Renting an Apartment in Japan — Quick Answer Reikin, Shikikin, Guarantors, and Short-Term Rental Budgets

⚡ 30-second takeaway: Renting in Japan = ①Initial cost = 5-7 months' rent (reikin + shikikin + guarantor company + agent fee + fire insurance) ②Guarantor required (guarantor company OK) ③Limited "foreigner-friendly" listings ④Short-term rentals ¥80K-200K / month ⑤Monthly mansion ¥150K-300K / month. Long-term contracts are typically 1 year, and a 90-day tourist visa makes signing difficult.

Quick reference	Value
Initial cost	5-7 months' rent
Guarantor company	50-100% of monthly rent
Short-term	¥80-200K
Monthly mansion	¥150-300K
Tourist visa	Difficult
Last verified	June 2026

30-second takeaway

Japan's rental contracts are among the world's most complex. High initial costs, guarantor requirements, and discrimination against foreigners all exist — your main options are foreigner-friendly listings + a guarantor company + monthly mansion.

💰 Initial Cost Breakdown

Standard contract

Example: ¥100,000 / month rent

• Shikikin: ¥200,000
• Reikin: ¥200,000
• Agent fee: ¥110,000 (tax included)
• Pre-paid rent: ¥100,000
• Fire insurance: ¥18,000
• Guarantor company: ¥80,000
• Lock change: ¥25,000
• Cleaning: ¥40,000
• Total: ¥773,000

🌐 Short-Term Rental Options

Monthly mansion

• Fee: ¥150K-300K / month
• Term: 1-12 months
• Initial cost: 1-2 months' rent

Major operators

• Monthly 21: Nationwide
• Monthly Leopalace 21: Major chain
• Monthly Mansion RoomDecor: Tourist areas

Short-term rental services

• Apartment hotel: 1-30 days
• ¥80-200K / month

Airbnb long stays

• 1+ months: 20-30% discount
• ¥100-300K / month

Sublease

• Take over an existing contract
• ¥80-200K / month

📋 Required Documents

Required

• Residence Card
• Passport
• My Number
• Proof of income
• Proof of employment

Often required

• Guarantor (many properties refuse foreign guarantors)
• Guarantor company
• Co-signer

Sometimes required

• Emergency contact
• Stay plan
• Address proof from home country

🛂 Contract Eligibility by Visa

90-day tourist visa

• Difficult to sign a lease
• Whole-house Airbnb
• Apartment hotel

Visa under 6 months

• Monthly mansion
• Short-term rental

Visa over 1 year

• Long-term rentals OK
• Guarantor company needed

Visa over 3 years

• Most properties OK
• Major agencies welcome

🌐 How to Find Foreigner-Friendly Properties

Major agencies

• Apaman Shop: Some support
• House Do: Some support
• Mitsui Sumitomo R&E: Some support

Foreigner-focused

• Real Estate Japan
• GaijinPot Housing
• Tokyo Apartments

Online search

• Search for "foreigner OK"
• Multilingual sites: Some

Direct contact

• Direct to landlord
• Through a guarantor company

🏠 Rent by Major Area

Tokyo

• Shinjuku-ku: ¥80-200K / month
• Shibuya-ku: ¥100-300K
• Minato-ku: ¥120-400K
• Chiyoda-ku: ¥150-500K
• Edogawa-ku, Katsushika-ku: ¥50-100K
• Hachioji, West Tokyo: ¥40-90K

Osaka

• Umeda, Namba: ¥70-150K
• Chuo-ku: ¥80-180K
• Outside the city: ¥40-90K

Kyoto

• City center: ¥80-180K
• Outside: ¥40-100K

Yokohama

• City center: ¥70-150K
• Outside: ¥40-100K

Fukuoka

• City center: ¥60-120K
• Outside: ¥30-80K

Sapporo

• City center: ¥50-120K
• Outside: ¥30-80K

🔑 Guarantor and Guarantor Company

Guarantor

• Japanese national: Standard
• If you can't find a Japanese guarantor: use a guarantor company

Guarantor company

• 50-100% of monthly rent up front
• Renewal fee: ¥10K-20K / year
• Tourist support: Growing

