Finding Your First Apartment in Japan: A Newcomer's Walkthrough (2026)
Updated: 2026-08-01
Quick answer
Hi, I'm Miya, and I help newcomers get set up in Japan. Renting your first place here works a little differently from back home — there are some upfront costs and a few unfamiliar words — but once you know the shape of it, it's very manageable.
The short version: you'll pick a neighbourhood and a floor plan, view a few places through an agent, then apply and pass a screening. Have your residence card, proof of income or enrolment, an emergency contact, and — the part people forget — a Japanese phone number ready, because it goes on almost every form.
Understand the upfront costs
The rent itself is only part of what you pay when you move in. Budget for initial costs of roughly four to five months' rent all together, spread across a few line items. It sounds like a lot at first, so it helps to see where it goes.
The usual pieces are: a deposit (敷金 / shikikin), often held against cleaning and damage; key money (礼金 / reikin), a one-off gift to the landlord that you don't get back; the first month's rent; an agency fee to the real-estate company; and a fee for a guarantor company (more on that below). Some newer or foreigner-friendly listings waive key money — those are worth looking for.
Learn to read a floor plan (madori)
Listings describe size with a short code called a madori. The number is how many rooms there are, and the letters tell you what else the place has: K is a kitchen, D is a dining space, and L is a living area. So 1K is one room plus a small kitchen; 1DK adds a dining nook; 1LDK gives you a proper living-dining-kitchen alongside your one room.
Room size is often given in 帖 (jō), the size of a tatami mat — a handy way to picture how much space you're really getting. For a single person, a 1K or 1DK is the common starting point; couples often look at 1LDK. Knowing these codes lets you filter listings quickly instead of opening every one.
The guarantor question
Most rentals in Japan expect a guarantor — someone or something that promises to cover the rent if you can't. Traditionally this was a relative in Japan, which newcomers rarely have. The modern answer is a guarantor company (保証会社 / hoshō-gaisha): you pay a fee, and they play that role for you.
This is completely normal and most agents will simply arrange it as part of the application, so don't be put off if a listing 'requires a guarantor'. Many landlords also ask for an emergency contact — a name and phone number of someone they can reach — so it's worth having one person in mind before you apply.
What agents ask for at application
When you apply for a place, the screening (審査 / shinsa) checks that you can comfortably pay the rent. You'll typically be asked for your residence card, your passport, proof of income or of student enrolment, your employer or school details, an emergency contact, and a Japanese phone number to put on the form.
A steady, contactable local number matters more than people expect: it's how the agent, the guarantor company, and the landlord reach you during screening, and a form left blank there can stall the whole application. Having your number ready before you start viewing places keeps everything moving.
Where to look, and foreigner-friendly options
You can start online to get a feel for prices and neighbourhoods, then work with a real-estate agent to actually view and apply — the agent handles the paperwork and talks to the landlord for you. Some agencies specialise in helping non-Japanese residents and offer English support, which can take a lot of the stress out of a first rental.
There's also public housing run by the UR agency, which is known for not charging key money, agency fees, or requiring a guarantor company — a genuinely simpler route for some newcomers, though availability and locations vary. It's worth checking alongside the private market rather than instead of it.
A sensible order to do things
As with a lot of setting-up-in-Japan tasks, the order matters. The smooth path is: settle your residence card, register your address at the ward office once you have a place, and — before you start applying — get a Japanese phone number so it's ready for every form.
It's a little chicken-and-egg, because you register your final address after you move in, but the phone number is the one thing you can and should sort early. With it in hand, applications, viewings, and the follow-up calls from agents all go more smoothly.
Why your phone comes first
Look back over the whole process and one thread runs through it: a Japanese phone number. It goes on the rental application, it's how the agent and guarantor company reach you during screening, and it's the number the landlord keeps on file. Sort your mobile early and the rest of the paperwork has fewer blank spaces.
That's why I get newcomers connected before the apartment hunt. With Rakuten Mobile you can apply online with just your residence card, and eSIM-capable phones can be running the same day — so you begin viewing places with a working number already on hand. Check current terms on the official page before you apply, and I'll be right here for the mobile part.