How to Make Friends in Japan

Japanese people absolutely love foreigners! They think that foreigners are cool, exotic looking, beautiful, adventurous, outgoing, humorous, and a ton of fun to be around. However with both a cultural and language barrier making friends in such a fast paced country that is full of rules can seem very intimidating. I have put together both a guide (here) as well as two YouTube videos that will help you navigate your joinery to finding good friends here in Japan.

Please Click on The Links Below to Watch My YouTube Videos on Friends in Japan! 

How to Make Friends in Japan

Why It's So Hard to Make Friends in Japan

Myth #1

I Can't Make Friends Because I Can't Speak Japanese Fluently.

The Truth: Even if you CAN speak, read, write, and text in Japanese fluently 90% of the messages that you will receive and conversations that will be initiated with you will be in English. Japanese people are very anxious people and are very hard on themselves. They are afraid of making mistakes and will constantly apologize for their "bad English" even when it's better than yours haha. There is no need to worry about your language ability because it isn't needed! The longer you live in Japan the more Japanese you will learn. You will never meet anyone who will say that they can't talk to you or be your friend because you can't speak or understand Japanese. I have personal hung out with, dated , and befriended Japanese people who couldn't speak a lick of English even before I could introduce myself or count in Japanese! Let me tell you, charades is a very fun game to play! I had the most fun hanging out and dating people who spoke less English than I did Japanese.
Also Japanese people aren;t cavemen! They have smartphones silly! They will use Google Translate as well as pocket sized electronic dictionaries to converse with you both in person and online. A warm friendly smile, body language, and patience is all it takes.

Myth #2 

I'm Too Shy, Boring, and Socially Awkward to Talk to People.

The Truth 
Being shy reserved, quiet, and awkward are actually seen as cute personality traits here! Women are seen as more feminine and men are seen as more romantic. As the foreign friend your Japanese buddies will take the lead and keep the conversation going. They will want to know everything about you and your home country as well as what your likes, dislikes, and personal experiences are or have been here in Japan. Don't over think it! Just smile and try to seem as approachable as possible. IF you are always busy talking or walking with a group of friends it is unlikely that a Japanese person will approach you because actually they're very shy too! Japanese people hate being rejected and will go out of their way to save face (avoid shame) and it is culturally ingrained in them to try to do the same for the people around them out of respect. As long as you don't seem like a creep or try to be flirtatious in an unwanted way people will be very shocked if you manage to work up the courage to be the first one to make the move.

Myth #3

I'm Too Tall, Too Short, Too Dark, Too Fat, or Too Ugly to Make Friends.

The Truth: Don't be so hard on yourself! Everything that you hate about yourself people here will love! Keep in mind that we are talking about forming meaningful friendships thus your appearance is irrelevant. All you need is a big friendly smile and an open personality. People will befriend you because you seem like a really nice person and if you're overweight you must come from a place that has great food and Japanese people love to eat a good meal! Not everyone here is slim and not everyone here is short. A lot of men and women wish they were tall like you! A lot of people here actually find curvy bodies to be very attractive. Look at me! I'm fat, dark, and tall too! Being different (bigger, darker, taller, or not #1 in the looks department) is not going to stop people from wanting to get to know the real YOU! You are so much more than your looks! The fact that you even had this thought in your mind means that you clearly have a beautiful heart & soul.




Now that we've popped some of the anxiety thought bubbles out of your head, let's talk about the applications that you should use, and the best places for you to go to make friends in Japan!

The Best 6 Apps 

Is with everything in life there's cons and pros to each of these apps. Thanks to stereotypes, Hollywood, Music videos, magazines, Netflix, and YouTube Asians think that white, black, and Hispanic people are all sex addicts who are willing to either have free sex or that can easily be paid off for it. You will get messages from creeps, perverts, fetishist, and people trying to baby or visa trap you. The good always outweighs the bad so don't worry if you seem to only be getting replies from the bad girls & guys. The genuine people that reach out to you will make it all worth it.
 Please keep in mind that you can use and download these apps both inside and outside of Japan but some of the apps such as SKOUT & Tinder use your exact location which cannot be changed (without paying) so it might not be worth it to download or use them before you actually arrive here.

1.) MeetMe

Owned by the same company as SKOUT MeetMe is an app that is great for making friend who live nearby. It uses your profile picture, name , and age and presents it to random users through match games and friend recommendations. You can add "tags' to your profile which can both help you find people with similar hobbies as you as well as help others to find you through your tags as well! Unlike Tinder & OKCupid there are tons of fake profiles and the moderation here isn't so good. Blocking doesn't do much besides stopping the ability for you to receive their messages. Similar to SKOUT the app has a lot of "ladyboys", escorts, prostitutes, and nasty old men, as well as people who aren't in Japan but that want to "befriend" or have sex with you. You will receive more messages on this app than SKOUT but the quality of people/friends/partners is much lower in my opinion.

You can add several pictures, play match games, answer questions from other users, and going community forums from within the app. It's a fun way to past time and an easy way to meet people who live within a 2-10 mile radius of you.

2.) OkCupid

This app doubles as both a dating & friendship app. It allows users to narrow down their search to race, country, city, age, as well as their body size and build. Users can also choose to avoid seeing potential matches who use drugs, drink, or that are affiliated with any certain religions or parties that aren't to your personal liking. The best thing about this app is that it offers lots of fun, crazy, and interesting questions that are frequently updated (they keep up with the times) about politics, weather, religion, sexuality, race, entertainment, celebrities, food, sex, and much more. You can also give an explanation for your personal answers to each question (and hide your answers) as well as decide how important your potential friend or partners answers are to you. OKC requires their users to fill out a lengthy profile that describes your likes and dislikes as well as your interests, educational background, height, name, and age.

They do a pretty great job moderating accounts overall. Fake profiles, racist, bullies, and creeps get blocked and banned fairly fast in comparison to other applications. However there are of course still creeps and a lot of people from Africa & South/West Asian countries looking for visa daddies and trying to pull off scams as well as begging you for sex. 

This app arguably has the least attractive users and is filled with mostly other foreigners. 

