When I decided to leave my Kyoto house for something with less character (read “leaks”) I started with a web search of the main Kyoto estate agents. Most of them are entirely in Japanese so getting some basic phrases under your belt will help you get an idea what you’re looking at. Let’s break down a typical Japanese estate agent webpage listing by looking at the screengrab above.
The title reads 賃貸マンション (chintai mansion) which introduces the “apartment for rent”. Beneath that we have the basic apartment description 烏丸御池1LDK登場 (Karasuma Oike 1LDK tōjō) which tells us its a one room apartment including living room, dining and kitchen in Karasuma Oike and its on the market. Beneath that we have the local train information: 沿線 最寄り駅 (ensen moyori eki) is the “nearest station” or the “line the apartment is on” 京都市営烏丸線 (Kyoto-shiei Karasumsen) Kyoto City Karasuma line and 烏丸御池駅 (Karasuma Oike Eki) “Karasuma Oike Station” give some more information.
The next kanji 賃料 (chinryou) means rent and those underneath 管理費等 (kanrihi nado) meaning “management fees, etc”. This means your monthly payments would start at ¥93000 bear in mind that numerous other hidden fees will bump this amount up further in most circumstances. In my case a ¥2500 fee for water and another ¥2500 for hot water was added on to my rent after I thought the amount had been finalised. The logic by which the charges for water heated by electricity can be separate from both the water and electricity charges is understood only by estate agents and God.
The rightmost box is even more incomprehensible to most non-Japanese. It refers to a bygone era in which parents would send their young out in to the world for the first time and, concerned for their safety and success, would bribe the landlord to keep and eye on the kids and keep them out of trouble. This tradition continues to this day with 敷金 (shikikin) and 礼金 (reikin) which means “deposit” and “gratitude money”, respectively. If you’ve ever wanted to get into the “money for nothing” game then you need to look into buying property in Japan.
The kanji next to the diagram 間取 reads madori refers to the “floor plan” on which can can see the rooms and their relative size. The larger rooms are annotated with 5.6帖 and 9.７帖 which means they are 5.6 and 9.7 tatamis in size. You know the English expression “how long is a piece of string”? Well if you replace the word string with the word tatami you’ll have an idea of how hard it is to tell what size you’re renting. A tatami mat varies in size according to the region. “Kyou-ma”, the tatami used in the Kansai area is larger than “Kanto-ma”, which is used in the Kanto region. In general the Japanese real estate industry to use the conversion rate of one tatami mat size “1 jo” being equivalent to 1.62 meters squared. (Meter squared in Japanese is called “Hei-Bei.”) All clear then?
On top of this there will be dozens of forms to fill in before you’re allowed to move in, each one describing an agreement between yourself and the landlord. Some of them will be dated according to the year of the emperor’s reign and some will use the Gregorian calendar. As you can see, learning the language is only the first barrier between you and the holy grail of understanding what on earth’s going on.
The CG mockup of the apartment building is used in cases where the apartment has been listed on the estate agent’s web page before the building is complete, but is based on a prefab kit which means the outcome will be familiar to anyone who’s seen an iteration of the same apartments elsewhere. Below this are four photos that are labeled 内装 (naisou) which means “interior” and link to images of just that.
The next table starts with 交通機関 (koutsuukikan) which means “transportation facilities” and tells you how long it takes to reach the nearest train stations on foot. Below that we have 間取り詳細 (shousai) meaning “layout details” and beside that we have 洋室 (youshitsu) “western style room” (meaning that the floor is vinyl tiling and not tatami) 5.6帖 (2階) meaning it’s 9.24m² and on the second floor. The next line repeats “living dining kitchen” and 9.7 帖 (2 階) which means it’s a 1LDK apartment that is 15.714m² on the second floor.
The next cell reads 建物構造 (tatemono kouzou or building construction) which informs us it is 鉄筋コンクリート (tekkin konkreeto) or “reinforced concrete”. To the right we have a cell that reads 所在階 (shouzaikai) which means “floor location” and the field tells us there are rooms available on the “2nd and 4th floor”. The lower cell reads 駐車場 (chuushajō) meaning car park and the field reads 無 (mu) or none. Below that is a field reading 主要採光面 (shuyou saikou men) meaning “main direction of lighting” and the kanji 南 (minami) reads “south”.
