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Post by herakleitos on Nov 28, 2020 2:12:30 GMT 9
Hi, sorry if this is the wrong place to mention this but I was wondering if anybody could help me figure out a few things for residence hunting.
To summarize, I recently received an email from my CO regarding potential places to live. He listed in the main: apartments, monthly mansions, and sharehouses. As of now, I'm leaning towards apartment partially due to my lack of knowing the other options very well in depth, and because I can really 'get into' my apartment. It just feels more right to me now, but I was wondering if anybody here could provide an opinion or two?
In addition, if I do decide to opt for an apartment I'm wondering if there is anything I should be either wary of or make sure to ask for when doing so. I'm going to be living in Fukuoka-shi, so anything and everything to keep in mind. EG should I be wary of living on the ground floor of any building owing to natural disasters? Bugs? etc.? Should I make sure to actually ask for a kitchen that's sizable and works well or would that be rude? Should I make sure to ask about insulation or flooring?
These are just some examples of what I mean. If there is anything people here think I should bring up for sure, I'll do so. Or conversely if there are things better left unasked, I'll also do so.
Also: maybe it was obvious from the topic itself, but I have no predecessor for my position. My CO has been very helpful in directing me with info, but yeah, there is nobody prior to me in my position.
Thanks for any and all help!
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kaoru
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 9
CIR Experience: Prospective CIR
Location: Kanagawa
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by kaoru on Nov 30, 2020 1:55:44 GMT 9
Not a CIR, but lived in Japan previously. A hulemdo of mine lived in a first floor place and I have stayed in it for long periods of time. It was a new construction, maybe from 2018? or so, and in bigger cities like Fukuoka-shi I think you can find newer built places.
About natural disasters, I was in her place when 令和元年東日本台風 hit, in Kanagawa. In regards to damage from that, there was none. No flooding, etc. The earthquakes we get in Kanagawa are fairly mild, so I never experienced anything to make me wary of a first floor place. So generally from my experience up here, natural disasters are fine from a damage point of view. The electricity maybe went out one time during hagibis, iirc. In regards to bugs, I experiences 2 roaches (both in the same week) inside during the summer time, but in my apartment building (no 1st floor apartments), that generally happens too. But in the other seasons, no bugs inside. it may be different down south, but I hope this can help you decide when it comes to a first floor place or not.
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Post by herakleitos on Nov 30, 2020 6:06:18 GMT 9
Not a CIR, but lived in Japan previously. A hulemdo of mine lived in a first floor place and I have stayed in it for long periods of time. It was a new construction, maybe from 2018? or so, and in bigger cities like Fukuoka-shi I think you can find newer built places. About natural disasters, I was in her place when 令和元年東日本台風 hit, in Kanagawa. In regards to damage from that, there was none. No flooding, etc. The earthquakes we get in Kanagawa are fairly mild, so I never experienced anything to make me wary of a first floor place. So generally from my experience up here, natural disasters are fine from a damage point of view. The electricity maybe went out one time during hagibis, iirc. In regards to bugs, I experiences 2 roaches (both in the same week) inside during the summer time, but in my apartment building (no 1st floor apartments), that generally happens too. But in the other seasons, no bugs inside. it may be different down south, but I hope this can help you decide when it comes to a first floor place or not. Yeah I've been concocting an email for my supervisor to take a look at. I'm kind of thinking about 2nd floor, with a few things for convenience like my own washing machine and so forth (from the real estate site I've been frequenting online it seems there are a few of these). The ones I've been looking at were built in roughly 2009 onward for the most part. Actually from what I've gathered the temperature extremes can both be oppressive. You'll need AC for the summer, and insulation for winter, but apparently heat insulating is pretty poor all across the board so people have advised me to find ways to beat the cold (especially since arrival this year is in the dead of winter). I have been working on an email, but I'm trying to avoid sounding too pushy or presumptuous about what I'm looking for. |
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Post by Dee on Nov 30, 2020 7:03:31 GMT 9
Apartment, mansion, sharehouse... the difference will mostly be in price point. A sharehouse will be the cheapest since you are basically paying for a single room in a shared home. So you would share living/kitchen/bathing areas. Apartment is the next step up. Some apartments can be pretty old or lack insulation, but if you can find a newer place that's been built in the last 10 yrs you should be fine. Mansion will be on the high end, think condo. Those tend to be the high-rise buildings with better security.
I would recommend getting into a 2nd story or higher though, in the past couple of years the rainy season has hit Fukuoka and Kyushu hard to the point of flooding areas in the city.
Feel free to create a wishlist of what you would like in an apartment, but also know that you will need to be flexible and may not get everything you want. Don't put too much stock into getting a "sizeable" kitchen, those just don't really exist in apartments. Even in my inaka placement, while I have a large 3 bedroom apartment for me and my family the kitchen is just a small kitchenette with no counter space.
Otherwise there's nothing wrong with letting your CO know your preferences.
Also keep location in mind when making a final decision. Is it easy to get to work? Is there a grocery story/conbini/other shops near by? etc..
