For many people, including myself, this will be their first time apartment-hunting and living alone. I'd love to hear from current and previous JETs about navigating this process. I'm not sure how other folks are feeling, but with placements coming out so late, I'm worried about finding a nice apartment in time.
A few questions to guide you:
- How costly was it for you?
- How did you find and screen apartments?
- How long did the process take?
- What things did you consider when choosing an apartment, and what things did you wish you considered?
- What about your new apartment was unexpected?
- What would you do differently if you had to do it again?
- What level of involvement did the previous ALT and your school have in this process?
…and anything else you think is worth knowing. If you could include your placement (prefecture and whether you were rural, suburban, city, etc.) as part of your response, as well, that would be amazing!
Thank you so much, and I hope this starts a useful discussion for all of the incoming folks 🙂
Edit: On a personal level, someone said they heard you usually get ASSIGNED housing. What if I don't like the one they suggest and want to go for a different apartment? Has anyone gone through that process?
by honeypit219