Major guarantor companies

• Orico, JID
• Epos, Zenhoren
• Life Card, Sumishin SBI

💳 Payment Methods

Monthly rent

• Bank transfer: Standard
• Direct debit: Common
• Credit card: Some

Tourist-friendly

• Online payment
• Wise debit: Some accept it

Watch out

• Late fees
• Risk of forced eviction

🌐 Multilingual Support

Major agencies

• Mitsui Sumitomo R&E: English only
• Apaman: Some multilingual support

Foreigner-focused

• GaijinPot: Fully multilingual
• Real Estate Japan: Multilingual

Tourist-focused

• Monthly Mansion (official): Multilingual

💡 Tourist Playbook

1. Start short

• Tourists + short stays: Airbnb / monthly mansion
• Long term: 1-year contract

2. Use a guarantor company

• No personal guarantor needed
• Tourist-friendly

3. Foreigner-friendly properties

• Search GaijinPot
• Real Estate Japan

4. Online contracts

• Multilingual
• Remote signing possible

5. Short vs. long comparison

• Up to 3 months: Monthly mansion
• 6 months or more: Long-term lease

⏰ Time to Sign

Short-term (monthly)

• Within 1 week
• Sometimes same-day

Long-term lease

• 1-2 months
• Includes guarantor company screening

Long-term + major property

• 2-3 months
• Long document review

⚠️ Important Notes

Discrimination

• "Japanese only" listings exist
• Rejection without reason happens
• Choose foreigner-friendly properties

Cultural differences

• Take off shoes: Japanese standard
• Quiet living: Apartment rule
• Strict trash sorting

Move-out

• Cleaning fee
• Repair fees
• Shikikin return

🌐 Renting by Nationality

🇺🇸 Americans

• Central Tokyo: Higher rent
• Long-term contracts: Often required

🇨🇳 Chinese

• Concentrated in specific areas
• Guarantor companies common

🇰🇷 Koreans

• Okubo + Shinjuku: Korean neighborhood
• Specialized properties

🇪🇺 Europeans

• Around tourist areas
• Multilingual support

🇮🇳 Indians

• Specific areas
• Multilingual support

💼 Move-Out Costs

Standard

• Cleaning fee: 1 month's rent
• Shikikin return: Partial
• Repair costs: Separate

Tourist + short stay

• Cleaning included
• High shikikin return rate

🏠 Moving Companies

Major

• Art Moving Center: ¥30K-100K
• Ari-san Mark no Hikkoshi-sha: ¥30K-80K
• Nippon Express: ¥40K-120K

Solo move

• ¥30K-50K: Kei truck

Family of four

• ¥80K-150K: Large truck

💰 Monthly Living Cost Comparison

Single (central Tokyo)

• Rent: ¥100K
• Food: ¥40K
• Utilities: ¥10K
• Comms: ¥6K
• Transport: ¥10K
• Other: ¥30K
• Total: ¥196K

Single (regional)

• Rent: ¥50K
• Food: ¥30K
• Utilities: ¥10K
• Comms: ¥6K
• Transport: ¥5K
• Other: ¥20K
• Total: ¥121K

5 Common Tourist Mistakes

1. Trying to sign a long-term lease on a tourist visa: Rejected
2. Not budgeting for initial cost: Short by hundreds of thousands of yen
3. No guarantor lined up: Hard to sign
4. Not checking for foreigner-friendly properties: Rejection
5. Not understanding move-out cleaning fees

Pre-departure Checklist

• Confirm stay length + visa
• Pick area + budget
• Research foreigner-friendly properties
• Prepare guarantor company
• Save for initial cost
• Organize documents

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Can I rent on a tourist visa?

A: Long-term contracts are difficult; whole-house Airbnb / monthly mansion is realistic.

Q: Can I rent without a guarantor?

A: A guarantor company is required; 50-100% of monthly rent up front.

Q: Is there discrimination against foreigners?

A: Unfortunately, yes. Use foreigner-friendly properties + a guarantor company.

Q: Multilingual support?

A: GaijinPot / Real Estate Japan offer full support.

Q: Move-out costs?

A: 1 month's cleaning fee, offset by shikikin, repair fees separate.

Editorial: Yen Finder Editorial / Last verified June 2026. Rent prices and contract terms may change — check each agency's official page for the latest.