3.) Tinder

Despite what many people think about Tinder it is actually great app for making genuine friends. Tinder is all about looks so naturally if you aren't an attractive person, if your older, or bigger than most you will find it hard to get matches. It might be worth it to pay for a subscription to help you find more potential matches as well as to boost your profile. Anyway back to the details! Tinder requires users to upload at least one picture of themselves but you an add up to 10 photos and videos of yourself. Baby pictures, blurred faces, anime pictures, QR codes and other random fake profiles and pictures tend to get deleted from the app pretty fast. The users on Tinder tend to be the most attractive by far. The great things about this app is that it forces shy and secretive people to post a real picture of themselves and that you can see their Instagram account too to get a look into their life. As always there are creeps and perverts everywhere online especially on Tinder which is an app that is essentially made for hooking up with strangers so be sure to clarify what you're looking for AND what you're not looking for or willing to do in your profile as well (consider translating your profile into Japanese by using short complete English sentences without slang).  

Tinder is known in Japan as a way to have sex for free with hot & easy foreign men & women. A lot of girls are looking for visa daddies to America as well as trying to have your mixed babies, and a ton of men are trying to check "had sex with a barbie doll" off of their bucket list so be VERY careful.

4.) MeetUp

MeetUp is the best way to make genuine friends in real life. It is an app that allows regular people like you & I as well as organizations to start or list the clubs on the app. Anyone can start a club or join a preexisting one at anytime. There is no cost to become a member and join any club but a lot of the events and parties do cost money generally about $10-$30 for each meet. You can join dance clubs, Bible studies, photography, language exchanges, cooking clubs, singles/dating clubs, sports,  gaming, book, anime and everything in-between. The members are very friendly and welcoming. There is a good balance of both foreigners and Japanese alike. If you have a real profile picture and fill out your about me section you will receive private messages from members before the event actually takes place so you might find a friend or a partner before the international party, game night, or dodgeball tournament that you were planning to attend. This is a great way to meet people in your city as it can be used anywhere in Japan. If you have a great idea for a group that doesn't yet exist in your city or you have abetter idea for how the group should be done you can always create your own for a small monthly fee ( it costs money to start your own group in the app).

5.) SKOUT

This app allows you to search through thousands of people who live within your city or anywhere else in the country. You will receive hundreds of messages every week from both foreigners and Japanese people. The app has a large amount of Japanese users in every age group. You can create a profile that gives a brief description of yourself as well as your age, name, religion, height, body size etc.. You can add a seemingly endless amount of pictures to your timeline as fellas create statuses both of which will boost your profile temporarily. There are tons of fake profiles, bots, ladyboys, and people with anime profile pictures which a lot of people aren't too pleased with (including myself) and can quickly become annoying. Not to mention this app has a large amount of users looking to hook-up or that are desperately willing to pay for sex so be very careful ladies. However to me the good outweighs the bad! I have personally made the most good and genuine friends from this app. It is also the best app to use for dating in Japan in my opinion. Unfortunately when it comes to same sex friends this app is either hit or miss. I tend to get a lot of weird messages from either girls who want to know about Japanese men, or women who are lesbian and ignoring the fact that my profile clearly states that I am not, so I find this to be annoying especially since these girls send you nasty messages just like you'd stereotypically expect a man to.

Anyway you can go live on this app to reach out to more people as well as download apps, play games, and watch ads to get token that allow you to boost your profile to the front of the app thus you will receive a lot more messages, likes, and comments. What I love the most about this app is that you can easily block creepy people and report them. Upon blocking someone it deletes the chat from both you and the other creepy user and it stops them from being able to search for you or view your profile. The second-best thing is that you can favorite users so that you can easily find your favorites later and receive notifications when they update their profiles. 

6.) Bumble

Can double as both a dating app & an app for making same sex friends. I personally didn't like the dating side of the app so I am only listing Bumble here for the BFF feature of the app. There are significantly less members on this app than any of the other apps mentioned in this blog so it is very easy to go through all of your potential matches in less than a day or two. A lot of the girls on the app are other foreign women many of whom seem to be apart of the JET program for some strange reason (no shade). As for the dating side of the app it allows users to verify that they're real by taking a picture in a pose  that Bumble will review. Users can also add their Instagram as well as several pictures and create about a paragraph long introduction to help others get to know you before they swipe.
While the app is supposed to appeal to both women and men by making it where the press is taken off of men to make the first move and women have to make the first move with matches thus avoiding unwanted creepy messages from guys it fails at both. Just because you send the first messages doesn't mean it will weed out the creeps and stop people from asking "Do you like sex?" as the conversation starter. It also doesn't guarantee a reply but it does narrow down the window in which you have to wait fro one. You only have 24 hours to send your match a message otherwise they will disappear [FOREVER...kinda]. I personally like this part of the app since I don't like people who play the ignore game to try and be cool. Japanese men and women are known for ignoring messages, ghosting, and playing hard to get like 14 year old girls do. Yes life happens but it only takes a second to reply and let's face it! Everyone is on their phone all day long so if it's taking you days or weeks to reply you simply weren't interested and didn't respect or care about the person you were talking to.

Bonus Apps & Locations

These are additional applications are a bit more sketchy and are commonly used for hooking-up, scams, and are filled with escorts, and prostitutes 

LINE 

This is not an app for making friends per se but it is the Japanese way of staying connected with them. LINE is like Facebook, SKYPE, and Instagram combined. You can text, call, video chat, use stickers, create albums within chats, group message, group video chat and even play games with your friends via the LINE app. Japanese people don't usually share their phone number with people that they aren't close to unless it's for business and work although most jobs here actually require you to use your LINE account for professional purposes too.

Craigslist

While the Personals section has been removed from the site you can still post in the Lessons section and simply state that you are in search of both Japanese language exchange partners and friends alike.
Be sure to specify what you're looking for and give a nice introduction telling people about yourself such as your age, career, gender, hobbies, interests,nationality, and of course your language level.
I would also require that the person replying to the ad send you their picture and give you a self-introduction as well so that you can know who you're talking to before you meet or share anymore. As always if the person claims to be "too" shy to do so, or says that they will send a picture later then I would simply ignore their reply (I'm not sure why you'd reply to an ad knowing that you're not willing to play by the rules given).

SayHi! 

This App is similar to Tinder & MeetMe combined, but unfortunately as a woman you will receive mostly replies from men desperately looking for cute girls to pay for sex.
There are a lot of minors on this app so be careful if you are a man and don't want to find yourself being blackmailed, in prison, or deported from the country. I have personal met a couple of genuine guys and even a girl from here but because of the overwhelming amount of very rude and creepy guys on here I simply gave up and rarely open this app besides to block someone who won't stop sending me dick pics.
 Keep in mind that this app is very sexist and will almost never ban any female users for using inappropriate sexual language which the app specifies it is NOT to be used for very similar to Tinder. I have received strange messages from women despite the fact that I'm straight yet when I reported them nothing was done yet men who said the same or similar things were banned within a week.

