Beware all military and civilians moving to Japan.
　
My family and I arrived in Yokosuka, Japan on April 2, 2008. After a 7 week stay in the Navy lodge on Yokosuka base, we were relieved to move into what we felt was not only a large Japanese home, but also a cozy environment to set up home. Despite the fact that this home was to cost us 330,000 yen a month which at that time cost us $3,300.00, we felt that this was the best match of several homes we looked at to accommodate our family size, furniture and vehicles.
Upon moving into this home, we were required to pay an excessive fee that is known as the “Landlord’s Fee“. This is given to the host landlord for his so called generosity of allowing us Americans to live in his home that was supposedly empty for over 18 months. This fee alone cost us 330,000 yen. In US dollars, 330,000 yen in May of 2008. We also paid our realtor 342,000 yen for their services yet the listing of this rental was posted in the Base Housing Offices home directory. So once it was established that we wanted to see this home, our housing office on base contacted the realtor for a viewing. We also paid the normal first and last month fee for security purposes. Fees and rent included cost us over 1,330,000 yen. Over $13,000.00.
Shortly after we moved in did we come to the realization that the cost of living in this home was going to be even more expensive than we had imagined. The surprising thing about living in this house is that in the summer, the home is hotter inside it’s walls than outdoors. Because of this, we found it necessary to use the air conditioner. In this house there is an industrial size one in each one of the major rooms. Little did we know, the cost to use it far exceeds the misery of burning up within the house’s walls. Our first electric bill was 63,000 yen. Keep in mind, the dollar is getting weaker as this journey progresses so a 63,000 yen bill was more than $630.00.
The first night we slept in this home we were also awaken frequently by loud motor bikes, cars and trucks zooming down the street, all night and through the day. The loud belching sounds of the black birds and hawks were a lot less annoying to us.
As the summer made way to the fall and winter, we found ourselves trying to heat the home we are living in. In the fall and winter we found our house to be colder inside than outside. Now the industrial air conditioner is now to be used as an industrial heater. The problem with this is that the location of the heater is on the ceilings of the rooms and as we have learned in our early days of school, heat rises. Because of this the rooms take an excessive amount of heat to warm. This is of course excessive in cost. Also, each room that is heated must have the doors closed so that the heat from the room doesn’t escape into the freezing hallways.
Once I started teaching English as a means for an additional income, parking then became a serious problem. When my students would park in a vacant lot across the street from me, the owner of the lot was notified and intentionally blocked it off so that no one could use it unless they paid in advance 1000 yen a day. And needless to say, living here rapidly became worse.
These are things that I would list as some of our unforeseen problems.
1. The landlord lives 2 door down the street and is always going in and out of the basement.
2. The landlord uses the garage as a storage rental to private businesses.
3. Personal parking is sometimes blocked by garage renters.
4. Landlord uses parking under the house for his POV.
5. When backing out of the driveway, it can be very dangerous because you are backing out into a busy traffic.
6. If you have children, the heavy traffic can be dangerous .
7. There are no play areas around the house.
8. The house leaks during heavy rains and wall paper have to be replaced frequently.
9. Due to the heavy traffic, large amounts of dirt accumulate inside the house.
10. There is a large number of power lines running along the streets which blocks the view of a nonexistent landscape.
11. The fluctuation of the dollar against the yen can cost you hundreds of dollars of out of pocket expenses.
12. Roaches the size of small pets.
　
In the best interest for the military families moving to Yokosuka, I would like to see this home removed from the housing list. The transition of moving from the United States to Japan is a hardship both financially and psychologically to any family. No one should have to deal with these situations unless they are fully aware of the negative consequences. And lastly, the Military Housing Office need to place more attention, time and effort into the individual needs of those who support our military whether they are active duty or civilian.

　

who was your housing agent? 330,000 yen a month is on the high end of most of the properties listed.

wow, sorry for your bad experience. Chalk it up to one of those "growth experiences" from which you emerge older & wiser. I hope on balance that your time in Japan was a positive one for you.

I think a major lesson to learn for people coming here is: "When in Japan, do as the Japanese do." Americans are so overburdened with "stuff" that they feel they must take with them all over the world. That doesn't work well in Japan. Either your small home is overcrowded, or your big home is too expensive. So many Japanese homes are tiny, but when you don't fill them with "stuff" it becomes quite livable. As a contractor, I had to pay for all my own shipping. I got my necessities down to about a dozen boxes that I mailed ahead. When you distill to your essentials, it comes down to making choices. When someone else is paying, you fell compelled or entitled to bring it all.

