Thanks everyone, but time for another question! Moving to Japan!?

Question

If I were to move to Japan, would I go there and look for a place to live and then move in or would I do it all from the United States? Thanks.

Answer 1

This question is being asked over and over and over again!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! You just can't move there!!! Unless you have alot of money. And I mean over $100,000 or more. A tourist visa is only good for 90 days...To get a work visa you need to have a job waiting for you...Unless you have a special skill, work will be nearly impossible to find. You need a BA/ BS degree just to teach English. Rent is VERY high...

Answer 2

It depends on how you go. If you are hired by a company (government agency, language school, etc.), they'll probably set you up with some kind of housing. Usually this means one of two things: a) you simply move in when you get there and start paying rent or b) you pay the Realtor directly.

Renting in Japan: Initially, it's really expensive. The overwhelming majority of rental companies require you to pay three separate fees when you move in: your deposit, "key money", and something called "reikin" which literally means "thank you money." It's supposed to be a payment to thank the Realtor and the company for "finding the apartment" for you.
The good stuff: Japanese Realtors and rental companies are VERY responsible. I lived in an old building, but when anything broke, they would replace whatever broke within 24 hours with something brand new, no questions asked.

If that doesn't sound very good, there's a new option out there: Monthly and Weekly rentals. The biggest company for these sorts of rentals is Leo Palace 21 (see the source link). On the bright side, these places are usually exceptionally clean and nice. However, the cost is high, and I would recommend going with a normal rental situation if you are planning on staying for longer than 2 months.

As for going to Japan and then looking for a place to live, I would avoid that if you can. In case you can't, a few cheap options for places to stay while apartment hunting are:

Internet Cafes - The nice ones have locked booths, a communal shower you can use if you choose, and free drinks. However, you'll be sleeping in a chair in a small cubicle-esque space. Definitely not the most comfortable option, but it works in a pinch and usually costs just 1,000 yen a night.
Hostels - Cheap, but Japanese hostels are notorious for having EARLY curfews (9:30PM or so). 2,500 yen or so/night.
Business Hotels - Most expensive, but by far the best night's sleep you'll get. Expect to pay 5,000 yen a night or so.
Capsule Hotels - 3,000 yen a night to sleep in a small, little capsule. Enough said. :)

Hope this helps!

Answer 3

As far as finding a place to live, assuming you have a job already, your employer would help you find a place, then once you get here and settle in, you can look into finding a place of your choosing. Often times, companies will have an employees dorm for their workers. You might be staying there until you find your own place. If you are working for a place that does a lot of transferring of personnel, it might be best if you just stayed at the company dorm. If you have a friend in Japan that can find a place for you, that would be even better, because you can relay all your specs for a place through them.

Good luck.

Answer 4

for many human beings, coming to Japan to stay or artwork potential coming to Tokyo. besides the undeniable fact that there are fairly some reward to residing in Tokyo, once you've a decision about the position you'll hit upon, you would possibly want to opt for to think about different parts of Japan.