Tokyo

Living in Japan Guide

By Betsy Burlingame

Summary: Did you know that washers and dryers are often placed on the balcony or in the kitchen in Japan? Did you know that trains are the best way to travel in Japan? Expats in Japan share their tips for living in Japan.

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Japan Guide
Learn what members have to say about living in Japan.

Japan Forum
Talk with other digital nomads and expats in Japan on our Japan forum - meet people, get advice and help others.

Japan Index
An index of all of our site's Japan information.

Contribute
Help others in Japan by answering questions about the challenges and adventures of living in Japan.

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Comments

A "mansion" means it's a multi-unit apartment building, more than two floors, not that it is newer. There are plenty of older mansions. Smaller buildings are called "apaato". And the owner does not always live in the building. And you can easily get large refrigerators so no need to worry about that (although you'll need to make sure you're in a big enough apartment - not a tiny one room place). There are also English-speaking real estate agents in the major cities. But don't worry about being near the train station unless you live in a big city and they have a good bus system. It's not always expensive to live in Japan - it primarily depends on where you live, how you live, and what you compare it to (where you're from). There are plenty of ways to save money. As for expressway tolls, they can add up, but are often cheaper than taking the bullet train (as great as public transportation is). Getting an ETC system will save you money on this.

These are really great tips! I read about Softbank in another post earlier (here - http://www.mangauk.com/post.php?p=5-things-to-prepare-you-for-life-in-japan-part-2) so I think I shall try them first when getting a phone! I laughed at you saying "Arigato" to a man in the street - it's the kind of thing I would do, too!