Unexpected Costs For Rental Apartments in Tokyo

You may wonder why there are unexpected costs while renting an apartment! Some people call it unknown costs or hidden costs of living. You have to pay for it, but you did not expect such expenses. At the end of the day, you need to pay it.

The decision to rent an apartment and the type of apartment depend on some conditions. Are you going to be in Japan for quite a long time? for example, more than 2 years? If you plan to be in Japan for more than10 years, you can consider to buy your own house or apartment. If you know that your stay in Japan would not be longer than two years, it is better to look for a fully furnished apartment. All you need to do is making a payments for the utilities, phone and internet bills. 

During the process of searching for a new apartment, I became more aware of some of the "hidden costs". These hidden costs depend on the apartment type you choose. If you are going for a private apartment, a guarantor company should support and you need to pay for them. Some private apartment owners ask for renters insurance and lock exchange money. Public housing corporations such as UR and JKK do not have such hidden costs. However they also deduct "Damage and Cleaning" money from your deposit. 

Good things with UR and JKK are the exception of Key money, Agency commission, Guarantor fee, renters fee and lock exchange money. Deposit of two months is required for UR and JKK. Private apartments have more hidden costs, but apartments of public housing corporations are not free from hidden costs. 

When I approached the real-estate agent to look for an apartment in JKK housing complex in Komatsugawa, at first the agent talked about the attractive feature of Two-months Rent free campaign for couples with children. Then he informed that there is no gas stove installed in JKK apartment. Tenant needs to buy and install. Some of the rooms do not have lights. I bought lighting fixtures and fixed it myself. JKK apartments in Komatsugawa have lower wall heights compared to that of UR apartments. Hence some of the lighting fixtures became useless and we had to buy new ones. 

Some private apartments offer washing machine, Refrigerator, Television, Microwave oven, Heaters, Air conditioners and furniture such as Sofa, Dining table, study table and chairs. Apartments of Public housing corporations such as UR and JKK have started providing air conditioners. UR apartments in Komatsugawa provides Gas stove. JKK apartments have lighting fixtures fixed on the ceiling of entrance area, veranda, toilet, kitchen, Washing-bathroom area and Service room.   

In summary, the unexpected costs during the recent change of apartment from UR to the JKK were for Gas-stove and the light fixtures. The cost was around 60,000 JPY. 

Fifteen Years and Five Apartments

As the heading of this post indicates, I have lived in five apartments over a span of fifteen years of stay in Japan. The current one to which we moved in 2018 is the fifth apartment. 

The first apartment was in Kiba, near the office, where I lived for 4 months. The office was just 5 minutes walking-distance away. The apartment was 2 DK type and had enough space when I was alone. There was a shopping mall, Ito Yokado and tall buildings nearby. A lively place called Gatharia, where people gather with their kids. My dining room was so big during those days as I was dining at Mc Donalds, KFC, Japanese restaurants, and Mister Donut.

The second apartment was in Sakura, Chiba prefecture. I lived there for 3 months. I had to walk 10 minutes to reach the nearby supermarket and 22 minutes to the nearest railway station. That was like a village life, but could drop body weight a lot due to walking and running. Silence was the only companion while watching Japanese television programs. The branches of darkness played hide and seek game outside from where the shrilling sound of Cicadas tried to invade the silence. I was inclining towards spirituality, but occasional visits to Tokyo and its neon lit streets helped me to return to the world of ether.

The third apartment was a private apartment in Komatsugawa, near the 7-11 shop. It was one minute walking-distance away from Higashi Ojima station of Toei-Shinjuku line. The size of the apartment was 2DK. When wife and kids came to Japan, we started feeling the importance of moving to a little more larger apartment. Komatsugawa park, with 1000 Sakura trees was an attractive point of that apartment. Our social connections were growing and hence we hesitated to move away from Komatsugawa.

The Park and the growing social interactions with the expatriate community in Komatsugawa were the reasons behind choosing the fourth apartment near the Komatsugawa park itself. There was a thought of moving to an apartment near to the kids' school. Consideration social connections dominated our decision finally and we chose to stay near Komatsugawa park. We contacted Sakuma-san who manages a real-estate agency in Komatsugawa. He proposed some vacant 2LDK apartments  owned by UR housing corporation. The size was 65 sqm.

The 10th building of UR housing complex is a 33 storey building with garbage disposal room and the bicycle parking space at the ground (first) floor. We preferred the second floor since the bicycles would not complain about the footstep sounds. That 2LDK apartment was nice until our kids grew up and demanded separate rooms. 

