Utilities

[seaghyn]

Hey all, I just had some questions in regards to setting up utilities for moving into an apartment.

I'm going to be returning to Japan in June to study at a Language School, and I've worked out an arrangement for an apartment (MAN those move-in fees suck) but I am unsure as of yet whether or not the landlord helps you set up the utilities or if you need to contact the utility companies personally to let them know your address, info, etc, and have them turn on the water, gas, electricity, etc. But what I was wondering is how exactly you would contact one of the companies if you didn't know enough Japanese.

Would I just have someone act as a "go-between" to communicate the information? Do I show up to companies in person, or have someone call them for me?

Etc Etc Etc...

Otherwise it's off to restaurants, public bath houses, libraries (air conditioning) and internet cafe's for the occasional email.

Any tips, hints, or companies that you would suggest for being more reliable, etc?

Thanks,

seaghyn

[JoshAussie]

hey seaghyn - unfortunately i dont know anything at all about this... but i thought the BUMP would help

also im jealous your going and not me

[Nyororin]

In general, you are the one who will have to contact the utility company. We`ve lived in a few different places prior to buying our home, and have never heard of a landlord helping to set things up.
This *may* be different in your case, if the landlord is somehow affiliated with the school or the apartment is one of those foreign student only sorts.

When you arrive at the apartment, there will be little cards with contact information for the utility companies. Usually some on the inside of the door, hooked on the circuit box, etc. I doubt you`ll have much luck if your Japanese is very poor, as they will have you fill out a fair amount of contract and payment forms, so I`d say it`s best to either ask a friend for help or ask someone at your language school. Chances are, they`re the sponsors of your visa and will be used to doing this sort of thing.

There aren`t really any choices when it comes to utilities. They`re all pretty much monopolies over certain areas. And they`re all reliable.

[seaghyn]

Okay, so it looks like when I get there I will be on my own in setting up the utilities. The apartment isn't affiliated with the school, so they probobly won't help set up utilities. This means I'll probobly have to go through the language school and see if they can help me contact the Utilities Companies, and see about turning on the utilities. It just means that at worst, the first week I go without utilities =). (Summer is hot...)

Anybody have any tips on things like bath houses, (proceedures, etc?) I've been to a small Onsen, but don't know how similar they are.

I'm sure I can cover food and staying cool, the roof is shelter, and I only have to go to a laundra-mat for cleaning my clothes. Yay for living cheaply.......

Can I ask then how much Utilities are for you? What place you live in, what size is the apartment/house, what utilities do you have, and roughly how much they are?

Thanks All

Seaghyn

[JoshAussie]

heres a link to a thread i made about a vloger named tokyocooney

http://www.japanforum.com/forum/livi...kyocooney.html

somewhere in what i wrote is a link to his latest movie of the costs of living in japan i think he goes through the prices of utilities from his own bills

hope that helps

[Sangetsu]

Wow, someone linking Kevin's videos... I'm sure he'll appreciate it.

The manager at your school should be able to help you get settled in. He (or she) should accompany you to the ward office to get your gaijin-card, and help you to open a bank account. He or she should also be able to call the utility companies to get you set up. You'll have to make an appointment with the gas company, as they need a 1000 yen deposit before they turn on your gas.

Paying utilities is simple, just as in Kevin's video. You can pay at pretty much any convenience store, but it's better to have the bills deducted directly from your bank account each month.

BTW, cell phones here are outrageous now, 30k to 55k yen, so put some money aside for one.

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Sangetsu

BTW, cell phones here are outrageous now, 30k to 55k yen, so put some money aside for one.

Where on earth are you getting your cell phones?
We paid 2500yen for the newest model recently, at an official Docomo shop - you just have to sign up for a year contract. Anyone who is buying the phone and then signing up for a contract is pretty close to crazy if you`ll be using it any more than a year.