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Post by herakleitos on Nov 30, 2020 8:34:53 GMT 9
Apartment, mansion, sharehouse... the difference will mostly be in price point. A sharehouse will be the cheapest since you are basically paying for a single room in a shared home. So you would share living/kitchen/bathing areas. Apartment is the next step up. Some apartments can be pretty old or lack insulation, but if you can find a newer place that's been built in the last 10 yrs you should be fine. Mansion will be on the high end, think condo. Those tend to be the high-rise buildings with better security. I would recommend getting into a 2nd story or higher though, in the past couple of years the rainy season has hit Fukuoka and Kyushu hard to the point of flooding areas in the city. Feel free to create a wishlist of what you would like in an apartment, but also know that you will need to be flexible and may not get everything you want. Don't put too much stock into getting a "sizeable" kitchen, those just don't really exist in apartments. Even in my inaka placement, while I have a large 3 bedroom apartment for me and my family the kitchen is just a small kitchenette with no counter space. Otherwise there's nothing wrong with letting your CO know your preferences. Also keep location in mind when making a final decision. Is it easy to get to work? Is there a grocery story/conbini/other shops near by? etc.. I figure I won't get everything I want, but I just wanted to make sure asking somethings was alright. I used a real estate website and was able to find places not too far away from the subway that connects to my workplace thankfully, but I'm trying to visualize in practice what an x minute commute would feel like day to day. Thank you for the advice! |
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tetraland
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 20 
CIR Experience: Former CIR
Location: Tokyo
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by tetraland on Nov 30, 2020 9:24:56 GMT 9
hiya!! i'm working in the same prefecture as you, and i live just outside fukuoka city. (were you the one that posted recently about apartments in the facebook group?) as you'll be living in the city itself i don't think you'll need to worry too much about bugs - you may get the occasional stink bug or largeish orb weaver spider on your balcony in the summer, but neither of those are poisonous, so they won't be a problem if you leave them be. otherwise, dee makes really good points that should address most of your concerns.
re: internet, if your apartment doesn't provide it for the entire building, you will have to set it up yourself. this will take about a month from the date of your application to installation day, so i would recommend getting a pocket wifi to tide you through quarantine and the first month of not having internet. i used sakura mobile for my first two months here and it was a lifesaver.
feel free to drop me a DM if you want to discuss any specifics! i can link you to my facebook if you prefer to chat via messenger too. c:
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Post by no yark shark on Nov 30, 2020 13:21:20 GMT 9
Another big difference between apartment vs. monthly mansion or sharehouse is that the latter two are more temporary, where with an apartment you may be stuck with it for a while. Most apartment contracts are for two years, although you can often break contract as long as you give a month or more of notice. In my current place, if we were to move out in less than a year, we'd have to pay an extra fee. When I lived in a sharehouse, I think the contract was month-to-month, but I've also heard of places that have contracts for 6 months/a year/2 years. Weekly or monthly mansions are apartments that can be rented short-to-medium term. My image is that people stay in them when they have to be stationed somewhere else for work, like for training etc. They are more likely to be furnished.
It would depend on the contract in each case, but choosing a sharehouse or monthly at first when you get here might be a good idea, that way you can actually see apartments in person to decide if they're worth the more expensive startup costs and rent.
I was living in a first floor apartment in Kawasaki last year and it ended up being fine, but leading up to the typhoon it was so stressful that I ended up going to stay in a hotel. If it seems to be anywhere near a river, I'd recommend looking at the 洪水ハザードマップ for the specific ward its in.
Also, I've found that the amount of bugs correlates more with the amount of greenery around the building rather than the floor it's on or how rural/urban it is.
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Post by herakleitos on Dec 1, 2020 11:07:17 GMT 9
All of this is useful to know. Where I'd be living is probably quite close to a park for ease of work access, so I'll bear that in mind. At any rate my supervisor said that they're thinking of actually having me live at a hotel upon arrival for a bit until we can set up the lease at an apartment closer to the time I arrive so that I can check places out starting then. I may do his but still plan on doing some research to make my life easier when the time comes. Naturally this means I'll be using everybody's advice here  Yeah that was me haha. I've heard about the internet though, and am working out the way to go with this. Sakura mobile seems like an option too. As I want my own home wi-fi and not just a hotspot, I'm just trying to think of the best way to tide myself over until I have it set up one way or the other. Though another part of me also sees the advantage of having wi-fi on your phone whenever (could be a lifesaver). |
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soyok
Straight outta Narita
Posts: 35
CIR Experience: 3rd year
Gender (Pronouns): she/her/hers
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Post by soyok on Dec 1, 2020 16:49:27 GMT 9
In some places, the difference between gas bills can be quite big depending on whether your building is connected to the cheaper city（都市） gas or or LP gas (referred to as プロパンガス or LPガス). I remember my gas bill went up from perhaps 3-4000 yen to 7000 yen + since moving to my current place. I guess the difference will depend on where you are but it might be something you want to consider.
Some things I would consider:
1. Second floor with balcony. You can save some space by hanging your laundry outside, and second floor gives some more privacy (and safer if you are female).
2. Even if you have multiple rooms, they will no be very livable without an air conditioner for most of the year, so check if the rooms have an air conditioning. If your rent is very cheap you could buy a portable heater/cooler yourself but it's better to avoid the hassle.
3. Leopalace is a big provider of furnished apartments so you might find some places owned by them. I lived in a newer leopalace for 3 years and it was quite nice. However, I heard the walls in their older buildings are super thin, so if you opt for Leopalace, go for a newer building.
4. If you prefer a light, less humid place, ask if the place is 南向き。
5. Separate toilet and bathroom is so worth it.
6. Distance from your workplace. I live a 5-minute walk from my CO, and it's great. I can go home during lunch!
I think it would be fine if you looked at some apartments yourself and send them some you like so they get an idea. On Suumo, you have the option to search from a map which is quite useful. I also like Chintai, and you can look for Leopalace only places on their website.
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