News Tokyo rent hikes push more young Japanese back home

A survey by real estate information service LIFULL HOME'S of 1,693 men and women in their 20s from the Tokyo metropolitan area found that 37.7% live with their parents, 27.7% live alone, and 17.0% live with a partner or children. Smaller shares live with relatives (7.3%), with a partner (7.4%), or with friends (1.1%). Street interviews suggest that many in their twenties recognize themselves in the nearly 40% who remain at home. One 23-year-old from Gunma, who recently started living alone, said most of his peers still live with their parents. Another 22-year-old in Saitama who remains at home said that while she plans to buy a car this year, she has yet to contribute money to the household but intends to do so in the future. She acknowledged that once she starts sharing a room with her younger brother, the lack of privacy could become a disadvantage. The same LIFULL HOME'S survey found the top reasons for staying with parents were the desire to save money, inability to pay rent or living expenses, proximity to the workplace, wanting to spend on hobbies or "oshi-katsu" fan activities, the burden of household chores, and parental requests not to move out. One 24-year-old, Ranmaru Kishitani, said nearly all of these applied to him except for parental requests. He spends most weekdays at a shared office but returns home about twice a week for meals and family comfort, estimating that about 80% of his peers also live with their parents.

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