Trouble with Tokyo is not the rents - it's the absurd move-in charge (often running into 5-6 times the rent). You can generally find apartments for cheap (~$750

Trouble with Tokyo is not the rents - it's the absurd move-in charge (often running into 5-6 times the rent). You can generally find apartments for cheap (~$750) for either a shared house, or a full blown apartment with appliances. Trouble is that these apartments, though in Tokyo are often one train away from Yamanote, which makes the commute interesting. Of course, if you commute by bicycle, none of this matters.