Below that there is 住宅保険 (jūtuaku hoken) and お問い合わせください (otoiawase kudasai) which says “home insurance” may be available so “please enquire”. Below that we have 引渡 or 引き渡し (hikiwatashi) which can mean “moving’ or “handing over” and the field reads 相談 (soudan) which means “consultation”. To the right we have 現況 未完成 (genkyō mikansei) which means “current status” and “incomplete” (although the kanji have the slightly more poetic meaning of “future completion”).
Below that we have 設備 条件 (setsubi jōken) meaning “facilities” and “requirements” which lists details about internet, water, kitchen equipment etc, that’s included. Below we have 備考 (bikō) or “remarks” which reads 完成予定 (kansei yotei) の新築 (no shinchiku) which means “this new construction is scheduled for completion on the 3rd of March 2010″. The latter comment reads 全戸南向きで日当り良好 (zenko minamimuki de hiatari ryōkō) which means “all rooms are south facing so there is a good amount of sunlight”.
Below that we have 情報登録日 (jōhō tōroku hi) which tells you when the apartment information was uploaded to the webpage and to the right 情報有効期限 (jōhō yūkō kigen) which means “information expiry date” and just below that we have a QR code, which is a square barcode the likes of which are prevalent in Japan. Holding your keitai camera over the barcode in barcode reader mode sends your web browser to a URL at which you can view the properties details in a layout that has been optimised for mobile devices.
In the case of the apartments I looked at while searching for the right place I found that many central Kyoto apartments are small and dragging furniture up to the 10th floor via a narrow stairwell would be nigh on impossible, so they have opted for miniature washing machines and dryers preinstalled in the apartment or in the corridors of each floor. In the latter case washing your clothes will cost you around ¥200 a pop and you’ll have to wait for your neighbours to finish before you use the single machine. As there’s no plumbing or space available within, you have little choice but to entrust your finest threads to a utility that was probably installed when the building was built a few decades ago. Still if you’re not looking to buy a complete collection of home appliances this could save you a little hassle and it’s yet another tidy source of income for Japan’s overpaid and underworked property owners.
The price for a six or seven tatami place in Kyoto tended to be around ¥50,000 and for 8 or 9 tatamis tended to pushed ¥60-70,000. In this tough economic climate some places are available without those hefty deposits and “key money” payments you’ve probably been warned about. In cases where no key money is an option the monthly rent is boosted about ¥5000. If you’d prefer to pay the money up front and make a saving in the long term you can get a reduced monthly outgoing, but if you’re not sure where you’ll be in 3 year’s time it might be worth saving that key money and going with the more expensive monthly price plan.
In the case of the apartment I opted for, the estate agent insisted that the rent be paid by credit card as an extra guarantee against bank payments failing. However, no ordinary credit card would do. I had to sign up for a Barclaycard issued by the estate agent themselves from which the rent would be deducted. Failure to accept these terms meant that the apartment would not be available to me. Whether you want to see this as an ominous encroachment on the part of estate agents or as a way of protecting landlords that works out a great deal cheaper for the house-hunter than the traditional key money and deposit depends rather on your outlook. Being once bitten by key money makes one a little more receptive to new systems that do away with this arcane and outmoded form of daylight robbery.
One final word of advice is that going to the estate agent with a Japanese person can help not only with your understanding of the finer points of housing contracts but also with how you are perceived by the Japanese you’ll be dealing with. In Japan institutional racism is the norm and the only reason I was allowed to see some of the apartment I expressed an interest in was because I was accompanied by an employed Japanese person. The agent called the landlord he asked her had I come with a Japanese person could I speak any Japanese. A negative answer to either of these questions could’ve seen my plans fall at the first fence.
The estate agent informed me most landlords two major fears are encountering a tenant who cannot speak Japanese, so flies into a rage when confronted with key money for the first time and people without a steady income. If you can allay their fears on these two points you’re off to a good start. It’s not an undertaking for the feint of heart, but if you’re ready to have the words “no pets, no gaijin” thrown in your face, to have your bank balance take a severe beating and to accept that there will be hidden charges tacked on later, house hunting in Kyoto needn’t be too traumatic an experience.
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