Utility prices... In every apartment we`ve lived in, 2500/month is pretty standard for water. Gas depends on the size of your bath and how much cooking you do. A bath every night (as is the norm) in a standard sized apartment tub and average cooking will put you around 6000/month. Expect more if you like long showers or to simmer things for hours and hours on end. Gas isn`t used for heating, unless you have a gas stove with hookups in a nice apartment.

Electricity depends on how much AC you use more than anything else. In the spring and fall, when we don`t use any electric heating or cooling, the electric bill for our huge place is only 5000 something a month. In the summer, with an air conditioner on only at night (so we can sleep) in ONE room, for 2 hours while we fall asleep and then another couple hours before and after we wake up pushes it up to 12000 or more. God forbid we have someone stay over for a few nights and have two ACs on. *choke* When we lived in a one room apartment, we let ourselves go one particularly hot summer and had the thing on almost all the time we were at home. I think the bill almost hit 30000. For ONE MONTH.
Air conditioning is NOT something to use lightly. Seriously, the electric bill will KILL you. I think you`ll find that most people in Japan consider AC a sort of luxury, and rarely turn it on, even on the hottest days.

Our phone bill is about 4000 a month. The actual phone part of it is the base fee only, with I forget however much added on for FTTH.

[seaghyn]

Okay, so in regards to the amount I use, I just need to stick to cooking as healthily and quickly as I can, quick but thorough showers, (probobly showers as opposed to baths.) and go to public places for the cooler atmosphere.

When I lived at the Sakura House Dorm in Sendagaya, I got by off of 39,000 Yen a month, and that was heating, ac, cooking, water, fridges, appliances, cable, internet, etc. The only down side was it was all shared, so good luck finding clean things to use, and there was no room in the dorm room (shared with 3 other people) to even keep your own dishes let alone cooking utensils.

This time, it's going to be 53,000 a month, and I don't think it includes utilities. So I just need to live as economically as possible if I want to keep it no more than 60,000 for the apartment.

As for cell phones, I'd really like to get cost info, I was looking at softbanks line-up, because of the student discount. You pay nothing a month for 3 years, free incoming, and free calling to other handsets between 2am-9pm. I am planning on getting a phone, but leaving it mainly for people to contact me than the other way around. 21Y for 30sec is kinda high. Similar to a payphone though, and I have some cards a friend gave me for calling.

So you think I can take care of housing for 60,000 a month? I used around 15,000 a month for food before, so I think I can work that out again. What do you think an average one room apartment at 53,000 a month will be once you include all the other fees??

Also, any ideas on phone services or anything? I checked out Houstek's Guide, and it's pretty useful, (already set up the service) but it still costs me $$ from paypal when I get a call, even though it is cheaper than directly calling international. I'll leave calling friends and family to skype, so I'm looking for a phone in Japan for domestic calling/receiving, possibly video recording, a way to transfer it to the computer, and that's about it. Any ideas on plans or thoughts about softbank vs docomo?

Thanks,

Seaghyn

[MMM]

Your visa sponsor should be helping you with this, unless you have opted to not use the housing they offered you. You don't want to arrive with no water or electricity. Talk to your sponsor.

[seaghyn]

Yeah....I decided to search out my own abode....Did it the hard way =D

I will be talking with the head of the school, he's been awesome so far in helping me communicate with the apartment agency, get the application into the immigration office so I can get the CoE, etc etc.

But hey, I'm paying 375,000 Yen for the first six months of schooling, yay....A little more expensive than the school I went to on my tourist visa, but they do have supplementary classes to prepare the language students for taking the EJU for University admission. As well as some clubs like "football = soccer" and a martial arts club, etc.

BTW, are there any guides out there about part-time jobs in Japan, or those physical jobs like construction, loading/unloading, etc type of jobs? They don't have to be english speaking as I'm looking into it after I've been back in Japan for a while, but the menial jobs that tend to pay pretty well for a hard days work?

Thanks,

Seaghyn