All those 10 years and 7 months, company had made contract with apartment owners (almost 5 years in Private apartment and 5 years plus in UR apartment)

We started searching for a little more spacious apartment. We approached Sakuma-san (real-estate agent) again. He proposed JKK apartment, which is again in Komatsugawa. The size of the apartment we selected was 3SLDK with 88.8 sqm. JKK has an apartment complex in Komatsugawa 1-chome, near Higashi Ojima railway station. Our current apartment, which is on third floor has a spacious balcony with Arakawa river-view.

Will grouping Kanji by their shape be beneficial to Memorize?

I have been trying to organize and categorize the 常用漢字 (Jōyō Kanji) based on their form, structure, and so on. A few of my friends referred to this activity as tedious. They inquired whether there is any reasoning for doing this.

Japanese children practice Kanji by writing them over and over. Continuous practice is essential for retaining Kanji characters. For numerous working foreigners, who lack sufficient time for study, this iterative learning technique may not be feasible. This understanding motivated me to organize the Kanji according to their structure.

What have I done?

What I did was straightforward; I merely organized the Kanjis that appeared similar to me at first glance.

What made me do this?

I had trouble recalling the Kanjis that appeared alike. They left me feeling confused. Numerous Kanji appear alike, yet they possess distinct meanings and pronunciations. The slight disparity between them ranges from a mere dot or line to the connection of radicals.

How did I do?

I have a compilation of all the Kanji in an Excel spreadsheet. There was a column containing a list of Kanji. I relocated the Kanji that were completely dissimilar in appearance to their respective columns and began searching for Kanji resembling that initial Kanji. Eventually, I received a table of Kanji arranged in columns. I subsequently organized them based on their appearance. The simpler ones are at the top, while the more complicated ones are at the bottom.

Here are some samples:

I am not sure about the actual effect of this method in memorizing the Kanji for others, but it significantly assisted me (when I prepared for JLPT test) in distinguishing between kanji that appear alike yet have different meanings and pronunciations. I would appreciate your thoughts in the comment section.

Call and Reserve a Taxi Using JapanTaxi Application

Japan Taxi株式会社, Japan Taxi Company Limited has introduced a new feature to attract more users to its application. Suggest a friend and get a \1,000 coupon added to your account. With approximately 70,000 taxis covering all 47 prefectures of Japan, Japan Taxi is one of best taxi app that can be used when you are in Japan.

Expatriates often face difficulty to call a taxi and explain travel details to drivers in Japan. Most of the Japanese drivers communicate only in Japanese language. During initial days of settling in Japan, we had faced trouble in calling a taxi and had to depend on friends.

The new application from Japan Taxi aims to reduce the difficulties of foreigners to book the taxi by phone by introducing an App in English. One of my friends forwarded a link to download the app, with a coupon code. By clicking it, I downloaded the application and set up the account.

If you set up your credit card information on the app, you don't need to carry cash. The application allows you to tap to call a taxi, make a reservation or find your fare instantly. Some users have complained that the fare shown in the app and actual fare are different. 

To Call a Taxi using the app

Select your pickup location on the app to request a taxi. You can customize your order by selecting a drop-off location, type of car and payment method. You can even order multiple number of taxis if required. When your order matches with a nearby taxi, it will give you an estimated time of arrival. 

Making Reservation

If your travel plans are fixed in advance, you can place an order in advance by selecting the date and time. All you need to do is just follow the same steps as “Call a Taxi.”

Know the Fare

Go to Calculate Fare and enter pick-up and drop-off locations. It will show you an estimated fare and travel time. The actual fare will vary depending on traffic, road conditions and route taken. Probably this was the reason some users complained about the difference in fare shown in the app and the actual fare they paid. Fare Calculation is based on the calculated route offered by Google Map Service. Therefore, the actual route may vary.

Fixed fare for Airport Travel

Airport fixed-rate service is available to/from selected airports and limited pickup/drop-off points. Service is available to/from Haneda International Airport, Narita International Airport, New Chitose Airport, Chubu Centair International Airport, Kitakyushu Airport, Aomori Airport, Misawa Airport, Kansai International Airport and Itami Airport. The flat rate taxi service is available in selected cities and the fee may vary by participating taxi company. 

Japan Taxi Wallet and Cashless Payment Options

Users can link their payment method to the Japan Taxi account and pay the fare seamlessly. The Online Payment feature accepts credit cards and other online payment services. Payment with Google Pay is available with Google Play Services version 11.4 or newer.