Meet People in Real Life & Public Places

No matter where you are in Japan all you have do is smile look around, take pictures, record videos, draw, eat or simply enjoy people watching and strangers will come up to you and ask where you are from or if it's okay for them to join you. As long as you are dressed appropriately, seem friendly, you don't smell bad, and don't appear to have ulterior motives you all attract friends and even potential dates because you seem like a cool lonely foreigner.
People will converse with you in both Japanese and English. They will ask to exchange contact information such as Instagram & LINE or Facebook (sometimes even Twitter). Be very careful about giving people your name and contact information particularly if they appear to be a pervert/creep or if they are another foreigner. In general most Japanese people are very trustworthy and aren't going to stalk you or try to kill you, but the same cannot be said about other nationalities touring or residing in Japan due to a different culture and upbringing but of course there's bad apples amongst the Japanese too!

General Places to meet people outside

Train Stations

If you have time and the weather is nice consider eating your lunch outside at a busy park or near a busy terminal at the train station. Shinjuku Station, Ikebukuro Station, Shibuya Station, Kyoto Station,  and Umeda Station (Osaka) are all great stations to try this at. I have personally made at least 3 friends at each and even went on several dates.

Cultural Festivals 

Japan hosts annual festivals to celebrate different cultures in Japan as well as abroad. Any kind od parade or event in town is a great place to meet Japanese singles. A lot of people have found partners in Japan this way actually.

International Parties

These are parties that encourage mixing & mingling with both Japanese natives and foreigners from around the world. You'll meet expats, tourists, teachers, gaijin hunters, people looking for free language exchange partners or one night stands, as well as those who are seriously looking to find the love of their life, or even their new best friend. There is usually a small entry free and either free or cheap food & drinks. You can go alone with group either way people will come up to you and make you feel welcome so don't be shy! I personally hate parties because I'm anxious and shy myself and I'm not a smoker or much of a drinker but whenever I have gone total stranger both men and women made me feel like I was their best friend and introduced me to everyone in the room and played games with me and brought me free food and drinks.

Share Houses/Dormitories/ Gaijin Apartments

If you want to make friends fast and effortlessly consider living in a Gaijin house (a building that is known for exclusively or openly housing a lot of non-Japanese people). Don't stay locked up in your room all day! Go sit own the couch in the common area, lay out your manga collection, or playing cards, turn on the tv, greet people as the newer or exit, introduce yourself to your housemates, share your food and drinks, give advice to the newbies, collect coupons, or print out flyers for a cool or free upcoming event and let everyone know that you're trying to put together a group of friends for an overnight trip to the karaoke bar (all you can eat & drink). It works! Foreigners are surprisingly  (generally) extremely nice to each other at these houses. They will quickly befriend and mother you. I made 3 new friend only first day in Tokyo, Japan. I am still friends with them to this day despite having moved all the way to Kansai.
Foreigners at these houses are just as lost, worried, and anxious as you are about making friends so don't be shy! Bring your Wii or PlayStation downstairs and bring some spare controllers! You'll be the real MVP if your housemates didn't have the money to buy a new console or the space to carry their old one from home. Your housemates will also appreciate your generosity and will be happy to know that they have a gaming, party, shopping, or gossip buddy. You'll learn so much about other cultures and countries too.

Interpals 

While this website isn't geared towards Japanese people in particular you can most certainly make some genuine friends here. I don't recommend this site in particular as it is mostly full of people who are just looking for free English lessons or that are desperate for a relationship with a foreigner. Basically the site is full of gaijin hunters and fake friends. Intervals is a site intended for finding friends from around the world for both language exchanges, traditional pen friends, and of course online friends as well. I have been a member of this site long before I imagined coming to Japan but I  rarely use it as it's full of people from around the world looking for visas and free English lessons. Whenever it's not that then it's trolls and racists and stalkers men from Europe and the Middle East in particular. I'd still suggest making an account and giving it a shot as I have met a few really nice people from here too.

Thank you so much for reading! 

If you have any other tips, tricks, locations, or apps that you'd like to recommend please leave your comment down below to help out others who are also in search of friends! You can also feel free to leave your general contact information that you don't mind sharing or your LINE ID here for potential friends to add you. 

Be sure to tell other a little bit about yourself too! To avoid scams and spam please don't list your email address or phone number (usernames & ID's only)!

Stay Tuned!

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How to Get Rid of Roaches in Japan: Roaches Are Everywhere in Japan

Roaches are everywhere in Japan. You cannot avoid them. Having come from America this was a very hard pill for me to swallow. In my home country roaches were a sign of poverty and bad cleaning habits. Usually people who had roaches got them from simply leaving food lying around and not cleaning their floors, counters, or  washing the dishes on a regular basis.
After having lived with a hoarder as well as having gone on visits to see my dad and grandparents whom had a massive infestation of mice and roaches I became paranoid. I developed OCD and a really bad bug phobia.
As an adult I found myself constantly cleaning everything all the time. I always use too much detergent, soap, spray, wipes, towels, EVERYTHING! Nothing can ever be clean enough for me. I unconsciously over wash things because I am always in constant fear of contamination.  I was devastated when I had learned the hard way from my boyfriend, friends and landlord that there was very little that could be done about roaches.

It Can't Be Helped!

Roaches are inevitable. No matter how clean you are you will have roaches! Roaches in Japan are NOT like roaches in America in any way shape or form. They are much bigger and in my opinion scarier, faster, and harder to kill too!
Everyone has had them and most people get them throughout the year occasionally. You can't avoid them forever! No matter how much you clean your home you will (unfortunately) either deal with a full-blown infestation or you will spot a stray brown guy out of the blue every so often (thus experience a small infestation). Having roaches here is just like seeing ants or spiders in your home. It is simply unavoidable. It is nothing to be ashamed or embarrassed of and by no means is it a sign that you are dirty (necessarily)!
I believe that this is another reason (one of many) why most Japanese families tend to clean their homes very often despite the fact that shoes aren't worn inside their homes.

The Solution

Baits

Consider using baits over sticky traps. Baits act as a long-term solution. They work by attracting roaches with their strong chemical-cookie like smell. Roaches will quickly grab a small piece of the poisonous cookie from the trap and will bring it back to share with the nest. The roaches who partake in the delicious arsenic cookie will become gravely ill. Their dead bodies and any deification left behind will also act as a bait and poison since roaches eat their own and others poop. They are also cannibals. 

