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That's for foreign tourists who have a visa stamp in their passport. So I guess for these digital nomads, that would work too, as long as they don't overstay w

That's for foreign tourists who have a visa stamp in their passport. So I guess for these digital nomads, that would work too, as long as they don't overstay whatever date is on that visa. It's not going to help them find a place to live though: they'll be stuck in hotels the entire time they're here.

lIl-IIIl 2y ago
The author was able to get an apartment and shared the website and the reddit thread be used to find it.
- shiroiushi 2y ago
  I see now. Looking at the site, those kinds of apartments are called "monthly mansions"; I stayed in one when I first came here before I could find a real apartment. These places are very small, and furnished, so perfect for someone only staying 3 or 6 months. But they're quite expensive for what you get. But if you're only staying 6 months, it's perfect.
Klonoar 2y ago
> they'll be stuck in hotels the entire time they're here. Eh, Tokyo has plenty of monthly apartment rentals that are effectively corporate rentals that you can do without a residence card. (I used to do this before having an actual visa there) It's functionally better than a hotel, insofar as it doesn't read or act as one.
- shiroiushi 2y ago
  True, and it generally has better amenities than a hotel too: a kitchen (though tiny), fridge, microwave, stove (no oven though), clothes washer, maybe a vacuum, etc. Also importantly, a mailbox, so you can receive deliveries (and in newer places, there's an automated delivery box system).
  - tayo42 2y ago
    > stove (no oven though) Maybe I'm misremembering but I thought that was typical for Japanese homes?
    - shiroiushi 2y ago
      Yes, unlike Americans who apparently absolutely need to bake a whole turkey on a regular basis, Japanese don't normally bake stuff at home, so Japanese homes (at least in the big cities) don't normally come with built-in ovens. There's no space in Tokyo apartments for the comically-large ovens that are common in America, and the cuisine people make here doesn't normally need one, just a stovetop. For baked goods, people usually just buy them at the grocery store or bakery or other specialty shop.
  - themaninthedark 2y ago
    They have ovens...just super tiny and meant for fish only https://www.yamada-denkiweb.com/category/202/006/001/ https://www.yamada-denkiweb.com/category/202/006/001/
    - shiroiushi 2y ago
      Those are "grills". If you want to bake stuff, you can get real ovens, but they're fairly small, and not built into the apartment, and usually combined with a microwave oven. Any decent appliance store sells them for around 30,000 yen. You're not going to cook a turkey in it, but if you want to bake a small cake it's perfect.
      - themaninthedark 2y ago
        Yes, they are meant for grilling fish but they can be the world's tiniest oven if you believe enough(or just use a thermometer probe for temperature adjustment!) My recollection of the countertop oven is that it would fit half a small size turkey...for we did do that one year.
- flemhans 2y ago
  Rented a flat in Tokyo for a month too as a tourist. But it wasn't cheap. Around $1500/month, in 2011. But it was 3 rooms, and very nice. So maybe not so bad, actually? But then again, it was many years ago.
  - Foobar8568 2y ago
    3 rooms, in Tokyo, for a month, is bloody cheap unless I miss something.
    - MichaelZuo 2y ago
      Pretty much all non-luxury housing in Tokyo is built to a much lower standard than equivalent housing built in say Canada or the US in the same time period. Much thinner wall insulation, single glazed windows (until recently), much smaller elevators in high rises, etc… So on a quality and square footage adjusted basis it’s still quite expensive.
      - shiroiushi 2y ago
        Not really: the difference is that "lower standard" housing of the same age simply doesn't exist in the US. You want a small, 20-30 year old apartment in a decent building with small elevators and everything is maintained well and isn't broken, and you don't want roommates, and at an affordable price for you on your non-tech job paycheck? You can't have that in a decent American city; it doesn't exist. It's either some very expensive "luxury" apartment (where stuff is still broken, but hey, it has granite countertops and new appliances that'll break down in a year!) where you'll need roommates, or some nasty shithole (where you'll probably still need a rooomate).
        MichaelZuo 2y ago
        There are no middle class to upper middle class condominiums in the urban areas of any US city? Families settling down in a decent 3 or 4 bedroom condo is rarer in the US than Canada, but it can’t possibly be zero.

