just a few steps away is Roppongi Hills, a shiny complex of top-class shops, restaurants and bars, with a luscious multiscreen cinema. And with the main nightspots of Roppongi just round the corner, residents will find all they desire within walking distance.
Apartments at Azabu Court are rented on a daily, weekly or monthly basis. Take advantage of their new-year special offer—ten percent off in January, and five percent in February and March (for short-term stays). Regular rates are daily: ¥7,500-25,000; weekly: ¥6,500-22,000; monthly: ¥5,500-18,500 (price per night). Long-term stays for three months or more cost ¥4,950-16,650, and for one year or more: ¥4,400-14,800 (price per night).
● 4-5-39 Minami-Azabu, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-3446-8610. Nearest stn: Hiroo. www.azabucourt.com
Fontana
Everybody knows that the perplexing features of the home-renting environment here in Tokyo are key money, agency fees and guarantors. Fortunately for the international resident, long-time market leaders in guesthouse and apartment solutions, Fontana, can do away with these meddlesome misfits in one saintly swipe.
For individuals, couples or families in search of affordable dwelling places in Japan’s capital, Fontana can provide you with exceptional customer service and a place that meets your every housing-related need. The staff are happy to meet the inquiries of all comers with their fine people skills and their linguistic flexibility, which accommodates such languages as English, French, Portuguese, Spanish, and, naturally, Japanese.
As far as prices are concerned, reasonable is the watchword, with guesthouse rooms starting at ¥55,000/month and apartments from as low as ¥70,000/month. Set up in such throbbing urban hubs as Shibuya, Shinjuku, and Roppongi, these housing solutions can be your platform for a better life in the city and your key to unlocking the wonders of Tokyo.
Drop by the office of Fontana any time and say hello, and you’ll be sure to leave with a good option for moving forward. They’re open for your consultation every single day of the year, from 9:30am until 7pm, and are always more than happy to meet new inquirers.
● 1F Asahi Mansion, 3-31-5 Chuo, Nakano-ku. Tel: 03-3382-0151. Skype: tokyocityapartments-fontana. Open daily 9:30am-7pm. Nearest stn: Shin-Nakano. www.tokyocityapartments.net
Enplus Inc. (Tokyo Apartments)
For an holistic approach to accommodation and logistical living solutions in Tokyo, Enplus Inc. (Tokyo Apartments) operates a spectrum of websites dealing with all the concerns or needs you might have.
First of all, in terms of real estate, you can find both short- and long-term dwellings via Enplus Inc., which is a rarity among the other companies on the market. Bilingual leasing consultants are happy to use their skills and knowledge to aid in the search for each client’s ideal set-up. Pick from a wide selection of premium serviced and rental apartments until you find one that’s good for you.
Then, Enplus can also help you with relocation services and furniture rentals, to ensure that you get settled in as soon as possible.
Depending on what exactly you are looking for, Enplus Inc. has different websites that each provide different services. To start, www.tokyoapartments.jp offers listings for both short- and long-term accommodation, as well as helpful info including area guides, daily tips, and sightseeing spots. The www.tokyo-living.com site focuses on long-term premium furnished and unfurnished rental apartments in Tokyo. Meanwhile, www.smart-rental-tokyo.com offers a furniture rental service where users can create their very own custom-furnished apartment at affordable rates. Finally, www.twainc.co.jp outlines straightforward relocation services split into several packages.
Visit Enplus Inc.’s various websites or simply give the company a call to get a free housing consultation today. Enplus also offers a property management service.
● Tel: 0120-957-520 (toll free within Japan) or +81-3-6273-0181 (from overseas). Services and rental apartments: www.tokyoapartments.jp. Premium rental apartments: www.tokyo-living.com. Furniture Rental: www.smart-rental-tokyo.com. Relocation Service: www.twainc.co.jp
Collective Residence
The idea of Collective Residence is that people living there should be able to hang out and get to know each other’s culture. That means it fits perfectly with folks from other countries gagging to get acquainted with what Japan has to offer. By communicating with residents at Collective Residence, you can set up a strong link with Japanese culture—not to mention making full use of the opportunity to brush up your lingo.
Share great experiences with your neighbors through social events and parties, where you can feast on fresh seafood delivered directly from the harbor. Residents’ tours are also offered to explore cultural and natural spots around the nation, and indulge in agricultural workshops, visits to sake breweries, snowboarding and much more.
As a place to live, Collective Residence boasts premium dwellings in a number of locations, fully equipped with luxurious shared lounges, widescreen TVs and other mod cons. Depending on the residence in question, other shared facilities are available such as pool tables, darts, fitness centers, music studios and whirlpool baths. Private, furnished rooms are also available.
If you are interested in connecting with the people and culture of Japan, feel free to come and join Collective Residence’s sushi party, at the Matsubara Danchi residence on Jan 21, 7-10pm, and in Kikuna on Feb 4, 7-10pm. Private tours of residences are also available. Get in touch with Collective Residence through Human Knot, below.
● Office: 2F FIK Minami Aoyama Bldg, 5-13-3 Minami Aoyama, Minato-ku. Tel: 03-6805-0531. Email: info@h-k.co.jp. Nearest stn: Omotesando. http://collectiveresidence.com
Japan Apartment
Foreigners in Tokyo on the hunt for a decent apartment or guesthouse often face an uphill struggle. The path to your comfortable home is often strewn with innumerable hassles. However, a good choice early on can smooth the path and make life much easier from the start.
