Start Up Costs - Part 2
EDIT: Unfortunately I deleted the original post, so this is a rewrite from memory. I don’t think I’ve left any information out. Sorry for the inconvenience.
CASH!
You’ll need quite a lot of cash on you when you arrive in Japan so you can survive to see your first paycheck. Eikaiwa won’t pay you for your month’s work until the next month. Personally, I think this is to avoid people taking a week’s salary and running away to get a better job. You will need at least ¥120,000 but that might not be enough, depending on the accomodation you’ll have.
Eikaiwa often lease out apartments to their teachers and don’t require upfront rent or key money. Some will require a deposit (which is like a bond) which is refunded if you can meet all the rules and leave the apartment in the same condition as you arrived. These apartments are fairly well furnished and rent is automatically deducted from your salary, so these are an easy way to start life in Japan.
Privately owned apartments, on the other hand, aren’t so flexible. You will need to pay up to two months’ rent in advance, a deposit which is usually 1-2 months’ worth of rent and finally, if you live in Tokyo, you’ll have to pay what is called “key money”. This can be yet another 2 months’ worth of rent and isn’t refundable. In some cases key money can be negotiated or not payable at all, but as a newcomer to Japan, you might not too successful swaying your landlord.
Alternatively, you may be in a gaijin house, which is essentially a boarding house for foreigners. These will require a deposit and sometimes rent up-front. The rent can be slightly higher than a private apartment but they are basically furnished and might have some bonuses like free internet and cable TV.
In the above two cases, you may need closer to ¥240,000. It is best to take this money in Yen cash or travellers cheques in Yen currency. Travellers cheques are hard for banks to exchange in any other currency, although you may be able to change the cheques as soon as you touch down in Japan.
Using credit cards may prove frustrating until you settle down. This is because not all ATMs accept international credit cards. The ones that do only exist in large cities. So, make sure you have cash to live on when yuo touch down. Yes, this means that you’ll be carrying around large quantities of money. Get used to it, it happens in Japan all the time. Just as well there’s a low crime rate, eh?
The rest of your money will be spent on food and groceries for your first month to six weeks, a rail pass, a mobile phone, the items you forgot to pack or couldn’t carry, and so on. You will probably be living to a very tight budget in your first few months, but it is possible to survive. Obviously, the more you take with you, the easier the living.
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