100 Properties

Each year the Japanese look forward to the New Year celebration with great seal.  This is the only time in the year where families get together.  In-fact children (in a family) are expected to be home at the end of each year to celebrate the occasion together.  Nobody enjoy the occasion as the children, traditionally they are required to be given money as a sign of good luck and prosperity.  All adults are expected to give a money to children they have met or have had dealings with during the year.  Giving children money during New Year is known as “otoshidama”.

Even though until recently, there has been a lot of fireworks going on, this is not so. But when there are fireworks, it is marvelous and can be seen miles and miles away.  It has considerably toned down.  The food is delicious and is traditionally made.  During celebrations people spend most of their time in-doors and celebrate with their families.   Before the celebration takes place, a lot of cleaning and decoration take place.  Home are spot-cleaned a week before the occasion and all cobwebs and dirt cleared.

There is a belief in Japan that for one to have a better and rewarding year they must see the first sunlight on January first.  When the clock ticks 12 midnight, large bells are rung.  Once revelers hear the sound of the bill, they know it is time to go to the temples and shrines to ask for blessings for the New Year and a better future.   Most of the decorations that take place in the homes and shrines include bamboo, pines and flowers.  These can be found in most shrines and notable homes during the New Year celebration.

In Tokyo, the Tokyo Tower is usually lit up when the clock strikes midnight at the beginning of each New Year.   This is a sight to behold and is quite appealing to the eye.  During celebrations, visitors are not left out and are given a chance to share in the food and the traditional ways of the Japanese celebration of the New Year.  The visitors find a lot of fun in celebrating New Year in Japan.

Are you planning to visit Tokyo anytime soon? Whether you go are staying there for a few weeks or a few years, you will need to stay in a Tokyo guest house to make sure you are living comfortably. A guest house Tokyo is a lot cheaper than staying in a hotel and it also offers you a cozy space to live in every day. It acts like your house for the time being.

Tokyo guesthouses are great for making friends and learning more about the Japanese culture. You will learn to cook your own Japanese food with the help of other people in the guesthouse too. People from different countries stay in Tokyo guest houses so you will be able to learn about their culture as well.

Guesthouses are similar to dormitories where many people stay but instead of living in a building setup, you will be staying in a house with its own kitchen and living room. Owners of guesthouses make sure that their tenants have a great time by organizing BBQ parties, hiking events and cultural parties for everyone to know more about each other. After all, a harmonious and peaceful home is a must.

Tokyo guesthouses are located in safe and quiet areas. Since there are many tenants who stay in these houses that are exchange students, it is important that the area will be quiet enough for students to study. Furthermore, guesthouses are located in highly accessible areas so tenants will not have a hard time travelling or commuting from one place to another.

Amenities like restaurants and shopping malls are minutes away from the guesthouses as well. Wi-Fi internet connectivity is for free. There are guesthouses that come with pools and gyms but you may have to pay extra for staying in luxurious guesthouses.

 

As a matter of fact, dealing with you roommates can be a big challenge for you especially if you are living somewhere outside your home in a hostel or sort of common room of a living area. This could be challenging for you if you don’t like a lot of public interaction and like to have your privacy maintained at all levels and at every time. In most of the cases, the biggest conflict arises when you have different timings of taking sleep. For example, you may like to watch movies in the early part of the night and your roommate may be interested in taking a sleep at that time. Or it may be like you are fond of studying some sort of book in the afternoon but your roommate likes to listen to rock music in this time.

But how can one tackle this problem? In the point of fact, the biggest and probably the most effective piece of advice would be to create an atmosphere of understanding from the very first day. Your roommate may be a disturbing element for you, but you can tackle him or her by inviting him to a cup of tea, talk to him about your limitations and problems and ask him very politely to make at least some adjustments in his activities and schedules so as to make things go smoothly and calmly.

Another good option you can make use of to handle a disturbing roommate is to get hold of some of his or her weak point. For example, you have a roommate who likes to listen to the music at the top of the sound. And of course, this is something that disturbs you. But you also realize that he doesn’t like to get up early in the morning. So, all you need to do is to get up early in the morning, turn the room lights on and start reading a book. When he’ll ask you to abandon this practice, there would be a clear reply from your side asking him to give up the routine of listening to the music in a loud sound. This may appear a little offensive, but it would make your roommate feel the need of understanding your problem.

Traditional Japanese houses are designed to be flexible, spacious and simple. The flexibility of the traditional Japanese house is proven to withstand earthquakes and typhoons. It is simple because it is simply made of wood with a thick paper as divider. Bamboo has also been added as part of the house structural and decorative designs. With the exception of designated areas for bathing, kitchen and toilet, Japan’s traditional house contains one large room designed for multiple uses. It can be use as a sleeping area, a dining room or a receiving area or a combination of both. It has a movable divider or shoji screens inside to make another room.