lIl-IIIl 2y ago

The author was able to get an apartment and shared the website and the reddit thread be used to find it.

shiroiushi 2y ago
I see now. Looking at the site, those kinds of apartments are called "monthly mansions"; I stayed in one when I first came here before I could find a real apartment. These places are very small, and furnished, so perfect for someone only staying 3 or 6 months. But they're quite expensive for what you get. But if you're only staying 6 months, it's perfect.

Klonoar 2y ago

> they'll be stuck in hotels the entire time they're here. Eh, Tokyo has plenty of monthly apartment rentals that are effectively corporate rentals that you can do without a residence card. (I used to do this before having an actual visa there) It's functionally better than a hotel, insofar as it doesn't read or act as one.

shiroiushi 2y ago
True, and it generally has better amenities than a hotel too: a kitchen (though tiny), fridge, microwave, stove (no oven though), clothes washer, maybe a vacuum, etc. Also importantly, a mailbox, so you can receive deliveries (and in newer places, there's an automated delivery box system).
- tayo42 2y ago
  > stove (no oven though) Maybe I'm misremembering but I thought that was typical for Japanese homes?
  - shiroiushi 2y ago
    Yes, unlike Americans who apparently absolutely need to bake a whole turkey on a regular basis, Japanese don't normally bake stuff at home, so Japanese homes (at least in the big cities) don't normally come with built-in ovens. There's no space in Tokyo apartments for the comically-large ovens that are common in America, and the cuisine people make here doesn't normally need one, just a stovetop. For baked goods, people usually just buy them at the grocery store or bakery or other specialty shop.
- themaninthedark 2y ago
  They have ovens...just super tiny and meant for fish only https://www.yamada-denkiweb.com/category/202/006/001/ https://www.yamada-denkiweb.com/category/202/006/001/
  - shiroiushi 2y ago
    Those are "grills". If you want to bake stuff, you can get real ovens, but they're fairly small, and not built into the apartment, and usually combined with a microwave oven. Any decent appliance store sells them for around 30,000 yen. You're not going to cook a turkey in it, but if you want to bake a small cake it's perfect.
    - themaninthedark 2y ago
      Yes, they are meant for grilling fish but they can be the world's tiniest oven if you believe enough(or just use a thermometer probe for temperature adjustment!) My recollection of the countertop oven is that it would fit half a small size turkey...for we did do that one year.
flemhans 2y ago
Rented a flat in Tokyo for a month too as a tourist. But it wasn't cheap. Around $1500/month, in 2011. But it was 3 rooms, and very nice. So maybe not so bad, actually? But then again, it was many years ago.
- Foobar8568 2y ago
  3 rooms, in Tokyo, for a month, is bloody cheap unless I miss something.
  - MichaelZuo 2y ago
    Pretty much all non-luxury housing in Tokyo is built to a much lower standard than equivalent housing built in say Canada or the US in the same time period. Much thinner wall insulation, single glazed windows (until recently), much smaller elevators in high rises, etc… So on a quality and square footage adjusted basis it’s still quite expensive.
    - shiroiushi 2y ago
      Not really: the difference is that "lower standard" housing of the same age simply doesn't exist in the US. You want a small, 20-30 year old apartment in a decent building with small elevators and everything is maintained well and isn't broken, and you don't want roommates, and at an affordable price for you on your non-tech job paycheck? You can't have that in a decent American city; it doesn't exist. It's either some very expensive "luxury" apartment (where stuff is still broken, but hey, it has granite countertops and new appliances that'll break down in a year!) where you'll need roommates, or some nasty shithole (where you'll probably still need a rooomate).
      - MichaelZuo 2y ago
        There are no middle class to upper middle class condominiums in the urban areas of any US city? Families settling down in a decent 3 or 4 bedroom condo is rarer in the US than Canada, but it can’t possibly be zero.