Guides
Renting in Tokyo, explained.
Plain-language guides on the parts of the Tokyo rental market that most often catch newcomers off guard. Written by our advisors, drawn from the questions clients actually ask.
Reading list
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Costs
8 min read
Move-in costs in Tokyo, line by line.
The standard four to six months of rent up front, broken down: deposit, key money, agency fee, guarantor, fire insurance, lock change, cleaning. What is negotiable, what is not, and the hidden fees worth watching for.
For international renters
10 min read
Foreigner-friendly leases: what changes, what doesn't.
Most central Tokyo landlords accept non-Japanese applicants today. The few who hesitate are usually responding to practical concerns that the modern guarantor system has already solved. This guide walks through the legal landscape, the documents you'll actually need, and how to position your application so it competes on equal footing.
Costs
8 min read
Deposit and key money: the Japanese rental tradition.
Reikin (key money), shikikin (deposit), and the newer shikibiki (deposit amortisation): what they actually are, the historical and legal context behind each, how the 2020 Civil Code revision changed deposit-return rules, and how to find ¥0 reikin and ¥0 shikibiki listings in central Tokyo without sacrificing on the unit itself.
Areas
10 min read
Tokyo's nine central wards: which one fits your life.
Minato, Shibuya, Shinjuku, Chiyoda, Chuo, Meguro, Setagaya, Bunkyo, Shinagawa. A comparative narrowing guide to help you go from nine options to two or three candidates worth visiting, organised around lifestyle clusters and the four questions that filter the list fastest.
Tokyo Rent Desk
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