In Japanese, mansion(ã¾ã‚“ã—ょん) means condominium. Manshons typically have concrete construction and are higher quality than most Japanese apartments.
Apartments may be either concrete or wooden. Wooden apartments in Japan often have very thin walls and it is possible to hear your neighbours. These buildings deprecate quickly and have to be rebuilt every 20 to 30 years. Older wooden apartments are not popular and rental fees usually drop as the apartment ages.
Apartments in Japan are not cheap and 60% of single Japanese men and 80% of single women between the ages of 20 and 34 live with their parents. This is a social phenomenon known as parasite singles (パラサイトシングル).
It is traditional for renters to pay the following fees when renting an apartment or manshon:
- key money (gift to landlord) of two months rent
- deposit of two months rent
- first months rent
- agent fee of one months rent
- fire insurance fee
This means that a renter must pay six months rent before moving into the apartment. Leases are generally two years, and at the end of the lease the renter may have to pay additional key money to renew. In post-bubble economy Japan, many apartments have dropped some of these fees and often key money is reduced or not required.
In addition to the up to six months rent in upfront fees, renters must have a guarantor that will be responsible for any costs should the renter damage the apartment etc..
Racism by landlords and apartment agents in Japan is widespread. There are no laws against this in Japan and apartment ads may explicitly say "no foreigners". Foreigners may also have difficultly securing a Japanese guarantor for their apartment. This has led to the establishment of "gaijin" houses which are apartments and shared residences for foreigners. Gaijin houses have minimal upfront costs, may be furnished and have no guarantor requirement. Such apartments may have a higher monthly fee than a comparable regular Japanese apartment.
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