Roaches usually make their nests in hard to reach places such as in dark areas that are out of sight so by using a bait you are allowing the roaches to do all of the work for you. It is impossible to be at home 24/7 to see every single bug that makes its way into your living quarters. Baits are unsightly but they work the best! You can expect to see them practically vanish over the course of as little as 3 days to a few weeks depending on how many baits you buy, the locations you place them in, and of course the size of the infestation.

Traps

Traps are just that! They are black, sticky, rectangular shaped trays that cause anything that touches them to become stuck. If you are afraid of bugs it will be difficult to dispose of the traps as you'll have to come face to face with their living or dead bodies.

This is not a good solution for people with pets or small children.

This solution doesn't resolve the problem long-term as it only kills the bugs who accidentally step onto them. Baits kill roaches that have probably never even stepped foot into your house or at least not in that particular area of it.

Sprays

A good roach spray is easy to use for a short term and fast on the spot solution. They allow you to kill roaches instantly from a distance or up close without having to smash them with a shoe, tissue, or a swatter, all of which can be quite messy and scary if you fear them (as much as I do).
They're usually made up of strong poisonous chemicals that instantly kill the bugs on sight (so you might not want to use them in a small enclosed area without first opening a window).  

There are several different kinds that can be used. You an even make your own solution by mixing a good concentrated dishwashing liquid and warm or hot water into a spare bottle. I personally prefer to use a more expensive option that is a lemon scented foaming cleaning spray. It's a discreet item to keep in any room in your house and it works faster as its only requires a few squirts.

Bug sprays shouldn't be used anywhere near baits as they will damage them if they are sprayed directly on or anywhere near the baits which may stop roaches from being attracted to the baits and can also damage or dilute the product itself. 

I assume that they'll be able to pick up the poisonous smell. Sprays do not solve the problem longterm  if there is a chance of an infestation, as this only kills the bugs that you can see and spray on site. If there is a roach, no matter how big or small it is then there is a nest somewhere! Using baits allow the roaches that are hiding from you and that you do not see to kill themselves and their friends and family. Using baits is really a win-win situation!

The Final Verdict

While it may seem a bit embarrassing to have traps or baits set up around your home it is the best and cheapest long term solution with very minimal mess and cleanup as the traps are solid and don't really contain any liquid. They are good for up to 3 months for less than ¥10000 you can easily rid your home of these pests. It's okay to use a combination of sprays, traps, and baits long as you don't spray near the baits and are willing to remove of the sticky traps without a problem.

It will typically take about 2 months or less for all of the roaches to disappear for good and of course you'll have to continue keeping up   the good work with cleaning on your end too!

What To Do Once You've Spotted A Brown Guy

• Place 1-2 baits in every corner of your home in each individual room. Consider placing at least 1 additional bait in every kitchen and bathroom cabinet, on windowsills, and inside and outside your front and backdoors.

• Be sure to keep windows and door closed while you are asleep or away from home. 

• Cover all of the drains in your kitchen and bathroom when not in use. You can purchase a drain protector from Daiso or any other convenience or grocery store. 

• Try to find possible sources/ways/paths of entry. Check for cracks and openings inside or near windows, air conditioners, ventilations, and doors. You can purchase a heavy duty putty or pay for a professional (recommended) to properly seal off these areas.

• Dispose of any open food, such as fruit, cereal, seasonings, spices, or drinks that have been left open in your cabinets, fridges or on countertops. Roaches can carry diseases and can contaminate your food with salmonella poisoning. It sucks to waste "good" food but it's better to be safe than sorry. Besides you don't want to accidentally bake a roach into your cake or stir one into your cup of joe in the morning by accident. Sugar, flour, and various spices might be full of baby roaches. Yuck!

• Bleach and thoroughly clean your kitchen and bathroom sinks as well as the bathtub.  

• Bleach and thoroughly clean your dishes.

• Cover your trash can or tie the bag. You don't want to provide the bugs with a free food pantry.

• While this method isn't proven, I personally believe that keeping your home cool, leaving the lights on, and playing music throughout the day or evening will keep them out of site and comfort you if you have a phobia and are paranoid of encountering another little brown guy. It worked for me!

• Have a spray that is easily accessible in areas that they tend to frequent so that you can act fast should you come across a little brown guy. I like to keep a spray bottle, on my kitchen sink, and inside my bathroom so that there's no chance of it getting away.

Taking Initiative & Lifestyle Changes

Don't wait until it's too late! Just because you haven't seen a roach yet doesn't mean that you don't have them! While everyone deals with an occasional roach wandering into their homes you don't have to encourage an infestation to take place. You have to start a routine of daily cleaning and proper storage of both your food and garbage.

Food Storage

Avoid leaving food out in the open. Store fruits,vegetables and snacks in  ziplock and plastic bags. Make sure that you bags have been tied nice and tight or sealed properly so that smaller bugs don't manage to get inside. I would also recommend purchasing reusable clear/see-through plastic storage containers 

Dish Storage

I would recommend that place dishes into a clean and clear plastic storage container or in a box. If you can't afford to do so or if you're not too bothered by the bugs then I'd suggest that you at least begin thoroughly rinsing all of your dishes with hot water before cooking with them or eating off of them.

Garbage Disposal & Storage

Purchase trashcans with a lid. Place food inside of plastic bags and tie them before disposing of them.
Take out the trash at least once every day. Do not become lazy and put off disposing of your garbage! 

Keeping It Clean

Clean your home religiously! You should sweep, mop, and vacuum your floors daily. Wash and dry all of your dishes, pots, pans, and cooking utensils immediately after use. Keep your counter tops spotless and free of crumbs and spills. Roaches can survive for as long as a month from just a single crumb of food. If your home doesn't have easily accessible food it will slow down their breeding and they will choose to visit and nest elsewhere. 

Bug Disposal

You must get rid of them as soon as you kill them! Similarly to must bugs they can survive a fall as they have exoskeletons, as well as sprays that are intended to be used to kill them. You don't want them to play dead and later recuperate themselves and leave the scene!

Dead roaches that are pregnant can still lay their eggs and hatch more roaches! Roaches are cannibals so leaving their dead bodies lying around id not only gross and unsanitary but you're providing a big meal for other bugs that may be hiding in your home.

Dispose of their dead bodies immediately! If you can't do it yourself then ask a friend, your neighbor or your partner to help you do so.

Stay Tuned!

