Daily Life

1. Housing
   
2. Electricity
   
3. Gas
   
4. Water service
   
5. Telephone
   
6. Banking
   
7. Post Office
   
8. Public transportation

Housing

Rental Housing

When renting an apartment or a house, it is general practice to go through a realtor. A realtor provides you with housing information in accordance with your specifications concerning the amount of rent you wish to pay, number of rooms, size of rooms, amount of sunlight, convenience to public transportation, etc. There are very few furnished houses or apartments in Japan.
It is common to describe the size of a room according to its number of tatami mats (ex. a 6 mat room or an 8 mat room). Tatami mats are a standard size (180cm * 90cm or 6 feet *3 feet). Thus, the number of mats serves as a measurement of the size of a room. Tatami mats in apartments may be slightly smaller than those in ordinary houses.
Western-style rooms are not common, but by covering the tatami with a carpet, any room can be converted.

Rental Contract

When renting a house or apartment, the following expenses are common:

1. Reikin (Gift) :
   Customarily one to three months rent is given to the house's owner as an expression of appreciation for allowing you to rent the property. This is, unfortunately, mandatory and non-refundable.
2. Shikikin (Deposit) :
   Usually one to three months rent is required as a deposit. This will be refunded except for the costs of any repairs which may be necessary to the interior, tatami, etc., which will be deducted from the deposit.
3. Realtor's Fee :
   The equivalent of one month's rent is paid to the realtor for services.
   
4. Advance payment of rent :
   Rent is paid one month in advance, beginning with the first month's rent, which is paid at the time the contract is signed along with the other fees.

Renewal of Contract

Generally, contracts are made for periods of two years. It is common for the rent to be raised when the contract is renewed. When terminating rental, landlords require a written notice one month in advance. Failure to do so may result in the forfeiture of your deposit.

Remodeling

As a rule, remodeling of rental properties is not allowed. Painting, driving nails into walls, and other alterations may cause problems for the landlord. To prevent misunderstandings, obtain the owner's consent before undertaking any such changes.

About moving into municipal and prefecture apartments

There are municipal and prefecture apartments available for people in financial difficulty. Please inquire about rent scaled to income. To qualify, foreign residents must meet the following requirements.
Permanent resident or registered alien status.
More than three years of residence in Japan and more than one year of residence in Hitachinaka.

Information:Construction Division
Tel: (273) 0111 ext.3323