Japan Taxi Company Limited has two more applications such as Driver乗務員アプリ and Kids Taxiキッズタクシー.

Daily-Life Japanese Language Lessons in Komatsugawa

After passing the level N2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT), I have been planning to start a volunteer Japanese language study class for kids of foreigners living in the Komatsugawa area. Started gathering some ideas to start such a language class and was writing down points to make the classes effective for all foreigners, not only limited to kids. It was then we met Yumiko-san in the Edogawa ward office. 

I went to the Edogawa ward office to change the residence address. The front staff informed me that I needed to change the address on the children's insurance card as well after the change of address on the residence card (Zairyou card). The staff guided us to the second floor, where the child welfare office is located. After a few minutes wait, our turn came, and a lady staff member came and told us to fill out an application form. While seeing me filling up the application form in Japanese, with curiosity she asked from where I had learned the Japanese language. She told me that her daughter Nagisa-chan, who is a second-year university student, is interested in becoming a volunteer to teach Japanese to foreigners. What a coincidence! 

We exchanged contact numbers and then later met in Funabori to make basic planning for the volunteer classes. The idea to start a daily-life-supporting Japanese language class came out as a result of our discussion. Nagisa-chan can travel from her house to Komatsugawa on some weekdays and on Saturdays. We decided to make a WhatsApp group of students interested in the classes. 

Foreigners, especially housewives, face a lot of difficulties in daily life communicating in the Japanese language. In most cases, the husbands take a holiday to assist them to go to the hospital, banks, post office, etc. In most cases, both husband and wife are not able to communicate in the Japanese language. 

Daily Life Japanese language lessons in Komatsugawa aim to provide basic communication skills in the Japanese language. This would be a free class, but the participants need to share the expenses for booking the classroom, costs of printed materials, marker pens, and such related accessories. 

Some Best Movers in Tokyo for Expatriate Community

I have been preparing to move from the current UR apartment to a new apartment in JKK. The address up to the Komatsugawa 1-Chome would not change. The new apartment is approximately 400 meters away from the current apartment., "Find a cost-effective mover" comes on the top five among the list of things to do.

Majority of the expatriates in Tokyo is floating community. As expatriates we do not stick to one single place. The need to move from the current apartment may be simply due to change in work place, children's school, accessibility to public transportation, presence of friends, desire to move to new and larger-size apartment etc. 

I have started gathering addresses of movers by asking friends and the real estate agency. One of my friends suggested XPS Tokyo owned by Mr. Mike. At first I contacted him over phone and as per his suggestion, I did send a mail detailing my requirements as below;  

I guess I had used the service of XPS Tokyo for moving from a private apartment to the current UR apartment in 2013. When I heard his name this time again from one of my friends, it prompted me to think the quality of his service and the reputation he keeps among his customers. As expatriates, we have lot of concersn beginning from the communication problem and the procedures that should be followed while moving to a new apartment. 

The reasonable cost of 'service' is confusing, not only in Tokyo but also any part of the world. It is interlinked with the minimum salary level, Qualtiy of service and the market demand. Cost of moving on weekdays is cheaper than that on weekends. Most number of moving/shifting in Japan happens in the months of January and April   

Here are the reasons why I chose the service of XPS Tokyo for moving;

1. Competitive rate per load

Everything in Japan is costly, especially the work that requires more man hours. Moving business needs man hours. XPS Tokyo offered a very reasonable and attractive rate per load (2000 kg mini truck). We need a lot of money during moving for example to buy new furniture, household appliances etc. Shifting of the things from one place to another place will not offer any benefit and hence should be of reasonably economical

2. Easy to communicate 

My communication from the beginning with XPS Tokyo was in English You don't need to worry that you still know 'Ohayou gozaimasu' 

3. Easy to negotiate 

(You must be an expert in Japanese language to negotiate or you need to ask the help of someone either in your office or among the friends.) 

4.Friendly Staff:

Mr. Mike, who is basically from UK has been in the moving business in Japan for over 17 years. He and his staff were very cooperative during the whole process. If you missed out some items before the cost estimation, you don't need to apologize!

5. Quality of service

XPS Tokyo offers reasonably good quality of service, customized to the customer's requirement. We had packed most of the items and made ready for moving. XPS Tokyo brings basic jigs and tools required for the safety of furniture and home appliance.

I was satisfied with his service. If you are looking for a mover, I would recommend XPS Tokyo. Below is the mail that was sent to XPS Tokyo to inform the list of items and get an estimated cost.