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Staying at Sakura House (A Thorough Guide and Review)

If you are planning on staying in Japan for a lengthy vacation, attending a language school or if you are a going to be a university student here then you have probably spent some amount of time wondering where you will live and how much it will cost. Sakura House was bound to have been a recommendation for you whether it be from their hundreds of ads on Google and YouTube or a friend you know of that stayed here before,  you are probably familiar with their companies name. But for some odd reason there seems to be practically no (very little) information about this so called "nation wide famous foreign housing company" anywhere on the web which may come off as a bit sketchy.

This post will cover the pro's and con's to staying at Sakura House in Sendagaya, Tokyo, Japan as well as provide you with helpful tips and advice specific to people who are living here such where and how to shop and some basic information about the train lines nearby.

What is Sakura House?

Sakura House is a Japanese housing company that rents dormitories, and private rooms, apartments, and vacation homes to foreign tourists and long-term residents in Japan. They offer housing options in several different cities around Japan.

Who Operates It?

Sakura House has been in operation since October 6th 1986.  They currently employ approximately 50 employees from a variety of Asian and European countries. Hanako Tsukumo is the companies current president.

NOTE: Children are NOT allowed in dormitories. You must be at least 20 years old which the legal adult age in Japan or have permission from your parents in order to reside here alone.  

Japanese people are NOT allowed to rent or live in ANY of their properties.                           

How Do You Get There?

Upon arriving at Narita or Haneda airport you should take a bus or a train to Shinjuku Station (the world's busiest train station easily accessed from just about anywhere in Japan). From Shinjuku Station their office is about 10 minutes away by foot.

Where is it Located?

The main office is located in Shinjuku, Tokyo Japan. This is NOT to be confused with the address that you will be staying at. The office sits back off of a major street in Shinjuku. It's just a few minutes away from Shinjuku Station and it is possible to walk here by foot if you must. I don't recommend doing this ESPECIALLY NOT if this is your first time coming to Japan or if you have any luggage with you.

Sakura House Office 

Nishi Shinjuku K-1 Bldg. 2F

7-2-6 Nishi-Shinjuku

Shinjuku-Ku Tokyo Japan

Postal code: 160-0023

What's In It For You?

You will have your own private room or a bunk bed with curtains for privacy.

Each person is assigned several shelves throughout the house that serve as storage for easy access to personal items.

Janitors will clean the entire house once a week arriving around 9:00AM-10:00AM. The designated day can change without warning as it did when I was a resident there. 

There is free cleaning and cooking supplies, such as basic seasonings, oil, silverware, pots and pans, dishwashing liquid, trash bags, sponges, toilet paper and kitchen towels/rags.

There are approximately 3 showers on each floor and 2 separate bathrooms. There is 1 kitchen which depending on the dorm floor that you have chosen it may have an electric or a gas stove.  

There are 2 sets of washers and dryers located outside 200 yen for the washer and 100 yen for the dryer. Both machines run for 30 minutes but you can add extra money to increase the time. Don't forget to buy your own laundry detergent and fabric softener as this is not free!

Each dorm room has it's own shared mailbox. Private rooms have their own individual mailboxes. They are located outside just before the doors.

The Rules

There is no curfew. there is no staff or management at the dormitory. If you need help you have 4 options. #1 Email Sakura House #2 Call Sakura House #3 Tell the janitorial staff  #4 Visit their office in person

• No loud parties 
• No boys if you are staying in the girls only dorm
• Lock the door once you leave (nobody followed this rule in the girls dormitory)
• No fighting
• No stealing
• No smoking inside
• No candles (fire hazard/ happened in the past)

***Special Rules***

1. Dispose of the garbage when it is your turn. There are multiple charts hung up by the janitors/maintenance workers throughout the month. You and your partner are responsible for deciding how you will share this chore.
2. Clean up behind yourself. The janitors are not required to wash your dirty dishes or clean personal items.
3. Avoid using the washer and dryer after hours as they are located outside and tend to break down and make loud screeching noises.

How To Get Started

You will have to go here first in order to sign your contract, pay the first moths rent, present identity verification and receiving a large packet with answers to most of your questions regarding your stay.

All you need is your valid passport, a visa of any kind (including a tourist stamp) and your first months rent. If you are staying in Japan for more than 90 days you will need to show them your residence card(eventually) so that they can make a copy of that too!

It is best and recommended that you reserve your room online in order to ensure the availability of your room or apartment upon your arrival as tenants move in and out on a weekly basis so if someone takes the last vacancy you're pretty much out of luck.

You can receive special promotional offers and rent discounts if you move in during late fall or anytime during the winter. Keep in mind that Japan is not a popular tourist destination outsize of Spring and mid Summer so you can find good deals just about everywhere!

Almost all of the staff is bilingual or trilingual and can usually speak both Japanese and English. At the very least everyone speaks English. There are plenty of foreigners staffed there from other Asian and European countries such as Fracne and China so if you speak French or Chinese or happen to know someone else who does then don't let a little language barrier stop you from coming to Japan because there is at least one staff member here who can help you find the right place.

Most of the residents at Sakura House are tourists and language school students. Occasionally there are long-term residents that are university students, language school students, or teachers who will book a long term stay at Sakura House Sendagaya.

   Rental Fees & Payments

The rent ranges from about just shy of $500 USD The cheapest dormitory is $475 USD  and the prices apartment will cost you $1,300 a month.

In general most people pay their rent by cash. You can use a Japanese or foreign debit or credit card as well to pay your monthly rent OR you can request a cash advance or withdrawal money from several ATM's and banks such as 7/11, Family Mart and Mizuho.

If your rent is past due you will be charged $10USD per a day late and they will email you with warnings and reminders about your past due rent.In the future after having lived there for about 3-6 months you are allowed to pay your rent by credit card or through a bank transfer automatically every month. Simply go to their office in Shinjuku and ask to sign up for this. It'll saved you time and money and you'll never have to work about being late again!

During emergency situations such as being sick or outside of the country or simply out of town you can request to pay your rent via email through a credit card payment link. You will receive an email confirmation and number upon making a successful payment.

Checking Out

Upon leaving Sakura House you are supposed to give a one month's notice at their office and fill out a form. You'll receive a checklist of things to clean, do, and return in order to be reimbursed for your deposit which is given to you in cash at the end of your inspection.

