An Expat Talks about Moving to Tokyo, Japan

What is the name of the city or town that you are reporting on?

Tokyo

Name three things that you wish you had brought and three you wish you had left at home.

Book, lots and lots of books, there really isn't much of a selection of books or magazines here unless you are willing to fork out around 15-20 dollars per magazine.

Hienz canned tomato soup, soup here costs around 7 dollars per tin and is very salted.

A Plasma, they are half the price here and you can get international ones!

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What advice would you give someone preparing to move to your area about the actual move, choosing a neighborhood and finding a home?

Real estate agencies will show you everything even places that don't meet your requirements, ex:2 bedrooms instead or 3, no parking, etc...

See the floor plans before seeing any of them, it will save you a lot of time.

And once you have narrowed it down, visit the flat a time when you know that your nieghbors will be in....

Some flats don't have insulation and you can hear if your nieghbor just sneezed.

What type of housing do you live in? Is this typical for most expats in your area?

Typically in flats, houses are rather expensive an full of many small rooms, which for my taste is unpractical.

How did you choose your neighborhood and find your home or apartment?

Real estate agency.

Are your housing costs higher or lower than they were in your home country? What is the average cost of housing there?

Mexico-Japan?

You've gotta be kidding! I could buy out a small village for what I pay monthly, thank god my husband company pays for the flat, electrical and water, we once got a water bill for 1000usd! and we don't have any kids.