If you’re looking for housing in Nagoya, we recommend you rent an apartment. Why? Because you’ll find many rooms that are close to public transport with affordable rent. Apartments located in popular areas will cost you more, but location is key if you use the train to school or work. You may find some older buildings as well, but many of these are close to colleges/universities and are perfect for students.

Some apartments in Nagoya don’t require the usual upfront costs. The Japanese rental market has a unique tradition of requiring tenants to pay key money, or “reikin (gratitude money).” If you don’t want to pay this fee, you can just look for an apartment that doesn’t require it. There are many rules and traditions unique to the Japanese market, so be sure to read your contract carefully when renting a room.

We recommend living in an apartment in Nagoya also because it’s easy for foreigners to find a place to stay. Many rental rooms in the country tend to turn down non-Japanese tenants. There’s no certain reason for this, but it’s often because the landlord doesn’t want any unnecessary trouble resulting from a language barrier or cultural differences. But you won’t have trouble finding an apartment in Nagoya, partly because there are various companies here that hire employees from abroad.