`For foreigners in Japan, finding a place to live can often be a challenge.`

　Renting property in Japan can be a complicated experience. While making your way through Japan's unique rental system, you will encounter the need for guarantors, costly deposits, and mandatory gift-money. Renting a house in Japan is, in fact, not only confusing to foreigners, but to Japanese citizens as well. The added challenge for foreigners is that many landlords are wary of accepting foreign tenants. 　To make things a little easier, J&F Networks has compiled a list of realty agents who welcome non-Japanese clients. We hope that the information below will help you on your way to finding the perfect home away from home, in Japan.

The Following May Be Required Of You:

`a Japanese guarantor`	`There are companies which provide proxy-guarantor services, but many agencies will still only accept a real live human guarantor.`
`Japanese language ability`	`Japanese speakers are usually prefered, since most realtors and landlords speak minimal or no English.`
`status of student or company employee`	`It is impossible to rent a house in Japan if you are not employed, or a full time student.`
`a working or student visa, or other long term visa`	`It is impossible to rent a house if you are a tourist, or do not have a proper long-term visa.`

Even if you are applying to a landlord who welcomes foreign tenants, it may be difficult to pass tenant inspection if you do not meet all the requirements above. Note: all renters are required to have a Japanese citizen as guarantor, even if they are Japanese citizens themselves.

If you are unable to meet the requirements above, don't panic. There are several new types of apartments, without such strict requirements, which are growing ever more popular in today's Japan. They often do not require guarantors, key money, proper visas, etc. There are 'guest houses', 'weekly apartments', and 'monthly apartments', to name a few. If you are interested in finding out about these lower hassle types of housing, feel free to check the J&F Plaza website. J&F PLAZA.

Location, location, location!

Many visitors who come to Japan have only heard of the major cities, like Tokyo and Osaka. Japan is a small country, but it is divided into many regions, and each region has its own unique customs and natural surroundings. If you would like to experience some of Japan's traditional beauty and witness it's beautiful flaura, you may want to look into moving to one of the more rural parts of the country. Underneath the real estate listings for each prefecture on our webstie, you can read a brief description of that prefecture and it's popular attractions. Take a peek at the real Japan!

Go to the top page and read through the "HOW TO " information carefully. Make sure you fill all the requirements, have prepared all the necessary documents, and are ready to lease in Japan.
On the top page, there is a map of Japan . Click on the area you are interested in to see a list of real estate agencies in that area.
Choose from the list of real estate agents provided. Click the application/inquiry button, and fill out the application form. Double check to make sure that all of the required fields are filled. Press the Submit button when you're done. (Please note that some of the listed agents do not have English speaking staff. If this is the case, we suggest that you ask a Japanese speaker to fill out the form for you in Japanese.)
When visiting an apartment or property, you may want to print out the glossaries on our homepage, and carry them with you (especially if you are not familiar with the Japanese rental system).
Before you come to Japan, please go over the RESIDENCE MANUAL.

We hope you'll find what you've been looking for on our web site. Please note that our web site is only a guide to finding the best information and real estate agents. If you have any questions please contact the listed agents directly.