The most convenient and affordable way to stay in Japan is a shared house.

It is not only recommended for a short holiday in Japan, but also if you plan to stay longer and don’t have a high budget for accommodation. Shared houses typically don’t require the usual fees which you have to pay for renting Japanese apartments, as key money, Agency fee, several month of security deposit and so on. The houses are often referred to as Gaijin houses which is a misleading term, since nowadays even salarymen, Japanese students and day laborers use the service of a shared house.

Those houses offer you all the conveniences needed for your daily survival in Japan.

Guest House & Share House in Japan

When you come to Japan and decide to stay at the shared house there are some things you need to keep in mind.
However, renting a room in a shared house is far easier than renting your own apartment, especially when you’re not fluent in Japanese.

First you will need to check the availability of rooms via mail or phone, there are many websites offering the availability lists such as our website  www.japanroomfinder.com

If you find an acceptable place, you need to provide your basic information, alien registration card or your passport for a copy. In the end you sign a contract (sometimes even that is not necessary) and you will receive your key. Most shared houses do not require a deposit but if they will ask you for deposit is usually around 10.000 to 30.000 Yen and they will return the money to you, as soon as you move out without leaving any damage behind.

Some shared houses offer cleaning services, in such case a maintenance fee will be added to your monthly rent. Typically common areas are cleaned by the house leader, Manager or pro cleaners organized by the owner. Utilities (water, electricity and gas) are usually included in your rent, but monthly usage  might also be shared equally within number of Tenants living in.

Most of the rooms are already furnished, you will find a bed or a futon, a table, a cabinet or dresser and they are equipped with a refrigerator (mini one), air-condition and a TV set. Sometimes you will have to buy your own futon set but this depends on the place you will stay in.

Some air conditioners are coin-operated but they come in handy especially during the hot summer days.

You will also find all cooking supplies you need in the kitchen. Many shared houses offer WIFI but not all of them do, so better check this before you decide for a shared house, if you are in need of WIFI.

Often you will also find coin-operated laundry facilities for 100 to 300 Yen, offering washing machine and dryer options. At smaller shared premises there might be free washing machines available as well.

Many shared houses also have an additional community room, which is equipped with a TV, computer, games or books, even retail PC.
Since you share your place with other people this can be a nice opportunity to find new friends, meet native speakers and get to know about the area you live in, over the dinner or watching a movie.

You just need to keep in mind, that you share kitchen, shower and toilet with other people, if you don’t like that, you need to find an private apartment for yourself.

Some shared houses offers private rooms ( one person per room) and shared rooms ( several people at the same room), those are called dormitory rooms and they are an excellent choice when you are on tight budget and do not mind to share the room. Usually you will have your own bed, little closet space and locker for personal valuable belongings.
Some shared houses are female only shared houses which means – no guys at the premises, not even visiting not to mention stay over, regardless your relationship to him. 😉 Before you do your room reservation, check if you can stay there or not, of course, that doesn’t matter, when you’re a girl.

Generally, shared houses are very useful for newcomers to familiarize themselves with their life in Japan.
Since you will live together with many people from different nationalities and also Japanese people, you will be able to get to know about Tokyo and exchange your experiences with your flatmates

Another quite cheap option to stay in Japan is to stay at the flat shared apartment or smaller shared house. This type of accommodation is a shared private apartment or a house at where the number of tenants is usually limited. You will  have your private bedroom, but you will share common areas with other flatmates. So compared to a shared house you will have more privacy and less strangers around.

If you are a social person and if you like the idea of staying in a shared house check out our website www.tokyoroomfinder.com or www.japanroomfinder.com

Our websites provide several shared houses, dormitories, shared apartments/ houses,  private furnished and unfurnished apartments, all for short and for long term rental with low initial cost. Rooms not only in Tokyo, but also in China, Saitama and Osaka.

Always worth to take a look.

A reminder to let you know that if you are looking for an accommodation in Japan, our portal JapanRoomFinder.com has  plenty of apartments and rooms in share houses available all over Japan. Send us an enquiry if you like one of them.

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