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住Chapter 03 · Get set up

Find an apartment in Japan

Plan the real upfront cost (4–6× monthly rent), navigate the guarantor question, write to landlords in keigo, and draft your self-intro letter.

The real upfront cost

A ¥X monthly rent usually means 4–6× that upfront. Slide to see what your move-in budget really needs to cover.

Total upfront

Real cash needed at signing for a ¥120,000/mo rent

¥666,000≈ 5.5× monthly · negotiable: up to ¥258,000

Monthly rent

¥120,000
¥50k¥400k
Try:
  1. First month rent初月家賃必須Required¥120,000
  2. Key money礼金交渉可Often required — non-refundable gift to landlord¥120,000
  3. Deposit敷金必須Required, partially refundable on move-out¥180,000
  4. Agency fee仲介手数料交渉可Standard 0.5–1 month + 10% consumption tax¥120,000
  5. Guarantor company保証会社必須Required if no JP guarantor — annual renewal¥60,000
  6. Cleaning feeクリーニング費用Sometimes upfront, sometimes deducted from shikikin¥48,000
  7. Key exchange鍵交換交渉可Usually ~¥15–25k flat fee¥18,000

Your renting toolkit

Paste a Japanese listing to get a full translation with term explanations

Paste the Japanese listing text

Related tools

Renting an Apartment in Japan as a Foreigner

How to rent in Japan: guarantors, key money, the application process and tips for foreigners finding a place.

Ready-to-use letters for contacting agents and landlords

Checklist of all documents needed for renting an apartment

Generate a self-introduction letter (jiko shoukai) for property visits

e.g., Shibuya Station 5 min walk, 2LDK, reikin 1 month, shikikin 1 month, rent ¥120,000, management fee ¥5,000...

Real Estate Terms

Summary

Layout

Size

Location

Inquiry

Issue Report

Lease & contracts

Unlocked with The Vault

Rental Documents

Prepare and organize your apartment application documents. All items are optional — select only what applies to you.

Download ZIP

Add a custom document

e.g., Company Profile, Reference Letter...

Custom Documents

Document upload is part of The Vault

Identity Documents

Administrative

Income & Employment

Self-Employed / Freelancer

Student

Application & Contract

Self-Introduction Letter Generator

Generate a polite self-introduction letter (jiko shoukai bun) to include in your rental application. This letter introduces you to the landlord and can significantly improve your chances.

Full name

Nationality

Occupation / Job title

Japanese level

e.g., JLPT N3, conversational, beginner...

Years in Japan

Family status

e.g., single, married, with 1 child...

Reason for moving

e.g., closer to work, quieter area...

Additional info (optional)

e.g., non-smoker, no pets, quiet lifestyle...

Generate Letter

Generating...

Japanese (send to landlord)

English (for your reference)

Daily limit reached. Upgrade for unlimited generations.

First month rent (初月家賃)

Key money (礼金 / reikin)

Deposit (敷金 / shikikin)

Agency fee (仲介手数料)

Cleaning fee (クリーニング費用)

Key exchange (鍵交換)

A person or company that vouches for your rent. Most apartments in Japan require one.

A non-refundable 'thank you' payment to the landlord, usually 1-2 months of rent.

A refundable security deposit, usually 1-2 months of rent. Deductions for repairs are common.

the self-introduction generator