Housing in Tokyo, Commuting

Hi all,

I will be moving to Tokyo shortly, as part of a job move, and I have a few questions that I was hoping the knowledgable forum members might have a perspective on.... Mainly regarding housing and commuting.

What sort of Yen budget do people recommend if I want to live close to the Roppongi area? Preferably I would like a 2-bed, but my research suggests that would be pretty pricey. I've come up with estimates of around Y250k for about 550-600sq ft. Does that sound right or do I need more?

Secondly, does anyone here cycle or moped/scooter to work in Tokyo? I'm thinking about it because the idea of getting the subway everyday doesn't appeal much. Quick research suggests that people do it, but was wondering if anyone here has first-hand experience.

Thanks in advance for your advice.

Is your employer going to be providing any sort of assistance with procuring housing? Normally people in positions/professions which can afford to cough up that kind of dough (God bless and more power to you) have employers who are accustomed to handling the logistics for their ex-pat employees.

If I lived in Tokyo, I would commute by motorcycle/scooter. They're very, very common and beat the heck out of a car, except in inclement weather, of course.

Mike Cash said:

Is your employer going to be providing any sort of assistance with procuring housing?

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Yes they will help with a search, just wondered what people on here thought.

Mike Cash said:

If I lived in Tokyo, I would commute by motorcycle/scooter. They're very, very common and beat the heck out of a car, except in inclement weather, of course.

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Ok, that sounds promising. So you don't think it's too dangerous I guess. How difficult is it to get a scooter in Tokyo - i.e. pass a driving test etc? Thanks.

If your company and home have some kind of a parking space, by all means use a motorcycle/scooter. And I saw quite alot of 2nd hand scooter for sale around my place. Cheap too. I don't know bout the price for gas tho.

I used to ride my bicycle everyday to school when I was in Tokyo. Much more fun and hell alot more cheaper then riding a sub/train. 1 advice tho, BEWARE of the pedestrian and their pet. Had a friend of mine accidentally ran over this dog and had to cough up alot of money to pay that guy.

Anything under 50cc's only requires a drivers license and is more than enough to get around the city. I had a Honda Dio ZX, which is a 50cc moped/scooter (whatever you want to call it). It was under 100,000 yen. There are a lot of cheap 2nd hand moped/scooters. I guess it all depends on where you live and work. A bicycle is sometimes the best thing to get. I had a car, scooter, and a bicycle and would use which ever was easiest.

600 sq ft sounds like quite a lot for a single person. If you will be making in the range of 100,000 USD a year, that size of apartment in the Roppongi area would be appropriate.

Getting around by scooter is convenient and cheap. In my opinion a bicycle is even better. There is less trouble with finding parking spots (which is a big problem in Tokyo), getting gas, etc. It's more fun. As a side effect you stay in good shape. With a bicycle you don't have to take the traffic rules as strictly as with a scooter. Crossing some red lights or going with the pedestrians green light is often done for example, no way of doing that with a motorize vehicle. In slow traffic you can always go between the waiting cars which is often difficult with a scooter. Speedwise, in slow traffic a fast bicycle rider beats a scooter. Outside of the rush hours a scooter is often faster but most riding happens in the rush hours.

since youre willing to pay Yen 250,000 per month for an apartment, i think you can find places within bike riding distance (10 - 15 minutes by bicycle) by any company.

Personally, I'd rather find a place 15 minute away by subway, and find a comparable place for 120,000 yen per month. Ive actually been looking into it myself, and found some decent one-bedroom apartments (called mansions in Japan) for 80,000 yen a month (which happens to be 20 minute subway ride from Ropponngi).

But then, ive been taking subways all my life, and feel comfortable with it. I'd go so far to say that 80% of the japanese take subways. Most companies in the city dont even allow commutes by cars.

One point about commuting is that your employer will (probably) pay your monthly costs. If you commute by public transport things are simple- but I'm not sure what the situation would be if you choose to commute by scooter.

I ride a motorcycle here in Japan... and it's far more dangerous than anything I've experienced in Europe (even Paris- and that's saying something.) I agree with Kirirao that you should look out for pedestrians, but would also add that Japanese motorcyclists appear to think they're immune from injury, and will cut across lanes, overtake on the inside at high speed, overtake on the outside when you're waiting to turn right and all manner of similar lunacy. All while smoking a fag and wearing a flimsy pudding bowl on their head that's not even tied around their chin. Sometimes it feels like I'm being swamped by bandits in an aerial dog-fight. Keep your mirrors well adjusted, and perform a 'life-saver' (glance over your shoulder) whenever you change position on the road.

And you must assume that every taxi driver is actually trying to kill you. They seem to regard red lights as advisory only.