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Decoding Apartments?

DemstarAus

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Hello Again,

I'm reading about anything and everything I can get my eyes on, and I've come into looking at renting an apartment temporarily - with all of it's expenses, but that's not what I'm asking! - and find the room descriptions a little confusing. Mainly numbers next to the room titles and want to confirm that 1LDK/2LDK etc means... I assume the numbers are square feet and 1LDK means one bedroom, with a living/dining/kitchen combined room? I have heard of some residences having a bathroom for each apartment, or a shared bathroom on each floor - do you pay to use the shared bathroom or is it included in rent?
Just trying to get my head around it. The tatami room is the one you'd sleep in?:?

Google image search is being really irritating. 98 percent of what I'm finding are ultra modern, designer renders of luxury apartments. I'm trying to get an idea of how the space is used.
 
LDK refers to whether or not the apartment has a Living/Dining/Kitchen. They may or not be combined but usually are. The number next to LDK is the number of rooms in addition to the LDK, not counting any bathroom, laundry area, or toilet.

Typically, you would sleep in a tatami room, unless there's a room with a bed already in it.
 
I've known people to use the LDK as a sleeping room (with a converter couch/futon) and who then keep the tatami room as a more formal one for dining and hanging with guests.
 
Low end or older apartments have the shared bathroom. You don't pay additional to use the shared bathroom. As it is shared, I don't know who really cleans it other than the landlord who lives in the bulding. They may not have a shower either. Many neighborhoods have laundry mats to do clothes and a bath house to take a bath every night. The bath house is a great experience to soak in a hot water tub. I believe that rentals will require "key" money and you should find out how much. It is sort of a rent deposit and some places keep it.

The number in front of the xLDK is the number of bedrooms. 2LDK is a 2 bedroom unit. I remember an odd Japanese movie called 2LDK that was about roommates in an extreem situation.
 
In Japan the toilet may or may not be connected to the bath. If they're together, it's called a "unit bath".

Another thing to check for is the hot water. Is it always on, or do you have to turn it on manually every time you need it?

Apartments closer to train stations tend to be more expensive. If you get a bicycle, you can often find a cheaper room withing biking distance.

Going through an agency is usually a good idea. This one took good care of me. You'll need to find someone to help you if you don't read Japanese, however. アパマンショップ不動産ポータル [賃貸物件,マンスリー物件,売買物件,投資物件,会社情報]

Contracts are generally for two years, although you can find monthly (and possibly other) if you want.

Unless you go to a place like LeoPalace, the apartment will be furnished with next to nothing. My apartment came with walls and lightbulbs in only the toilet and bath areas.

Here is an open apartment in the building I used to live in.
http://www.apamanshop.com/detail/20110411010820/

The "6.0" you see in the rooms refer to their size. 6.0 is the standard size room.

If you have any other specific questions, ask away!

You know, the more I look at it, I think that is the room I had. 2nd floor, corner apartment, the layout, etc. Oddly enough, that red car in the picture looks eerily like my old car!
 
Glenski said:
Why would you assume that any country outside of the U.S. or Australia would use square feet? The vast majority don't. These links should help with descriptions.
Click to expand...
That's why I was asking, and the websites I've been reading have been translated into English, so I did assume that for whatever reason, the measurements had been put into something else. The number I was referring to appears on a few floor plans, not the #LDK, but a number directly under that. Because I can't get a decent idea from pictures, if I can get a tape measure out that'd be really handy ^_^ Thanks for the links... that's really helped my head.

Talking about standard sizes, being a '6.0' etc, is that the number of tatami mats that fit in the room? It makes sense that it'd be more than just metres/feet. I don't know why, I've lived with the Metric system my whole life, but still talk in feet and miles, must be from all the movies & shows. :/
 
Mikawa Ossan said:
You know, the more I look at it, I think that is the room I had. 2nd floor, corner apartment, the layout, etc. Oddly enough, that red car in the picture looks eerily like my old car!
Click to expand...

That looks like such a nice apartment. In better condition than my cruddy rental house!
Although, the previous tenants had lots of little children that drew on the walls and made all sorts of cracks and bangs and stains. Sigh.
 
Tatami mats vary in size from area to area but are generally about 1 meter by 2 meters or 3 feet by 6 feet.
 
Yes, that is the size if there were that number of tatami mats in that room (there may actually be no tatami at all). Even so, they are not laid out in a brick-like fashion all in one direction, so you need the length and width dimensions. Go to Google Images and type in tatami and the floor size, like 2LDK and you'll see what I mean by the layout.
 
Check out this website: --- tokyorent.com/mikan/apartments.shtml
in English, m2 (ft), indicated what included and many fotos.
 
DemstarAus said:
That looks like such a nice apartment. In better condition than my cruddy rental house!
Although, the previous tenants had lots of little children that drew on the walls and made all sorts of cracks and bangs and stains. Sigh.
Click to expand...
It was a great place to live. I loved it there.

As others have noted, 6.0 refers to tatami that would fit in the room. When I lived there there was both a wooden floor and a tatami floor. Both rooms were 6.0. Some terms to look for:

ﾋ彗ﾅｽﾂｺ Japanese style room (tatami floor)
窶芭ﾅｽﾂｺ Western style room (wooden floor generally)
窶板?ｽﾂｺ Bath
ﾅｽﾃｻ窶拏 Storage
窶ｰﾅｸﾂ（窶愿ｼ窶堙ｪﾂ） Closet
ﾅ陳ｺﾂ（ﾅ?ﾃ鳴） Entrance
ﾂ静ｴ窶禿 sink area for brushing teeth, etc.
 
Just watch out for the "unit bath". In one of those you could sit on the toilet, soak your feet in the tub, and lean over the sink to wash your face....all at the same time.
 
Mystery solved !!(wondered what they called it?)

Mike Cash said:
Just watch out for the "unit bath". In one of those you could sit on the toilet, soak your feet in the tub, and lean over the sink to wash your face....all at the same time.
Click to expand...

A perfect discription of my bathroom , except they also stuffed the chimney in there. I've seen bigger broom closets. Such bathrooms are not for people with claustrophobia , LOL.

Uncle Frank

 
Mike Cash said:
Just watch out for the "unit bath". In one of those you could sit on the toilet, soak your feet in the tub, and lean over the sink to wash your face....all at the same time.
Click to expand...

Sounds like fun! I accept your challenge
 
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