# New to Japan



## steadyboy

Hi, I am coming to Yokahama in late June for approx 18 months. I will have the benefit of a corporate package but do not know if the package is sufficient for life in Yokahama. The research on housing so far has led me to find appts available in Tokyo but no websites seem to include appts in Yokahama. Is there any reason for this? Cynthia has posted about Roppongi on a few occaisions, is that near Yokahama? Any help would be appreciated.


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## larabell

Roppongi is not "near" Yokohama but, depending on exactly where in Yokohama, you could probably commute in less than an hour each way. That's not bad, when you consider the average salaryman's commute.

The reason you don't see many Yokohama ads in English is probably market related. Realtors probably don't translate the ads unless there's significant money involved and, if there is significant money involved, it's almost certainly going to be spent in Tokyo.

Not that there are not expats in other areas. It's simply a quantity thing.

How much did they allow? If you got at least $2k/month, you'll be fine in Yokohama. Even $1k/month is possible if you don't mind the same size space as many single Japanese.


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## steadyboy

thanks larabell. i should be ok then. the allowance is $5k/month. maybe i could save plenty for having a good time.


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## larabell

If that's your rental allowance, you'll be fine. When I first came here, I had a rental allowance (disclaimer: I've been here on a pay-my-own-way basis for the last 5 years or so). I tried to negotiate a deal where I could take less expensive quarters and get some percentage of the excess for myself. No dice. Nice if you can do it, but...

On the other hand, if $5k is your *entire* package (over and above salary, I hope), then you're in much better shape that I was when I came over ;-). Save some of that because expat benefits are usually short-lived. At least that's my experience.

BTW, I noticed that another thread somewhere mentioned that one could not rent a single-family home in Japan but that's not really true. A few years back we were considering moving away from Tokyo (to either Kawasaki or Yokohama) and there were plenty of affordable houses on the market. None of them were new, of course, and there is a certain benefit to the all-concrete "mansion" buildings (like fewer cockroaches ;-), but don't ignore the possibility of a house with a (very small) yard. They're around.


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## synthia

There are houses with lots of land out in the country too. Just no jobs. On an exchange trip with the International Association in Kitakyushu, we were served lunch at someone's house. There were 30 people in the group, and we all sat around one table in a room made by removing the shoji screens. The newly created room was only about a quarter of the space in the house (half of the downstairs). It was in the country, and down a long lane from the road. Quite a change from the cities.

I probably made that post when someone was asking about housing a large family in, I think, Tokyo. I guess I assumed they were thinking five-bedroom with a reasonable yard, multiple baths, western kitchens, all that stuff. I can't imagine that would be possible in many places.


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## larabell

No... anyone who's thinking "Western" anything had better have a huge budget. But some of the places I saw in Kawasaki were a decent compromise between the high prices in the city and the lack of jobs in the country. If you don't mind being slightly more cramped than in the States, it's quite livable. I would imagine Nagoya or one of the smaller metropolitan areas would be reasonable, too.

My friend (American) and his wife (Japanese) just bought a place in the hills between Atami and Hakone. You'd think it was expensive to live there but the lack of jobs in the immediate area keeps prices from being bid through the roof. I forget what he paid for their seven room split level in the hills but it was somewhere short of a quarter million -- less than you'd pay for the same size place in San Fransisco for sure. They're both freelance translators so they aren't tied to any particular geographic area. If I could convince my S.O. to move to the boonies, I'd be all over that ;-).


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## steadyboy

This is excellent advice, thank you. My total allowance is $9k per month and so from what you are saying I will be able to live very comfortably. I think I will stay in the city for the first 3 months or so then move into a more rural setting for the remaining 15 months. I have heard that traffic jams are quite torturous and so a drive into Yokohama might be an obstacle for living outside of the city. Is that something you have any experience of?


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## larabell

My advice is not to commute by car, if that's what you were thinking. My time estimate earlier assumed you'd be going by train. There are several advantages to using the train: (1) it's usually faster if you live and work not too far from a station, (2) the commutes *can* be grueling (not much worse than NY, LA, or SF, though), and (3) you can use the travel time to read, chat with friends over email, or just veg out. I've been here 9 years and only once did I ever drive a car (I rented one for a vacation trip and, in retrospect, regretted it). The trains may be crowded at times but they are fast, convenient, and reliable.

If you *must* drive, you're lucky to be working in Yokohama. Depending exactly where your workplace is located, you can probably find a commute path by car that will steer you clear of the bulk of the famous Tokyo traffic jams. But you don't have to go "rural" to live in Yokohama (or nearby Kawasaki).

Interestingly, traffic (from my pedestrian viewpoint) seems worse on weekends than during commute hours. My guess is that's because everyone is on the trains ;-).


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## Marisa

steadyboy said:


> Hi, I am coming to Yokahama in late June for approx 18 months. I will have the benefit of a corporate package but do not know if the package is sufficient for life in Yokahama. The research on housing so far has led me to find appts available in Tokyo but no websites seem to include appts in Yokahama. Is there any reason for this? Cynthia has posted about Roppongi on a few occaisions, is that near Yokahama? Any help would be appreciated.


Roppongi is close to central Tokyo, not Yokohama. For expat housing try contacting Homat Homes and Ken Corporation. They're big and handle a lot of expat leases.


