Tokyo House Hunt

by Blaine + Erin on February 13, 2013 in Adventures with 6 Comments

This time last week I was stressed about making the right decision, to move to Tokyo or not to move to Tokyo. It’s amazing the difference one week can make. We are now set in our decision to move to Tokyo and I feel relief and excitement. I’m ready to get back into personal training and Blaine is hoping to delve into Tokyo’s vast design community and continue to move forward on his interior and furniture design projects.

Ginza Metro in the heart of Tokyo

We’re deep into the apartment hunt. It’s going a bit like this: the closer we are to the center of Tokyo the smaller the space gets and the higher the rent. No surprise there and now it’s time to decide what’s more important to us, space or location. My new employers have also recommended we check out the guest houses available in Tokyo. These places offer month to month leases and furnished apartments, which would give us more time to explore neighborhoods and determine where we’d like to live. The two guest houses we’re currently looking into are: Sakura House and Leo Palace.

The Ginza Wako building was one of the few buildings remaining after WWII

Would you prefer to live in central Tokyo or have more space?

Tags: Tokyo, tokyo house hunt

6 Comments

Samantha
Feb 14, 2013 @ 00:11:37

I’d prefer to have more space! However, I’ve never been to Tokyo (although I just want offered a job with ECC so I’ll be in Japan in 3-4 months!). Naturally, I equate city life in Tokyo to life in NYC. When I was living in NYC, I eventually decided that my 3-bedroom apartment that was, overall, about the size of my bedroom at home in Pennsylvania, and it was terrible. Brooklyn is the way to go in NYC (more space, cheaper rent), so I assume it would be the same kind of situation in Tokyo. What’s a 20-minute train ride into central Tokyo when you can have more space and money for food/fun? It gives you time to read and study Japanese anyway.

- Blaine + Erin
  Feb 18, 2013 @ 20:18:55
  
  I do enjoy reading and relaxing on the trains and that Japan has such clean and punctual trains! Do you know where in Japan you’ll be located yet? We’ve really enjoyed our past seven months with ECC.
  
  - Samantha
    Feb 19, 2013 @ 22:57:20
    
    That’s great to hear that you’ve enjoyed your time with ECC. There are so many mixed reviews about different companies in Japan so it’s hard to tell what you’re getting yourself into.
    
    I don’t know where in Japan I’ll be located. I don’t know what your experience was in finding out your location, but the website says that I should find out the city at least two months prior to departure. I guess I’d find out by the end of March to mid-April!
    
    - Blaine + Erin
      Mar 06, 2013 @ 13:21:04
      
      We interviewed for ECC in March and found out we were going to Nagoya in May. Good luck!
      
Diane
Feb 14, 2013 @ 13:27:53

I would want to live close to where I’m working, probably within 30 minutes.

- Blaine + Erin
  Feb 18, 2013 @ 20:21:28
  
  Yea, I’m shooting for a 15-25 minute ride to work. Of course, my work is in Roppongi, one of the most expensive neighborhoods in Tokyo. But it is a beautiful area and I’ll be able to see Tokyo Tower from my work neighborhood!

Tokyo House Hunt

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