The Location

Sakura House 

Sendagaya 4 Chome-12-4 

Shibuya-ku, Tokyo-to 

151-0051 Japan

Personally I had never heard of Sendagaya and when I tried to search the address for the house the are looked very strange and complex to get to.
Sakura House Sendagaya 4-chome is located in the beautiful, residential neighborhood of Shibuya-ku. It is walking distance from Shinjuku, Harajuku, and technically Shibuya too.
There are countless restaurants, fast food places, karaoke bars, izakaya's, and clothing stores that are walking distance or a train stop away.
Familiar "comfort brands" such as Forver21, H&M, Mc Donald's, Subway, Burger King, Taco Bell, and Starbucks are fairly close to your new residence.

Shinjuku- the business center of Japan as well as very well known for its alternative night life in Kabukicho.

Harajuku- well known for its fun and crazy fashion, and Yoyogi Park the largest park in all of Japan.

Shibuya- is 2 train stops away and about a 30 minute walk it is the fashion capital of Japan but it is also full of love hotels, great bars, and clubs.

Transportation

There are 3 major train stations and multiple lines which can take you anywhere that you need to get to in Japan. These are the stations that you'll use the most as they are in close proximity to Sakura House.

Kita-Sando (Tokyo Metro)
This is the station you will use the most as it is easiest to access other lines and just a 2-3 minute walk from your home. This train line can be taken to popular stations such as Shinjuku Sanchome, Ikebukuro, Nishi-Waseda, Harajuku, and Shibuya Station. All of which you can walk to by foot if you'd like to save some yen or of course you can also ride your registered bike. It is marked brown in color.

Yoyogi Station (JR Yamanote Line)
This is the train line that you will use the most to travel if you are planning on sight seeing, traveling long distances, headed toward the suburbs, Shinagawa immigration office, Ueno Park, or tons of the international clubs and parties that are available. Similar to the Chuo-Sobu Line this train stops in general city areas which is why the cost is typically a bit cheaper and the trains are almost always packed. Normally upon exiting the gates of the station you'll have to take a bus or walk a bit further than usual to get to your actual destination. Most people use the JR Lines to get to local subway trains like Tokyo Metro. It is marked green in color


Sendagaya Station (JR Chuo-Sobu Line)
This is the station and line that you will use to go to Chiba and Akihabara. Chiba is the home of Funnassyi, Tokyo Disney Land and Narita Airport. Akihabara is the electronics, maid cafe, cosplay, J-Pop, and gaming center of Japan. Here you'll find loads of cat cafes, maid cafes, arcades and
so much more. It is marked yellow in color.

Yoyogi Station (Oedo Line)
This train line will get you to Roppongi and Azabu-Juban with ease. Both areas are known for their bars, nightlife, clubs, and expensive housing. A lot of business owners reside here. The areas both have bad reps for being full of Africans whom bombard and harass you with flyers and questions which can be a bit uncomfortable. Similar to Shibuya the Yakuza's presence can be both seen and felt but there's no need to worry there's police boxes scattered around as well as officers on foot. The Yakuza is not the same as American gangs and pose no real danger to tourist or civilians but we can talk about this in another post. It is marked hot pink in color.

Train Station Notes & Tips

All 3 stations have a stop at Shinjuku and or Shibuya Station. Once you arrive at either major station (especially Shinjuku Station) you can transfer to another train line to go almost anywhere in Japan.

• Staff at most of the station in central Tokyo can speak and understand some basic English. Sometimes their are bilingual staff members too! 

• Google Maps & Google Translate are your best friends! Don't be afraid to use them. Take screen shots of your route and show them where you are trying to go. The staff can help you so relax and speak calmly. Just say the name of the station you are trying to get to. Use basic very slow and simple English if you must or simply say and type the Japanese word 

• You'll save 10 cents if you use your IC Card instead of using a ticket. You can purchase a PASMO or a Suica for just $5.00.  There;s no difference besides the color and picture on the card. They both work the same and can be used at the same places even if you see a picture showing only Suica you can use your PASMO card at that spot too. For a small fee you can have your IC Card registered under your name. This way if it is lost you can receive a replacement card. This service is unavailable in Kansai so consider yourselves lucky!

• If your ticket has anything less than enough money on it for another ride you'll just lose your money. So be sure to only pay what you have to. For example if you purchase a ticket for 170 yen instead of 150 yen once you put your ticket into the gates slot it will just keep it! If you have purchased a ticket for 300 yen and it only costs 150 to get to your destination the machine will give it back to you upon inserting the ticket and exiting the gate.

• As always if you need help don't be afraid to ask the ticket agent or a Japanese person nearby. Sometimes even other foreigners can be of help to you!

• There are buses but they're less convenient and full of elderly and disabled people. It can also be a bit difficult to figure out how to pay and where to enter the best and get off as it various in different areas.

• If you ever get lost simply ask how to get to Shibuya or Shinjuku Station. No matter where you are in Yokohama, Chiba or Tokyo EVERY Japanese person knows how to get there. From those 2 stations you can easily find your way home as they connect to every train station in Japan with just a few transfers.

• Names matter! Pay very close attention to the names of stations! There are several stations with the same names throughout the country and even within the same town. For example theres is Nisei-Shinjuku, Higashi-Shinjuku, Shinjuku, and Shinjuku-Sanchome Station. 

• Pay attention to the kanji characters! As for kanji there are different types of express trains which will make different stops. For example Express. Rapid Express, Local, Semi-Express. While Tokyo generally offers English translations to stop names and announcements they almost never do so for express trains! The only way to tell is to pay attention to the LED screens onboard, ask a fellow passenger for help, or google search the train line itself.

Marunochi Line This is the train Line that you should use to quickly get to  Shinjuku Station. Sakura House's office is about 10 minutes away or less by foot from exit B16. 

Grocery Shopping

There is a nice neighborhood grocery store OK Grocery. Here you can purchase all of your toiletries and food needs. The store has 3 floors of food, toiletries, pet supplies, cleaning supplies as well as seasonal and personal items.

Most grocery stores have a specific day of the week in which there is a sales for example Tuesday's might be the discount day so you can 20% off of select meat etc..
Fruit is VERY expensive in Japan $10 grapes and $7 strawberries! However they are pretty delicious and huge in size(for that price the should be!).

Frozen fish and meat is not common in Japan besides shrimp and some other miscellaneous or precooked meals. Typically 5-6 chicken strips, 3-4 thighs, or 1-2 pieces of fish (salmon/white fish) will cost about $5.00. In America I can buy a bag of frozen chicken thighs or fish with a few more pieces for this cost.


