For many of those who are living in Japan short term, it's very easy to feel that we live in our own little bubble, kept out of the mainstream of Japanese society. This is especially true when it comes to finding a place to live. There are many obstacles to finding your own apartment in Japan, and it's often difficult to know where to start.

Those of us who come to work here as teachers often have company-arranged housing. When I first arrived in Japan I was working for Nova, who arranged an apartment for me which was ready upon my arrival. This is a very convenient way to start off in Japan, and indeed it would be very difficult to find an apartment on our own before arriving in Japan.

Unfortunately, as most teachers know, there is a downside: we usually have to pay for that ''service'' our company provides. Nova is notorious for charging its teachers more than the market value. My Nova apartment was a tiny, moldy, stinky little place in the middle of nowhere, yet I was paying the same price that I now pay for a nice, clean, centrally located (but still small) place that I found on my own. Pardon my French, but I felt that I was being, well, screwed. What happens if you decide to get out of your company apartment and find a place on your own? Well, it's much more complicated and bewildering than back home, especially for a recent arrival still catching his bearings and unable to speak very much Japanese.

Many people are discouraged by all the obstacles and opt to stay in their company apartment for their entire stay. One of the very real obstacles is that many landlords will simply refuse to rent to foreigners, even if they speak Japanese fluently and can make all arrangements in Japanese. I've heard many different excuses for this, such as ''The landlord can't speak English,'' ''Foreigners have loud parties,'' ''Foreigners' food smells different and the neighbors might be bothered by it,'' and ''Foreigners wear shoes in the house''. But the bottom line is that this is discriminatory. Luckily this is becoming less common these days, because there's been a building boom and landlords are having trouble finding enough tenants to fill their apartments. As a result they're becoming more flexible in who they accept. But there are still landlords who refuse foreign tenants.

Another bewildering obstacle for foreigners is all of the upfront fees that have to be paid before you move in. First of all, there is a security deposit (shikikin) which is meant to insure that you keep the place in good condition during your stay. That's not very different from back in our home countries, but in Japan it can amount to several months rent, whereas in my home country it's generally 2 weeks rent. The other difference is that in Japan the landlord often takes part of your security deposit for regular ware and tear, and refurbishing the apartment for the next tenant. This is illegal, but you still may have to fight to get back your security deposit. But the real shocker is key money (reikin), which is essentially a gift to the landlord for letting you move in. You will not get this money back. The amount of key money varies, but can reach up 6 months rent or more. And if you find your apartment through an agent, which is the norm, you have to pay an agency fee (chukai tetsu ryo) which is usually one month's rent. So now you've paid for the 4 walls and a roof, but what about furniture? Most apartments are unfurnished, and you'll have to spend a lot of money (or a lot of time searching through garbage bins) to furnish your apartment. This all adds up to a whole lot of money! Paying hundreds of thousands of yen just to move into your apartment is one more thing that keeps many of us from moving. But one thing to remember is that the amount of shikikin and reikin are often negotiable.

So maybe you are financially stable and have saved enough money to pay all those deposits. But do you have any Japanese friends who know you well enough to co-sign for your apartment? That's right. You need a guarantor (hoshonin), a financially stable Japanese citizen to vouch for you and agree to cover all of your expenses if you fail to do so yourself. I've been in Japan for over 3 years and I only know one person who I'd feel comfortable asking to be my guarantor...and she's not financially stable. Luckily, in Japan this is standard procedure and you might have less trouble finding a guarantor than you would think. Some teachers even get their students to act as their guarantor. But it's awkward and confusing for someone who has never had to do this before.

So what if you don't want to spend a million yen and harass all your Japanese acquaintances to act as your guarantor? There are other options, with both an upside and a downside. In the major cities there some landlords who rent directly to foreigners and some property companies that cater to foreigners. You can find individual landlord's ads, and such companies' advertisements, in foreigner-oriented publications like Kansai Scene and Kansai Flea Market. Their apartments are normally furnished, require no key money, and require a much smaller security deposit. The trade off is that the monthly rent is higher than it is for a standard Japanese apartment. I'd estimate it's 25% higher. So if you stay for a short time, this kind of apartment is probably better for you. But if you stay in the same place for a couple of years or more, then a standard Japanese apartment with key money is probably a better deal. There is a sense among a lot of tenants, though, that some of these companies take their tenants for granted and provide poor service because they know they have a guaranteed market amongst foreigners. And one kind of accommodation to beware of with these companies is a house subdivided into individual living areas, sometimes with the living room acting as someone's bedroom. I've never heard a single good thing about these places from any tenant. Two companies catering to foreigners are Usami Kosan, and Apollo Properties. Apollo's rates are generally lower than Usami Kosan's.

Another option is a ''gaijin house'', which provides affordable accommodations for travelers and temporary workers (they're popular with people here on working holiday visas). The rent is quite low, and there is no key money and the security deposit is very low. The trade off is that you are living in a somewhat communal environment where some facilities such as showers, kitchen, and tv lounge are shared with the other tenants. This can be a good thing if you are new to Japan and want to make friends, but if you're like me and you enjoy privacy and peace and quiet, then you probably wouldn't feel at home in a gaijin house. But gaijin houses serve as a good halfway house while you are searching for your own apartment. They would be a good option for those who don't want to take a company apartment or want to get out of theirs right away. If I had to do everything all over again, I wouldn't have taken a NOVA apartment and would have instead stayed at a gaijin house until I could find my own apartment. Three gaijin houses in Osaka are Umeda Dormitory near Umeda Sky Building, Orange House near Showacho station (and within walking distance of Tennoji station) and Banana House near Nakamozu station in Sakai City.
The majority of apartments may be off limits to newly arrived foreign residents on a budget, but there are a number of options available, so don't be discouraged. Ask around, look at the classifieds in publications aimed at foreigners, and start shopping around. It's definitely more difficult here than back home, but none of us are homeless and we all manage to find a place to live. The worst thing you could do is to get stuck in an apartment you don't like, or continue working for a company you hate because you are trapped in one of their apartments. There's life after Nova!