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## steadyboy

this is a great forum, everyone is full of useful advise. Thanks everyone.

I have another question: In the UK the electrical power supply is 240v and in Japan the supply is 110v. Does this mean all my electrical appliances need to be replaced, or do you guys use a transformer of some kind to get around the problem?


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## larabell

Transformers are available here. One caveat, though, is the frequency. Anything that runs on a synchronous motor (clocks, turntables, etc) will run 1/6 slower than usual. Fortunately, turntables went the way of the dinosaur (pretty much) and clocks are relatively cheap here ;-)...

Stuff that uses a AC-to-DC power converter (laptops, most rechargable devices, etc) will have no trouble at all. In fact, a lot of the AC adapters that come with such devices these days can be used with anything from 100V to 250V.

Devices which receive broadcasts are dicey (as mentioned earlier in this or possibly another thread). Phone stuff is generally OK (at least with US-based stuff -- I would imagine UK uses a similar analog phone standard).


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## steadyboy

when you say "receive broadcasts" do you include TV sets?


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## larabell

Only the part of the television that _receives broadcasts_. If you want to use it as a monitor for your VCR (or as a paperweight), you should be OK ;-)...

This question, by the way, has been asked and answered in another thread:

http://www.expatforum.com/expats/japan-expat-forum-expats-living-japan/1180-television-japan.html

Frequencies and standards differ in different countries. I could give you a rough idea of how US-based equipment will work here but you may have to do some googling to figure out how UK stuff will fare.

But... isn't furniture included in your package? It should be. Depending on how long you're here, it's usually cheaper to rent heavy items than to ship them. Maybe you can make a deal where the company picks up the rental for a year and, later, if you decide to stick around longer, you buy the stuff you like at the end of the rental contract. I picked up two excellent bookcases for $10 (US) each that way. In the case of a television set, you have a strong negotiating stand, in that your existing set, if it works here at all, is not likely to work very well.


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## Marisa

steadyboy said:


> this is a great forum, everyone is full of useful advise. Thanks everyone.
> 
> I have another question: In the UK the electrical power supply is 240v and in Japan the supply is 110v. Does this mean all my electrical appliances need to be replaced, or do you guys use a transformer of some kind to get around the problem?



Use a transformer for a favorite expensive item you want to bring. Store or sell the rest and buy new in Japan - you're going to want what they have, anyway!


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## steadyboy

Aha, rental, I had not considered rentals. It sounds so obvious now you mention it. Doh!


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## Sevenhelmets

I can probably suggest my real estate agents. Small company, but the guy I dealt with was very nice, still keeps in touch with me 2 years after I signed my lease.

Anyway, I'm out Yokohama way, so they service this area. Look up Matsuzato Real Estate via Google, and if you get in touch with them, ask for "Yasu". He speaks pretty good English, having lived in Hawaii for a while. Their website isn't very good - I don't think they update it, and they don't show many properties. If you let them know your specs directly, they'll hunt down places matching these criteria for you, which is awesome.

If you end up going for town, then I can recommend a company called S-Fit. Again, their website doesn't show much, but they are a very slick opperation, and only deal with apartment buildings that have generally been built in the last 10 years, so most of their places are really really nice. 
The average rental price tag reflects this of course lol

Anyway, hunt around, there are quite a few agencies around, all equipped to deal with expats.


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## beatnik

steadyboy said:


> Hi, I am coming to Yokahama in late June for approx 18 months. I will have the benefit of a corporate package but do not know if the package is sufficient for life in Yokahama. The research on housing so far has led me to find appts available in Tokyo but no websites seem to include appts in Yokahama. Is there any reason for this? Cynthia has posted about Roppongi on a few occaisions, is that near Yokahama? Any help would be appreciated.


I checked out almost every major/popular neighborhood around Tokyo except Yokohama so I can't say for sure why you're not finding a place. With 5k US/month you'll do fine. Most residential areas are cheaper than the business districts which also have residential. I think once you get used to using the train you'll appreciate a residential area for living.


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## synthia

Your corporate package should include help settling in, including someone to help you with the search for an apartment.


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## spacerat

If you're new in Japan, I suggest goping to parties to get in touch with others - in my case it helped very well. This weekend(16th) e.g., will be a party in Quest, Roppongi: www_tokyoparty_org/party.php?a=sv&p=roppongiparty&lang=en


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## steadyboy

good idea, Spacerat. 16th is a bit soon for me, but perhaps the next one..


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## synthia

When I moved to South Africa, I vowed to never turn down an invitation, unless it sounded dangerous (let's go swimming in the river, with the hippos!), I really disliked and/or distrusted the people, or really, really hated the idea behind the event (want to join our field hockey team?). It turned out to be one of my best decisions.

In both Japan and South Africa, I got involved with a local organization. In Japan, I volunteered at a local internatinal association, and in South Africa I worked on props and programs and stuff for a little theater group. Another good idea.


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## steadyboy

Well, I have finally made it to Japan on 30-Aug. Staying in the Yokohama Intercontinental until my Work visa is granted at which point I can begin to look for an apartment. Most evenings are spent sight seeing at the moment, but am looking for things to do a little further than the Landmark Tower now.
Thanks everyone for your invaluable advise over the last few months. It is much appreciated. Arigatoo gozaimasu!


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## kevf

Good Luck, hope your settling in OK and all goes well.


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