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Housing & utilities in Japan
Finding and setting up your home in Japan — apartments, guarantors, utilities, and furnishing your first place.
Housing & utilities (11)
Finding Your First Apartment in Japan: A Newcomer's Walkthrough (2026)
How renting works in Japan — the upfront costs, the key terms, what agents ask for, and why a Japanese phone number comes first. A calm, practical guide. #PR
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Kids' Phones and Online Safety in Japan: Filtering and Parental Controls
A newcomer parent's guide to filtering on minors' lines, screen-time limits, and healthy habits for a child's first phone in Japan. #PR
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Maternity and Parental Leave in Japan: Ikukyu and What Working Parents Can Take
How maternity leave (sankyu) and childcare leave (ikukyu) work in Japan, who can take them, and the leave benefits paid through employment insurance. #PR
Read the guide →Reading Your Japanese Apartment Lease Before You Sign: Fees and Key Terms
About to sign a rental lease in Japan? Miya walks you through key money, deposit, agency fees, notice periods, and move-out rules. #PR
Read the guide →When to Look for an Apartment in Japan: The Spring Rush and Timing Your Search
Timing your apartment search in Japan: the January-to-March spring rush, the quiet off-season, and how far ahead to start looking. #PR
Read the guide →Car-Share and Rental Cars in Japan: Getting on the Road Without Owning
How newcomers in Japan drive occasionally with car-share and rental cars: what to register, and how pick-up and return work. #PR
Read the guide →Apartment Living in Japan: Neighbor Etiquette, Noise and Building Rules
A warm guide to living considerately in a Japanese apartment: garbage days, thin walls, quiet hours and building notices. #PR
Read the guide →Rental Guarantors in Japan: Guarantor Companies and How They Work
What a rental guarantor is in Japan, how guarantor companies screen you, the emergency contact rule, and the cost structure. #PR
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Moving House Within Japan: Address Change, Ward Notices and Transfers
Moving to a new home in Japan? Ward-office notices, the 14-day window, utility transfers and updating every account. #PR
Read the guide →Furnishing Your First Apartment in Japan on a Budget
Where newcomers actually get cheap furniture and appliances in Japan, plus delivery and disposal made simple. #PR
Read the guide →Turning On Electricity, Gas and Water in Your New Japan Apartment
How to start electricity, gas and water when you move into a Japan apartment — who to contact, timing, the gas open-valve visit, online vs phone. #PR
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