Big Navi searches 35 of the top rental accommodation sites in Japan.Although we intend to expand the sites listed on Bignavi to include Japanese sites, currently all rental sites listed are in English.
To start searching on bignavi for apartments, click on your desired location below:
Major regions
Aichi
Kanto
Kansai
Tokyo (23-ku)
Adachi-ku
Arakawa-ku
Bunkyo-ku
Chiyoda-ku
Chuo-ku
Edogawa-ku
Itabashi-ku
Katsushika-ku
Kita-ku
Koto-ku
Meguro-ku
Minato-ku
Nakano-ku
Nerima-ku
Ota-ku
Setagaya-ku
Shibuya-ku
Shinagawa-ku
Shinjuku-ku
Suginami-ku
Sumida-ku
Taito-ku
Toshima-ku
Other Kanto
Chiba
Ibaraki-shi
Saitama-ken
Kanagawa-ken
Kawasaki-shi
- Kanagawa-ku
Yokohama-shi
Kansai
Abeno-ku
Asashi-ku
Ikeda-shi
Kawanishi-shi
Naniwa-ku
Nishinari-ku
Nishi Yodogawa-ku
Suita-shi
Sumiyoshi-ku
Toyonaka-shi
Yodogawa-ku
Other
Nagoya
Atsuta-ku
Chikusa-ku
Higashi-ku
Meito-ku
Minato-ku
Mizuho-ku
Moriyama-ku
Naka-ku
Nakagawa-ku
Nakamura-ku
Nishi-ku
Showa-ku
Chubu other
Kariya-shi
Kasugai-shi
Kuwana-shi
Okazaki-shi
Ogaki-shi
The rental accommodation listed on this site also includes ex-pat accommodation (slightly more expensive apartments) as well as relatively cheap accommodation. As a remnant from WWII, the system of charging shikikin (deposit money) and reikin (gift money) still exists, but it is becoming easier to knock these down to 2 months shikikin and 1 month reikin, or in some cases to one month each. Some real estate agents such as Fudocom specialise in providing accommodation without the deposit or key money; these are usually for more short term residents, but there are apartments which provide accommodation for longer stays as well. Some of these off-set the money lost on not getting any reikin by charging a higher monthly rent.
When looking for an apartment to rent, some of the main things you should be aware of are: location (close to station or not), what floor it is on (in summer, things can tend to go a bit moldy if you live on the bottom floor without adequate breeze), corner room (better if you want to make a bit of noise and generally better view) and age of apartment (this is mainly if you are scared of being killed in an earthquake).
In addition to the English language rental accommodation sites, you can obviously use Japanese real estate agents. Although it has become easier for foreigners to use their services, there is still a lot of discrimination going on and I have often been refused an apartment on the basis of being a foreigner. Pets allowed but no foreigners was the motto for one place I was trying to rent some years back. One of the better Japanese real estate agents is UR, mainly because they do not discriminate, provide a good service and do not require gift money (reikin). I highly recommend using their services if you are looking for an apartment to rent. The only drawback is they are popular and it can be difficult to reserve a place, but once you get in you have the right to hold on to that apartment for a week until you make a decision.
If you are looking at buying a property in Japan, please check out our article on how to buy a property.
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