Another important distinction of Japanese traditional homes from modern Japanese house is the unique interior design. The spacious room is sparingly furnished. Usually, it has only one small, low table at the center as a major component of the house. The wooden floor is covered with tatami mats. Tatami mats are made of woven straw or rush grass which can be used for seating or sleeping. The room is partitioned by a sliding door which is made of wood and washi, a thick paper. The sliding door is movable which can be removed at anytime when a larger space is needed.
The wood and paper design combination is unique among Japanese homes. The windows are also made of wood and paper. The room is usually elevated by one step to avoid moisture from the ground. When people enter the house, they have to remove their shoes or slippers at the entrance or genkan and slipped into an indoor slipper to be worn while inside the house. However, the indoor slippers have to be removed upon entering tatami room. Japanese people don’t use chairs, they prefer to squat or sit on tatami mats or flat cushions called zabuton. Another noticeable distinction is the roof. The roof is mostly large with big eaves to protect the house from summer sun. It is also sloped instead of flat to allow water to flow off easily during rainy days.
Over the years, traditional Japanese house are developed with the introduction of modern facility for convenience. However, many Japanese people with the intention to preserve the value of Japanese architecture, culture and heritage manage to preserve the unique home design with a touch of modern living. Today, tourists who visit Japan, choose to stay in places patterned on Japanese traditional homes. The unique structure coupled with Japanese artistry has attracted tourists who wanted to experience living the olden Japanese way of life.

Tokyo apartments for foreigners are a dime a dozen however, it isn’t that easy to find a landlord willing to take you in because there are certain prerequisite quirks that have to be ironed out first. For instance, Tokyo apartments for foreigners are generally a minimum of 2 years lease. Any shorter period than that means you may have to consider other options. That is, unless you find a landlord willing to decrease the lease period. Also, many Japanese landlords appreciate an effort by foreigners to learn their language. There have been cases when lease contracts have not been signed because of a communication problem. It isn’t a case of being rude of unfriendly but a fear of having to face conflict.

Aside from real estate offices which are the usual course, you can walk around looking for a neighborhood you like. Usually you will find signs around the neighborhood about any apartment for lease. If not, you can always check the newspapers.
Some of what the real estate companies will require from you as the tenant before any contract is signed are:

• Proof of financial ability to pay
• A Japanese co-guarantor of good standing
• Fees on security and advance rental and other fees some of which are non-refundable

You will hear terms spoken like tetsukekin which means the reservation fee; shikikin which means the deposit that can be used to repair damaged property or unpaid bills; reikin is like goodwill money which is non-refundable; and chukai tesuryo which refers to the broker’s fee.
To be able to feel at home in a Tokyo apartment as a foreigner, you must be respectful of your neighbors and landlord. Look around at the tenants and if it is young crowd then you have a pretty good chance of being able to host parties. If there are elderly in the apartment building, you may have tone down on the partying.

If you are looking for an apartment rental, you might have come along various types of apartments and condominiums. But has there been a situation where you have wondered what, is the difference between a condominiums an apartment rental? Aesthetically speaking, both the accommodation sources look exactly the same and are no different from each other but, still the difference between the two is purely legal.

Basically, both condos and apartments are essentially a part of a bigger property. The only difference lies between the two is in its ownership aspect. Condos can be defined as apartments which are individually sold to different buyers. The similar construction, in entirety, can be the legal property of one person and the apartments which constitute the building can be given for rent (but not sold) to different people. An apartment on the other hand, can be explained as a source of accommodation which can be separate sold out or rented to any other individual with the consent of its present owner.

When a person owns a condo, he does actually not own the land on which it has been constructed, rather, it is the air that is blowing within the premises which is owned by the person buying or renting it. The details of the borders are precisely explained in the declaration deed of the Condo.

Condo owners also have access to some communal areas which includes gardens, elevators and hallways. The details of these areas are provided in a document called the master deed. The management of the common areas is the responsibility of board which has been formulated for the daily running of the condos. The board is responsible to set rules and regulations as regards the collection of maintenance money for the regular maintenance o the communal areas, the question of pet ownership and the restrictions on the external decorations of the condo.

Apartments, on the other hand, have simple and straight contracts which include the communal properties of the building to be equally used by every apartment owner or tenant. One similarity between the two is that both the forms can be owned by one person and can be sold out or rented to others.

Expatriates and other foreigners who visit Japan in order to spend an extended period of time creates an interesting mix as such some of these plan to work as part timers which allows then to travel greatly within the country while several others have the idea to go abroad in order to expand their cultural horizons. With the increasing number of expats arriving in the country, the accommodation issues whether it be a house or an apartment Tokyo, and a clear-cut plan is sketched out as to how to obtain an apartment Tokyo.

Unless your bank or financial institution or the company through which you are travelling is providing you with accommodation, the selection of it can either make the living experience either good or worse. Bad land owners or irritating neighborhood can spoil all the fun of your life. Moreover, costly apartments with no or less entertainment and other facilities nearby also contribute towards the hassle of living in such a place.

Peculiarities of Tokyo Property Market

The size and quality of the apartments in Tokyo are quite surprising for expats. The size of the apartments depends on the quantity of bedrooms in it with the additional “+1” factor which is usually referred to as the living room. A single problem is that it would turn out to be quite difficult to find small studio type apartments which expats from Britain and America are used to. Living in Tokyo is relatively cheaper as compared to other countries of the region as long as the expat has selected the right neighborhood and have done quite a bit of research about the place.

The expat seeking housing in Tokyo can obtain a map of the area he/she will be residing. Gather more and more information about the area. You can also check forums and expatriates websites through which much information can be obtained. You can also visit the place and look out for any house that is being renovated because chances are that another house can also be renovated which will then require you to vacate it immediately.

Another way through which expats can obtain affordable and comfortable housing in Tokyo is to hire the services of an English-speaking estate agent. These agents provide you with every single detail about accommodations in the place which will also be inclusive of the price factor which is very important for an expatriate.