This store unfortunately doesn't offer free bags so it is best to either purchase your own recyclable bags or save your bags from your runs to the convenience store.
The clear bags that they sell are very durable and big in size. You'll find them just before the register and you are expected to grab the amount of bags that you'd like to purchase. Your cashier will confirm your selection of bags and give you a total. Don't worry if you forget to grab bags they might kindly suggest that you purchase some since they're used to seeing foreigners everyday who aren't aware of how checkout works.

Tips:

• I highly recommend labeling your food with your name and room number even although Sakura House recently introduced white bins which have your room and bed number marked on it s a reserved spot for you in the fridge

•  Try to keep items in grocery bags. Roommates are less likely to go into your bag of food or open up your cartons of milk tea or juice if they have to take extra steps to get to. This was no-one can say that it was by accident or say that they were confused etc.

• DO NOT OVER BUY! Japanese food and beverages don't have as many preservatives and chemicals as American products. Everything here (just about) expires such faster. I highly recommend freezing your meat and fish. 

• Ziplock bags and plastic tupperware are your best friends! These reusable containers and bags can help keep your food bug free and fresh. Also the containers can be used to ration out a weeks worth of meals for school or work.

• Only buy what you plan to eat for the next 2-3 days. Most Japanese people go grocery shopping very frequently. I usually go at least 3 times a week in comparison to 2-3 times a month in America! 

• Grocery stores offer discounted bentos, fruit, vegetables, milk, and miscellaneous breads and frozen goods a few hours before closing time every evening. 

• If you purchase pregnancy tests sanitary pads, or condoms they will generally wrap it up and place it inside of a paper bag before placing it into a normal plastic bag. In Japan these items are embarrassing.

Other Tokyu Hands is about 25 minutes away walking distance or 1 train stop away. Here you can purchase all of your home goods, cleaning supplies, personal care, beauty products and makeup.

Convenience Stores

Konbini are what the Japanese call convenience or corner stores. They are similar to the ones back at home in America but they don't offer slushies, gas, or lottery tickets! Everyone uses these stores on an almost if not daily basis. Salarymen go here for bentos (a fancy portioned lunch or dinner in a clear plastic container) both before and after work. Elderly people sit in the cafe/lounge area  complete puzzles and read the news with a cup of coffee. Stay at home moms often come here during the morning with their babies and will sit and converse over breakfast with friends.

The two most popular convenience stores are Seven Eleven (7/11) and Family Mart. They have practically monopolized Japan. No matter where you are theres is always one of these two stores within walking distance from you. It is not unusual to see 2-4 within a few blocks of each other or even the same one!

Convenience stores are almost always 24 hours and those that are not are generally open until midnight and reopen at 5:00AM or 6:00AM. They offer all of the basic things that you need to survive.

Here you can buy snacks,  dinner, alcohol, toiletries, makeup, cleaning supplies,magazines, manga, under garments, office supplies, hair accessories and so much more.
Unlike in America the food here is fresh and can be trusted and the employees are very friendly and good workers. It is generally staffed entirely by native Japanese people but occasionally (especially in Shinjuku or other touristy areas you'll notice Chinese and South Asian employees from SriLanka and India etc..


Most convince stores offer a free rewards card referred to as a Pointo Kado. You can use this to save a little money occasionally and receive an occasional free meal or beverage after earning enough points.

Occasionally you can purchase discount bentos, and drinks as well as seasonal items from sales and marketing campaigns that flopped or items that were overstocked and are now near expiration.

Tips

• Bags are free of charge!

• Most konbini's have free and clean public restrooms. No purchase is necessary to access them.

• While most offer a cafe/lounge area for their customers to sit and eat or drink (no purchase necessary) not all of them do. Family Mart generally has larger spaces reserved for this.

• Occasionally outlets are available for you to charge your devices.

• All convince stores have Free Wifi! Lawson's has the best signal by far and there is no sign or time limit restrictions like Family Mart. 

• If you want to try something hot and fresh it's best to come just before 12:00PM or just before evening rush hour at around 3:00PM-4:00PM. Many stores add new batches of precooked meals and snacks around this time of day.

• DO NOT do all of your shopping here! I made this mistake and it was a costly one. It's easy to feel lazy and not be in the mode to walk to the grocery store after a long day or work school or travel but you'll save so much money and you'll get more food and have a better selection of products and groceries to choose from.

• Staff can warm up your bento for you free of charge. Unfortunately because most foreigners are stereotypically loud, obnoxious, rude and don't speak or understand Japanese MOST staff will not offer this service to you. If you're lucky they will ask and point to the microwave or they might even use broken English to ask if you want them to heat up your food. The choice is yours! 

If you purchase sanitary pads, or condoms they will generally wrap it up and place it inside of a paper bag before placing it into a normal plastic bag. In Japan these items are embarrassing.

Convenience Stores There are several convenience stores nearby such as 7/11, Family Mart,  Mini Stop, and Lawson

Pros & Cons

Overall Sakura House was great but as with anything there's always good and bad. The longer you stay here the more problems will arise and the more frustrated you'll find yourself with both the tenants and the staff.

Pros

When I first arrived I quickly felt at home. I was having a panic attack and freaking out because it was about 6:00PM-8:00PM and I had just arrived and couldn't figure out which side of the building was mines and I couldn't even find my floor(B00)! I later learned through adulating and common sense that "B" stood for basement and that Japan numbers floors differently than the U.S. Anyway a very nice Thai girl stayed outside with me about 20-30 minutes and even let me use her phone to call Sakura House's office for help. I became best friends with a Danish and Chinese girl. Whom showed me how to shop, purchase tickets, register my address at the ward office and of course partied, ate and shared their dating and sex lives/experiences with me (Oh how I miss the days of good old gossip). If you won't stay in Japan for long 3 months of less you'll probably leave before you turn into an old bitter hag like I eventually did after the "honeymoon-phase" wore off.