As far as the 4 months rent it costs to move in, that's standard in Japan and has been probably within the collective memory of everyone on this board. I first lived in Japan in '82, and I paid 4-months rent to move in then. Of course, "4 x lots" is much more than "4 x little" so choosing an expensive house is particularly painful. You likely knew this before choosing that house. Also, isn't like half or more of it reimbursed?

It sux about the landlord using your basement. Hopefully that was disclosed in your lease, else you should have raised heck or gotten a reduction in rent. One of the worse social faux pas in Japan is blocking someone's parking; repeat offenders I think are given the death penalty. Again, action should have been taken way back when to alleviate this problem (just as the owner of the lot stopped your students from parking in his lot, as was his right).

Heating & cooling a house always costs more than an apartment, both in the States & Japan. As you mentioned, this is mitigated by dividing up the house & only heating/cooling the rooms you need. Also turning off the heat at night, and even in the evenings dress warm and don't use the heat as much. Nevertheless, utilities in a big house like that would be expensive; this should have been foreseen before signing the lease.

Hopefully you have no small children. If you do, you should not have chosen a house on a busy street with no playground nearby. Families with older kids would not be so concerned about it.

The encroaching dirt & water sux. Is this a western-style home? They generally are more weather-resistant (and cost efficient for utilities). Older Japanese homes know nothing of insulation or weather-stripping, and everything leaks in.

As far as backing into traffic goes, I'm surprised you didn't adopt the Japanese habit of backing INTO the space, so you can later pull straight out. There must be some logic to why millions of Japanese do this.

Unfortunately, japanbases.com did not exist back then or perhaps you would have been forewarned. It sounds like you jumped in on many assumptions & little research & got shafted for the rest of your stay. It's very possible that house would be the dream home for someone else and no reason to blacklist it, but sounds like it was totally unsuited to you. It's a shame, cuz Japan can & should be a wonderful place to live.
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I'm adding this for the sake of future generations who read this topic.  I live in a 3LDK apartment, concrete high-rise, fairly modern. Neighbor one one side, plus above & below.  Our electric bill runs 5000 yen in the summer; 7000 in the winter. Gas is about the same. Water is very cheap.  People who live in older (traditional) houses here, their utilities run maybe 4x higher.  Drafty old houses are VERY expensive to heat & cool!

The 4x thing needs to be broadcast loud and clear to everyone. You'll get the security deposit back (hahaha, my key-return was yesterday and I did NOT sign the final release form because the housing agent had not yet figured out how much it will cost to repair the fake wood apt. floor. And she's a rat/snake and whatever price she does come up with, I'll have Housing Office send their person over to do a second appraisal). The agent fee I agree, it's just nutso.

It's listed at Housing but you also pay an agent to...do what? 20 minutes of paperwork? Drive you over and let you see the place? Yeah, it's a ripoff.

The gift is nothing more than a bribe.

But it's like Thaiguy said. It's Japan. Japanese are very honest. But in the business world, it's okay to do your best to rob someone blindly. Or in this case, to pay for the right to live somewhere.

You should have gotten all of that money back though. I'm pretty sure I got back the bribe fee and the worthless agent fee (her name is SEKIZAWA and she works for HOEI agency. Avoid it like the bubonic plague, or the ebola virus).

This website is doing a great many wonderful things. It gives people info., and it lets people know the GOOD places out there (Aoyoma housing, I think that's what it is called, that is a good place and I was happy with them--they were my first agent). It also is going to afford those of us who were burned by bad housing agents a place to warn others.

Like you just did. You need to post the house and agency.

I am interested in what housing agency it is also.
www.japanbases.com

I just read your story. Few things to note. Hopefully this new housing section I have developed with help future people not have the same type of issues.

I am still working in to the house features, so that the tenants can leave comments on the property they are living in. That way the comments remain on that house, so people in the future can read the comments and make a determination if that property is right or wrong for their lifestyle.

Your example above would be a perfect fit.

There are several LOOP HOLES going in with housing I am trying to fix.

The burden of walking around for days going inside and out of housing agents looking for a solid property, the fact that some get with a housing agent that they later regret getting involved with.

