# what price !



## pasturesnew

only thing to shock me so far during my short time in Tokyo is the price of curtains, whats going on !!!, and dont think Im exaggerating !... 

someone point me in the right direction please !, lol....thanks


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## Sam James

Make your own - there is literally nothing easier than making your own curtains. Even fancy curtains.


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## Saiko

Have you been to nitori? There's one about half a mile away from the Oji-Kamiya station off the Namboku Line and one due to open soon in Odaiba.

ニトリ 

I got a lot of housewares there for a fairly decent price. It's like a cross between Target and Ikea.


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## benny ng

Sorry for asking but how expensive can the curtains be? I'm relocating to Tokyo next year and would like to find out more.

Cheers,


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## pasturesnew

benny ng said:


> Sorry for asking but how expensive can the curtains be? I'm relocating to Tokyo next year and would like to find out more.
> 
> Cheers,



VERY !..I can afford them but the price just seems way too high...., there is a big range but Id hazard for a 3LDK your looking at 2.5-3k USD minimum.. Im sourcing them from my home country, equal quality , half the price.... , this doesnt include the nets, most people kit there places out with both nets and curtains...For now we have settled for nets, bought these off the Internet.., Im fortunate that we are in a pretty nice high rise so not feeling the cold, heated living room floor helps too..

If your coming over with relocation assistance, the Agent (s) who show you around properties and finally secure a place for you will measure up all the windows so you can buy in advance of actual move date if you so wish, we were in no hurry..


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## benny ng

Thanks for the quick reply!

Hmm.. Is it possible for the landlord to include curtains in the rent? In my home country, it can be negotiated.

Also, pardon my ignorance, but what are nets? I know that curtain comes in 2 parts, the portion facing the room is nice fabric in your color of choice. The part facing the outside is some kind of daylight blocker in white, grey or some neutural color. Then there is one more soft semi-translucent light white fabric which we call a 'day-curtain' in Singapore. Is this what you call the 'net'?

Thanks in advance for any kind replies.

Cheers,


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## pasturesnew

benny ng said:


> Thanks for the quick reply!
> 
> Hmm.. Is it possible for the landlord to include curtains in the rent? In my home country, it can be negotiated.
> 
> Also, pardon my ignorance, but what are nets? I know that curtain comes in 2 parts, the portion facing the room is nice fabric in your color of choice. The part facing the outside is some kind of daylight blocker in white, grey or some neutural color. Then there is one more soft semi-translucent light white fabric which we call a 'day-curtain' in Singapore. Is this what you call the 'net'?
> 
> Thanks in advance for any kind replies.
> 
> Cheers,


yep, nets in my case are the light white fabric, these are doing us fine for now..
given current financial climate everything is negotiable.., you may get lucky and find that previous tenants leave the curtains too..
you will be renting from either private or corporate owned so negotiating terms will vary..ie
In my case I found a place to rent, private owner..395K a month, knocked them down to 315k, they in turn requested a further months key money, didnt concern me as my Employer was covering deposit, key and agent fees. Decided on taking another property which is corporate owned, original rent was 350k, I got it for 300k... I trust your Employer will be acting as guarantor else you will have a significant outlay before you even get through the door.

regards


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## timcuk

pasturesnew said:


> Decided on taking another property which is corporate owned, original rent was 350k, I got it for 300k...


I'm just about to move over at the end of January from London. My accommodation budget is 300k so would be interested in knowing what kind of property I can expect. I have a month after moving to find somewhere, and my firm will put me together with a relo firm.

What sort of property / area did you get for 300k?

Any tips on finding property greatly appreciated!

Thanks
Tim


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## pasturesnew

timcuk said:


> I'm just about to move over at the end of January from London. My accommodation budget is 300k so would be interested in knowing what kind of property I can expect. I have a month after moving to find somewhere, and my firm will put me together with a relo firm.
> 
> What sort of property / area did you get for 300k?
> 
> Any tips on finding property greatly appreciated!
> 
> Thanks
> Tim


Hey, 

well your budget is/was around the same as mine, again as mentioned depends if you get your property via corporate or private owned. Mine is corporate and is 2LDK 85m2, was 350k a month, got it for 300K (remember to negotiate), your relo firm as mine did will do all that for you, basically they will hand hold thru the whole process, you basically tell them the area you want to live, in turn they will comment if good/bad in terms of commute into work (that is key), as this can be painful first thing !!.

in terms of your budget, fairly central will get you what I mentioned, if you are prepared to live further out, 1hr + then your looking at 3LDK + and over 90m2...

the apartments are much better designed over here in terms of storage so dont be overly put off by size....

we could of easily spent months and months searching but didnt want the pain...your relo will like use Ken Corporation, they pretty much have whole of market for expat properties, you can go to there site and punch in your figures, ie cost, size, location, and take it from there....

let me know if you need anything else, I only went thru this whole process a short time back... 
cheers


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## larabell

pasturesnew said:


> in terms of your budget, fairly central will get you what I mentioned, if you are prepared to live further out, 1hr + then your looking at 3LDK + and over 90m2...


Maybe not even that far. The place we just moved out of was a 93m2 3LDK for only 220K/mo and it was a fairly nice security building with a door-guy working during the day. And that's only 30 mins from Shinjuku (Nakano-ku).

It's very true that the biggest factor in rents is the location -- in Tokyo it's the distance from the Yamanote-sen, basically. The ratio can be enormous.


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## timcuk

Thanks for both of your replies, I've started looking at Ken Corporation which is really useful. I think I would prefer to be in a more central busy area... I love city life so don't mind compromising but guess I just need to see a range of places to really get to know. I saw some when I came out about a month ago so I have a vague sense of what types available but really need to see some more.

Cannot wait now. Sent off my docs to our visa place today. They have said it could take 4-6 weeks but I see some others managed it much quicker, hoping so as expecting to move out last week of Jan!


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## pasturesnew

timcuk said:


> Thanks for both of your replies, I've started looking at Ken Corporation which is really useful. I think I would prefer to be in a more central busy area... I love city life so don't mind compromising but guess I just need to see a range of places to really get to know. I saw some when I came out about a month ago so I have a vague sense of what types available but really need to see some more.
> 
> Cannot wait now. Sent off my docs to our visa place today. They have said it could take 4-6 weeks but I see some others managed it much quicker, hoping so as expecting to move out last week of Jan!



yeah the whole paperwork thing is a bit of a pain , my Employer used an Immigration lawyer, turnaround from papers being sent in to obtaining COE - Certificate of Eligibility was less than 2 weeks. Once you get your COE then pop along to Japanese Embassy in London fill out more paperwork hand it over with your passport and pic and come back a few days later , you will then be the proud owner of a Visa. Your relo Company will cover things when you arrive in Japan, ie take you to Ward Office to apply for your Alien Registration Card, once you get this you have to carry it with you at all times..

job done.. oh yeah bank accounts, unless you speak Japanese, pretty much 2 choices, Citibank or HSBC Premier..

any questions feel free to ask...plenty of good advice on this board..


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