One of Japan’s leading real-estate agencies, the Ichii Corporation, has established Japan Apartment (JAPT) in order to eliminate these problematic issues that tend to trip up the home-seeker. The three big bugbears of key money, deposit and guarantor are all off the radar as soon as you make contact with this major agency, which offers over 900 properties in 70 locations. However, though it might seem like an impressive number, the ease of JAPT’s services means that most living solutions are snapped up as soon as they hit the market.
Dwellings are available for all needs and desires, with shared guesthouses, private apartments and more on the menu, for both short- and long-term rental, starting at just ¥60,000 per month. All residences are fully furnished, often including the cookware and linen that turn an apartment into a home. Internet access is arranged before you move in, meaning there’s no forms to fill in or difficult phone-calls to make. And getting started couldn’t be easier, with a bilingual website on hand to browse homes to your heart’s content, and English-speaking staff to get you on your way.
● 3-5-17 Nishi-Gotanda, Shinagawa-ku. Tel: 03-5437-5233. Email: info@japt.co.jp. Nearest stn: Gotanda. www.tokyoeasyrent.com/en
Oceans
Too often, international residents in Japan have to choose from a small selection of unsatisfactory options in their search for a home meeting their requirements. However, Oceans, which works under the old adage, “The customer is king,” will not waste your time with a pitiful handful of crummy huts. Over its years in the Tokyo real estate business, it has amassed over 90,000 rental properties to help you find the one that fits—in terms of taste, convenience, and budget.
Among the properties on offer, you can find everything from luxury studios to five-bedroom houses, from ¥200,000/month and to ¥4 million. In terms of location, all the foreign-friendly hubs of Tokyo are represented, including Azabu, Omotesando, Hiroo, Roppongi, Ebisu and Shibuya. The apartments on offer can suit individuals, couples and families, and are perfect for expats who can sign lease agreements under a corporate contract.
But placing you in your perfect home is not the end of Oceans’ work. It offers all kinds of services to make you as comfortable as a cat sleeping in a ray of sunlight. Concierge services such as travel- and activity-booking support, house-cleaning arrangements and nanny/helper services are all on offer. You can also get help finding English TV program subscriptions, fitness clubs, international schools, shops, restaurants and bars. Get in touch with Oceans for your instant pass to a comfortable Tokyo life.
● 1-4-7 Shibuya, Shibuya-ku. Tel: 03-5766-7747. Email: sales@oceans.co.jp. Nearest stn: Shibuya. www.oceans.co.jp
Odango homes
Odango Homes provides a good honest taste of Japan for the visitor, encasing them in a bright clean, fully-fitted apartment and providing for every aspect of life in this country, including sightseeing tours, concert tickets and anything else they might long for. The staff are so cheery that they give you the same happy sensation as a delicious sweet Japanese dumpling, that goes by the name of odango, too.
Clients frequently send feedback to Odango Homes about their positive experiences with the “welcome pack” service, and how it helped them enjoy Japan to the fullest. The staff are motivated by the desire to bring people to the country they love and make it as easy for them as possible. Based in Funabashi-shi, Chiba, Odango Homes offers a beautiful building to live in, just six minutes’ walk from Funabashi Keibajo station, with a fine main gate and a reception that makes you feel like you’re entering a five-star hotel.
Odango recently ran a campaign inviting people to design their new mascot. They received so many fantastic submissions that it was tremendously difficult to choose, but after a long period of deliberation they have settled on a winner. Congratulations and thanks to E. T. for “Taco Dango,” who will now be Odango Homes’ mascot. They would also like to offer thanks to everybody for showing support.
● 9-11-1 Miyamoto, Funabashi, Chiba. Tel: 03-5366-6217. Email: info@odangohomes.com. Support available 24/7. Nearest stn: Funabashi Keibajo. www.odangohomes.com
Sakura House
The name of Sakura House is synonymous with the foreiger-targeted accommodation industry in Japan. In the 20 years since its first residence opened in Harajuku, the company has grown to offer over 1,600 rooms in 185 locations throughout the capital. In 2011 alone, more than 5,000 people from all over the world stayed at a Sakura House residence. It is the go-to solution for the short-, medium- and long-term resident who wants something clean, serviced and reliable at a reasonable price.
Rooms are all fully furnished, and include free internet connection, with assistance available in English, French, Spanish, Chinese and Korean—and Japanese, of course, if you feel like some practice.
If anything breaks or needs attention, feel free to voice concerns to the maintenance team, which is always available, and the landlords, and a solution will be found as soon as possible. Share houses benefit from cleaning services and supply-replenishment on a regular basis. Cultural events are frequently organized to bring people together to experience Japanese traditional activities, such as tea ceremonies, kimono classes and more.
More than half the Sakura House residents reserve rooms before coming to Japan—a testament to the ease of the process. Just go to the site and check the available accommodation, scope out photos and videos, and book yourself right in. Feel free to get in touch via email, phone, Facebook, or Twitter, and receive a reply within 24 hours.
● 2F Nishi-Shinjuku K-1 Bldg, 7-2-6 Nishi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku. Tel: 03-5330-5250. Open daily 8:50am-8pm. Nearest stn: Shinjuku. www.sakura-house.com
