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For Refugees (難民の方へ) − Accomodation

1）Temporary accommodation（For asylum seekers who have just arrived in Japan or refugees without permanent accommodation）

- Most asylum seekers must find their accommodation themselves since the Japanese government only offers a very limited number of places, and only for emergency cases. It may be difficult, however, for asylum seekers to find an apartment or house to rent themselves, and there may be no choice other than for them to stay temporarily at youth hostels or guesthouses, particularly when accommodation is needed urgently.

- In most cases, to rent an apartment in Japan, deposit, key money and a guarantor are required. In some cases, real estate agents and owners simply say they do not accept foreigners. Thus it may be difficult for asylum seekers to rent an apartment or house soon after arriving in Japan.

1 Youth Hostels

There are 320 youth hostels in Japan. Most of them have separate dormitories for males and females. They charge around 3,000 yen per night (around 4,500 yen if breakfast and dinner are included). Users are required to have a Youth Hostel Membership Card, which are obtainable at one of Japan Youth Hostel's prefectural offices or at any youth hostel. To become a member, you will be requested to present an ID card giving your name and address and to pay the membership fee (2500 yen for applicants over 19 years of age). The membership card is valid throughout the world for one year.
For further information about youth hostels all around Japan (address, telephone number, price etc) see the Japan Youth Hostels website at http://www.jyh.or.jp.

Tokyo International Youth Hostel
  • 1-1 Kagurakashi, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo, 162-0823
    Next to Iidabashi Station, JR Sobu Line
  • Telephone: 03-3235-1107
  • e-mail: tokyo-yh@tokyo-yh.jp
  • URL: http://www.tokyo-yh.jp/jp/top.html
  • Rates: 3,500 yen per night
  • Tokyo International Youth Hostel does not require you to be a Youth Hostel Member. It is advisable to make a reservation well in advance as it is often fully booked.

2 Guesthouses

Another option would be a guesthouse, where one can rent a room for several weeks (some guesthouses let rooms by the night) and which do not require key money or a guarantor. In general, they offer shared bedrooms. Bathroom, shower and kitchen are also shared. Guesthouses are used by backpackers and other visitors from many different countries.

Guesthouses found by JAR on the internet are listed below.

Guesthouses where you can pay per night
Lutheran Ichigaya Center
  • 1-1 Ichigaya Sadohara-cho, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 162-0842
  • Telephone: 03-3260-8621 Fax: 03-3260-7510
  • URL: http://www.l-i-c.com/
  • Rates: single room 4500 yen per night
  • Lutheran Ichigaya Center is located 10 minutes walk from JAR. The living and bathroom facilities are communal.
Yotsugi Clib
Tokyo Cozy House K
  • 15-1 Sakae-cho, Kita-ku, Tokyo 114-0005
  • 2 minute walk from Ouji Station, Keihin-Tohoku Line
  • Telephone: 047-379-1539 / 090-8176-0764
  • URL: http://www.cozyhouse.net/
  • Rates: from 2800 yen per night
Tokyo Cozy House I
  • 3-15-11 Ichikawa, Ichikawa, Chiba 272-0032
  • Telephone: 047-379-1539 / 090-8176-0764
  • URL: http://www.cozyhouse.net/
  • Rates: from 1200 yen per night
Takara Joshi Kaikan (women only)
  • Main Residence: 50-1 Oyama-Kanai-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo
  • Residence 2: 44-17 Saiwai-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo
  • Residence 3: 11-2 Oyamanishi-cho, Itabashi-ku, Tokyo
  • Telephone: 03-5966-4325 FAX: 03-5966-4339
  • URL: http://happytown.orahoo.com/takarajyoshikaikan/
  • Rates: from 38,000 yen per month
Foundation Nippon Rikkokai
  • 2-43-12 Kotake-cho, Nerima-ku, Tokyo 176-0004
  • Telephone: 03-3972-1151
  • URL: http://www.rikkokai.or.jp/
  • Rates: single room 4000 yen per night
Guesthouses offering weekly accommodation
Share House Sion
  • 2-12-2, Yanaka, Taito-ku, Tokyo
  • 4 minute walk from Sendagi Station, Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line
    11 minute walk from Nippori Station, JR Yamanote Line
  • Telephone: 090-6539-0144
  • e-mail: sion@interspace.cc
  • URL: http://64.139.187.3/interspace.html
  • Rates: from 12,500 yen per week (40,000 yen per month)
J & F Plaza
  • Jujo/Kitakoshigaya/Matsudo/Shiki/Kamata/Shinjuku/Tachikawa/Kugahara/Toranomon/Shinbashi
  • Telephone: 03-5366-6356 FAX: 03-3351-0089
  • e-mail: info@jafplaza.com
  • URL: http://www.jafplaza.com/
  • Rates: varies for each location
Guesthouses offering monthly accommodation
SAKURA HOUSE
Guesthouse offering medium-term accommodation (more than 3 months)
Nichio Koyu Kikaku

Rates and contacts above are subject to change. Some guesthouses may require a deposit. It is advisable to confirm the rates and vacancies in advance as some popular guesthouses do not accept guests without reservations.

2）Private rental housing (apartments)

Real estate agents have much information about rental accommodation. They will help you find an apartment if you tell them the location you wish to move to, the rent you can afford and your requirements (how many rooms you need and whether you want your own bathroom). Generally it is cheaper to rent an apartment with a shared bathroom, toilet and kitchen.

When renting a room, you will sign a lease contract and pay a deposit and key money in addition to the rent. You will also pay commission to the real estate agent, which is generally about the same amount as one month's rent.

Deposit

Usually you are required to pay a deposit equivalent to two or three times the monthly rent to the landlord. This is for two reasons:

  • To cover the cost of repairs to the apartment that may be necessary upon vacating.
  • To cover the rent in case of non-payment.

After the contract has been terminated, the deposit minus the cost for repairs and debt will be returned to you.
For example:
Deposit - Cost for repairs = Amount to be returned
(100,000 yen) - (25,000 yen) = (75,000 yen)

Key money

You may also be required to pay the owner an equivalent of one to two months' rent known as key money. This differs from the deposit in that it is not usually refunded on termination of the contract. Some contracts today do not require key money.

J & F Networks is a network of real estate agents set up to assist foreigners. Its website contains useful information such as how to rent an apartment in Japan, a list of real estate agents which understand foreign languages, and other useful information such as how to separate and put out rubbish.
See http://www.jafnet.co.jp/.

3）Public Housing

Public housing is built and managed by local authorities basically to provide accommodation for low-income earners. Therefore there are conditions for accessing such housing, for instance, an applicant's annual income must be below a certain fixed amount. Often public housing is only available to families, not single people. Usually it is also required that you have a Certificate of Alien Registration and an immigration permit authorising at least one year's residence in Japan.

The low price of public housing usually means that many people apply to live there. Where demand exceeds supply, vacancies will be decided according to a lottery. Applications where the applicant or a member of his/her family is over 60 years old, pregnant, certified as physically disabled, or families with pre-primary school age children, or more than three under-20 children, will often receive preferential treatment in such lotteries.

Conditions and preferences vary according to the public housing. For further information contact your local government.

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