Accommodation : Tokyo Osaka Shared Apartment (Guesthouse) in Japan
Rental Apartment in Japan(Tokyo Osaka etc.)
Furnished Apartment in Japan (Tokyo Osaka etc.)
J&F Visa Office in Shinjuku Tokyo

J&F PLAZA - APARTMENTS IN JAPAN

1. Apartments in Japan

1. Types of apartment buildings

There are 3 types of apartment buildings in Japan.

Type	Details
Apartment	This type of building is made of wood, or light steel. It is usually only two stories or less. Walls are thin, and you can usually hear noise from neighbors' homes.
Mansion	This type of building tends to have three or more stories, and be made of a steel framework and reinforced concrete. Rent is typically higher than the 'apato'.
Kashiya	This type of apartment building is also called 'ikkodate', and is a house on a lease or loan.

2. About different floor plans

Some typical Japanese style floor plans are outlined below

1ROOM

This type of apartment usually has a bedroom/kitchen combination, and a bath/toilet combination room. The average size is 16m2-20m2.

lthough the size of the apartment is almost identical to a 1ROOM, in a 1K the bedroom and kitchen are seperated.

1DK

A 1DK has a bedroom, and a kitchen/dining room combination. The overall size is slightly larger than a 1ROOM or 1K.

1LDK

A 1LDK has a seperated bedroom and living room. The common size of an apartment of this type is 40m2～60m2.

1SLDK

A 1SLDK is almost identical to a 1LDK room, except that it has a large walk-in closet.

In the listings above, the number represents the number of rooms in the apartment. K means kitchen. D is dining room, L is living room, and S is storage. Floor plans are described with different combinations of these. For example, 2SDK is a two room apartment with dining, kitchen, and large closet space.

3. Types of flooring

Japanese apartments may have one of several types of flooring:

type	explanation
Tatami	If you are familiar with Judo, you may have heard of 'tatami'. It is the traditional type of flooring used in Japan, and is a kinitted mat made of a plant called Igusa (rush). Igusa is said to have a gentle calming scent, so tatami rooms are ideal for relaxing in. As an added benefit, tatami is soundproof!
Flooring	'Flooring' is made of wooden board. Although is tends to look neat, it scratches easily, and is not soundproof.
Cushioned floor	Cushioned floor is floorboards covered in a type of plastic. Since it is rather soft, it won't hold up well in a fire. On the plus side, it's waterproof.
Carpet	Carpeting is effectively soundproof and, of course, very comfortable. On the down side, since Japan is so humid, carpet owners need to be wary of ticks and other bugs breeding in their flooring. Carpet is also very hard to keep clean. These two reasons are why rental rooms with carpeting are so rarely found in Japan.