Contact details as below;

Mr. Mike: +81 90 1217 4445

Tips to Pass JLPT Level N2 in Three Months

You might be curious whether it is feasible to clear the Level N2 of the Japanese Language Proficiency Test (JLPT) within 3 months, right? In July 2017, the N2 level passing rate in Japan was 38.3%; however, that did not deter me from taking the test.

Certainly, it is feasible, and I accomplished it in July 2018. On September 10th, I got my Test Result from the entity administering JLPT exams. The total is 103 from a possible 180. Level N2 consists of three (3) parts: Reading (読解), Listening (聴解), and Kanji/Vocabulary/Grammar (文字、語彙、文法). A minimum score of 19 marks is required for each section, and a cumulative total of at least 90 marks out of 180 must be achieved. The challenging aspect of N2 is the individual scoring, which is the main cause of the increased failure rate.

The entity established by国際交流基金 Japan Foundation and日本国際教育支愛協会 (Japan Educational Exchanges and Services, JEES). Japan Educational Exchanges and Services administers the test within Japan, while the Japan Foundation oversees the test abroad in partnership with local host institutions.

An individual who has passed the N2 exam should be able to read clearly written materials on diverse subjects, including articles and commentaries found in newspapers and magazines, along with straightforward critiques, and understand their meanings. Additionally, those who passed N2 level is supposed to have the ability to read texts on various subjects and comprehend their storylines, as well as grasp the writers' intentions.

I was able to achieve 53 out of 60 in Listening. I was sure that I could accurately understand over 80% of what I listen to. We should be able to comprehend the verbal presentation of content, including the logical and rational aspects of an argument or theory, as well as news articles. These discussions and reports are delivered at almost natural pace in common scenarios and across different environments. We need to respond to questions regarding the information they listened to. We must be capable of tracking their thoughts and understanding their meanings. Also, it is necessary to comprehend the connections between the individuals involved and the crucial aspects of the materials presented.

So, what do we need to pass JLPT N2 in 3 months?

Dedication

This applies not just to the JLPT, but also to accomplish any goal in life; a committed approach is essential. JLPT particularly requires a significant amount of it. We must not stray from our objectives under any circumstances. Many foreigners arrive in Japan for employment and may have already surpassed the age appropriate for studying. A study released by NHK reveals that 84.8% of foreign residents are aged between 15 and 64, which constitutes the working age demographic. Individuals in their 20s and 30s account for 51.9% of that demographic. Younger individuals tend to find it relatively simpler to stay committed. I likely studied for 2 to 3 hours daily from April 14 to June 30 on weekdays, in addition to over 7 hours of lessons on Saturdays at the JLPT Academy. On Sundays, I would go to a volunteer Japanese class in Ogikubo.

Organized Approach to Remember Kanji

There are designated texts like those from 日本語総まとめ(Nihongo Soumatome) for both Grammar and Kanji. Study 20 to 30 Kanji daily. Review them the following day and study an additional group of 20 to 30. On the third day, we will review 40 to 60 Kanji and study an additional group of 20 to 30.

Read, Read, and Read.

In addition to studying Kanji, read the book 新完全マスター読解日本語能力試験N2. This book serves as an excellent collection of earlier examination resources. Reading this book multiple times will provide a strong understanding of common sentence structures and vocabulary often found in JLPT N2. After a couple of months of consistent reading of this book, you will notice that you can successfully answer most of the questions without even having read the entire text! Gratitude to Tamegai-Sensei of JLPT Academy for effectively guiding on time management during the Reading test.

YouTube Clips

There are many videos on YouTube to assist individuals preparing for every level of the JLPT. One of my preferred You tube channels was 日本語の森.Listen to the lessons multiple times while you walk and travel to work. Hearing the same words and phrases multiple times would be etched in your memory. You can also find previous years' listening question papers on YouTube. Hear them over and over.

Grammar Study

I owe my gratitude to Nozawa-sensei from JLPT Academy, as all the grammar I learned for the N2 exam was what she taught in her Saturday classes. She assigned a great deal of homework...a great deal. I made errors consistently, but she rectified each one with patience.

These activities were what I engaged in from April to June 2018, and the outcome was 103 out of 180. It’s not an impressive score, but Japan Educational Exchanges and Services was able to evaluate my level quite accurately. Driven by curiosity and to confirm my N2 proficiency, I took the online J-CAT test and achieved a score of 224, which corresponds to JLPT N2.

Achieving a total score above 90 in JLPT N2 and 19 in each section is not difficult. Sustaining that standard and progressing from it requires a significant amount of commitment and hard work.