Now you can actually COMMENT/RATE your housing agent on this section:
http://www.japanbases.com/housing/agencies.aspx

I am not sure if your housing agent is listed, and if its not, please just send me a PRIVATE MESSAGE, and I can tell you when or if they will be added soon.

And lastly, the Military Housing Office need to place more attention, time and effort into the individual needs of those who support our military whether they are active duty or civilian.

The housing office has a specific order they follow, which has been operating pretty much the same way for years and years. I first came to Japan 10 years ago, and I swear I dont feel much has changed.

Hopefully the new addition to this area will help people understand different issues when you move into a home:
http://www.japanbases.com/housing/j...ouses.aspx

This page is specific for UP FRONT COSTS:
http://www.japanbases.com/housing/u...costs.aspx

I think that is a common mistake some make with understanding the breakdowns..

BIG DOG, please read this post:
http://www.japanbases.com/home/foru.../3534.aspx

You can now rate all the housing agents..

http://www.japanbases.com/housing/agencies.aspx

Go through and you can write your story...

I am sorry to hear you taste of Japan started as sour as it can be.
I sure do hope once you have adjusted and settle in, quickly you will find the beauty of this country.
My family and I had been here for 5 years+ and this is our second time here in Yokosuka.
With over 8 years spend in this city and twice the experience for house hunting and going on our 3rd to upgrade in size...
I hope I'm not being blunt but many American new comer expect to live their life as if they are in the states.
Did any of you put in the consideration of you are going into a completely different country and the other side of the world.
Note, not every human on this planet thinks it is necessary to have central air or heat while no one is utilizing those rooms!!!
I am sorry for being straight forward but I think there are much to learn for all of us in our daily life and to respect other culture is a must for being in a foreign country.
Good luck on your journey as it continues.

how big of a house can you get with that much money spent? is it a 2 bedroom or bigger?

You can get a plenty big enough house for whatever your max amount that the Navy will pay for your housing. You just need to put in the effort, and time, of finding one that suits your needs. I was an E5 when we transferred here, so my rental cap was 210,000 yen. For my wife, 2 kids and I, we found a 3 bedroom place with an extra tatami room that we use for a computer/playroom that is pretty much completely Westernized with a decent backyard for my cap amount.

Just a little tip: The majority of the agents in the vicinity of the base will know what your cap is before you even leave their office to say the 1st house. With that being said, most of the houses that they will show you the layouts/specs on, you can "bargain" the price down. If your cap is 210,000 yen, and the price that shows on the layout is 250,000 yen, all it takes is 1 call from the agent to the owner to ask if they are willing to come down, and it is likely that the owner will come down. The reason being is that the owner knows that he will get his rent every month, whether it is from you or the Navy taking it from your check and giving it to them.

So, long story short, as long as you are patient and put the effort in to find a nice house, you will find one that suits your needs...

Posted By Huynie on 08-13-2010 10:45 AM

I am sorry for being straight forward but I think there are much to learn for all of us in our daily life and to respect other culture is a must for being in a foreign country.
Good luck on your journey as it continues.

I would say that I agree with Huynie, one needs to be open to the way there host country lives there everyday life; its going to be different then what one is use to but adapt and enjoy the new way of life. I have lived in northern Japan for three years and honestly had the same problem with the over-sized house and high utilities bills, but the good thing about most of Japans rental agreements that they are fairly short and you can move after 6 months if you are still not happy. I am coming to Yokosuka in Oct for another three years and I have fallen in love with this country and have made sacrifices and adapted to the Japanese way. And if one is really unhappy just wait it out because it will end soon enough or you will learn to love Japan.

Amen to Huynie; I like that way of thinking!

Posted By Adam Jones on 06-02-2010 10:21 PM
BIG DOG, please read this post:
http://www.japanbases.com/home/foru.../3534.aspx

You can now rate all the housing agents..

http://www.japanbases.com/housing/agencies.aspx

Go through and you can write your story...

Adam,

Clicking on this link to housing agents tells me that I "do not have access to view this tab through the portal."

Same goes for all the other housing links posted.

Adam posted that back when he had housing info on this site. He had to take it down after CFAY threatened his SOFA status and shut this website down for several months.

Hmm...I guess I should read the dates on this better, it looked like a current topic, but I see I was wrong. I guess he knows they don't work. Thanks.