1. The closest train Station is about 2-3 minutes away from the dorm
2. Shibuya, Harajuku and Shinjuku are less than 20 minutes away by train
3. You can walk to Takeshita Street and Yoyogi Park from the dorm
4. There's several convenience stores within walking distance 7/11 is less than 5 minutes away
5. You don't have to pay any bills just your monthly rent
6. Free cleaning supplies
7. Ample storage space under your bed and shelves around the house
8. Staff replies to complaints promptly
9. Small deposit fee
10. Quiet residential neighborhood
11. Room key and coded door padlock floor entry
12. You will receive your deposit back as long as you made an attempt to clean up behind yourself upon leaving.
13. Room can be prorated of you plan to leave before the entire month is up.
14. You can schedule the date and time for your move out inspection
15. The staff is generally very thorough with explains the rules of the house and you will receive a lot of pamphlets and papers about your contract and life in Japan
16. You can switch rooms within the month if a vacancy for a bed or private room becomes available that you'd prefer. You will lose some money in the process of this but if you can't stand snoring or if you overpacked or did a lot of shopping or just need some privacy you might want to move to a bigger space or get a quieter room.
17. Despite the lack of management the tenants are overall good people. I've ordered expensive meals and clothing and because of then confusing nature of the floors and rooms delivery dudes ALWAYS got confused and would often times drop off packages at the wrong floor/dorm. Thankfully people have been honest and either redirected them or signed for my packages and gave them to me! 
18. If you're not at home at the time that a package is being delivered for you usually your roomies will be kind enough to sign for you and leave it at your door or in the living room anonymously for you.
19. Your roommates are more than willing to share their personal items and appliances with you and even food! You can also stock up on leftovers (sealed unopened and new) when people leave.
20. You'll never feel lonely! Theres always friendly people to talk to hang out and eat with or even attend festivals, parties, bars and clubs with. Really nice if you're shy or traveling alone.

Cons

When I first came to Sakura House I absolutely loved it! However since I wasn't a "long-term tourist" or a crazy college party kid  the cons are what ultimately made me desire to have my own apartment. quickly became the resident asshole and I stopped being super friendly. I began to only help people when I was asked and I stopped attempting to make small talk and befriend people. My sanity and mental health plummeted as I spent my days in my room on my bottom bunk bed with the curtains shut. I tried my absolute best to spend as much time as possible outside of the house to avoid losing my temper and giving any of the girls a piece of my mind. 
I befriended several girls who helped me control myself. Looking back I was being judgmental and immature and I wish I had been more friendly to my roommates but I was never mean! I simply avoided talking to or being around other people. No harsh words or hands were ever exchanged .

1. The photos of the rooms are VERY misleading. The recent pictures are photoshopped and touched up and most of the pictures are very old from when the house was new! The rooms are dirty old and dingy and so are the hallways and appliances (iron, ironing board, dishes, pots/pans).
2. Non-Japanese staff can be rude
3. Males staff is notorious for being inappropriate and creepy. Asking for girls Instagram accounts and commenting on attractiveness. Asking unnecessary personal questions.
4. Males staff has a history of having inappropriate relationships with tenants from using them for sex, affairs, and yellow fever fetishes
5. Roommates are inconsiderate of other people's feelings about the A/C and cooking foods with strong foul odors
6. Most tenants don't clean up behind themselves so dishes and trashes all over the tables and sinks
7. Tenants don't clean the shower after use. Hair is commonly clogged in the drains.
8. Tenants have damaged the walls and showers with hair dye from cosplays, and seasonal parties
9. Roommates steal food and toiletries
10. Roommates don't respect persona storage space in the fridge
11. Roommates can be loud and noisy after the 10:00PM lights out curfew loud conversations, TV, and music is commonly heard late at night which sucks when you have school or work in the morning
12. People ignore the rules about having parties
13. People ignore the rules about using the broken washer and dryer late at night (it screeches occasionally and Japanese neighbors have called the police to file complaints against Sakura House at least 20 times during my 1 year stay).
14. Male Staff come over uninvited without warning. If you are in the basement dorm like I was it's an all girls floor. Besides the janitors which we know when they will arrive,e men are NOT allowed. A lot of the girls casually walk around braless or in their pajamas and even bathrobes and towels throughout the day.
15. People invite guys without warning. Again if you're staying in the basement dorm it's an all girls dormitory! If you want to be a whore or have sex with your Tinder dates then get a Love Hotel or switch to a new floor and get a private room! It's rude and disrespectful to the rest of us.
16. The door code doesn't change! So previous tenants can easily access the premises again
17. The staff don't wash the bedding! Unless the bedding is noticeably dirty and smells they will assume that you did a good enough job cleaning the bedding and will rent out your room or bunk bed to the next unsuspecting trusting tenant. That's pretty gross.
18. If you're an American you'll quickly notice how little people wash their hands. This i snot exclusive to Sakura House it's a Japan problem (cultural difference). I noticed that the Chinese and Malaysian girls in particular almost never washed their hands after using the bathroom or touching "dirty" things. Again it's a cultural difference but sure get offended and label me a racist for all I care.
19. The trash is often ignored and it's hard to establish who's turn it is to dispose of the garbage since there's two of you and you may not even know or feel comfortable with approaching your dumpster-buddy.
20. Sakura House staff is very nonchalant about personal problems and complaints towards other tenants such as racism, arguments about the A/C, TV, mail thieves/misplacers, and cleanliness of the house. Their advice is always "Hey I mean they're your roommates! This is a dorm not a hotel! You talk to them and figure it out yourself!"

In Conclusion 

No place is perfect. Every share house, dormitory, and even hotels or apartments have flaws. I would still highly recommend Sakura House to anyone who is new to Japan. Whether you are traveling own a budget, studying at a language school or university, or if you are working as an English teacher Sakura House provide you with a quick and easy hassle free way to live in Japan especially if you'll be staying in Tokyo.

The location is perfect. You are close to everything you need  and just a few stops away from almost all of the tourist destinations as well as transport to the airport or other prefectures in Japan. The train grocery store and convenience store is within a 10 minute walk from the dorm. It is very nice to have so many people to talk to and keep you company. Japan ca be difficult to navigate especially if you are traveling alone, can't speak/read/write Japanese, or if this is your first time leaving your country, or having your "own place". I am glad that I didn't do a homestay or get an apartment because there's so many things that I would have never learned or experienced otherwise.

The staff is generally very nice, friendly and helpful and the guests are mostly very friendly and helpful. You'll be able to quickly make friends and get advice about living in Japan from seasoned Tokyo veterans as there usually 2-4 people who have been there for months to a year who will gladly help you get settled into your new home. For less than $500 USD a month you get all of this!  I still have a handful of good friends whom I met by chance from staying here. It was thanks to them that I survived my first month in Japan despite being a bit clumsy and having anxiety. My roommates taught me the ropes, helped me get my first IC card, learn how to shop, showed me where everything in the house was and hung out with me for my 21st birthday, Christmas and New Year's Day.
So what are you waiting for?! Japan awaits you!

Thank you so much for reading! I hope you found this information helpful. If you have any questions or if you'd like to share your experiences with living at Sakura House please feel free to comment below.

Stay Tuned!

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