Wow, someone actually reads my articles!

Tokidoki AND Seerasan moving content around the same time! It’s actually interesting to see what goes into planning and setting it up.

If you want morning light, biggest windows should face East, want afternoon sun, they should face West.
Want sun the whole-ish day? Then, since you are in Japan, the biggest windows need to face South.
GOOD LUCK SARAH! No idea how to say your name, btw

My friend described moving in Japan like, "bashing your head against a brick wall while you rip up 10000 yen notes".

Collab video with @TokyoPortfolio when? 👀That would a fun series, documenting apartment viewings! I liked the one Sharla did with him.

Ahhhh I am in no way mentally or financially ready for this big change, but excited nonetheless! If you have ANY tips/advice/tricks etc. PLEASE LET ME KNOW 🩷🥺
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So it is time for Sarah to make video touring apartments with Tokyo Portfolio.

So far we've moved and lived/ stayed long-term in 8 countries..and it's pretty much ALWAYS stressful AF. Hahaha.
When we first moved to Asia, we were planning to live in Japan. After reading into how absolutely insane it seemed, and because we were moving with a pet, it seemed damn near impossible. We ended up moving to Vietnam instead! Spent a year there, followed by 8 months in Malaysia. Although we both absolutely loved living there, I can't help but wonder what life would have been like, had we moved to Japan instead. We fell in love with it when we visited, and can't wait to spend a few more months there soon!

Excited to follow along and watch this moving journey. 😊

NOT you and Emma timing your moves hahahaha

When I went looking for a house to buy, my list was:

No more than 10 min from a station
Tall ceilings and/or open floor plan (Japanese houses tend to have a bunch of tiny rooms and I get a little claustrophobic)
Some natural light, but also privacy
In a  neighborhood with a lot of restaurants/izakaya/local character
Central 23 Wards
Preferably not on a terrible commuter train line. (I ended up compromising on this one, as I'm on one of the busiest morning commuter lines)
No shared walls or thin walls
No monthly payments, repair, or condo fees. And land that is capable of being rebuilt on.

I got MOST of what I wanted!

Prio 1:
Personal Onsen Jacuzzi!

We just moved to Tokyo, and north-east Tokyo is not bad! 3LDK for under 250k, and it meets ALL of your wants, even the negotiables. There's a 24hr gym within 5 mins walk, station within 10mins, 7 supermarkets within 10 mins walk (lol), and only 10+ mins commute o Otemachi. I feel it's a very underrated neighbourhood to live in

As someone who lived next to an airport and now lives next to a station because it didn't bother me when I visited it, seek quiet areas and make sure they are dead quiet.
During the day with all the noise, the other noises just blend in, but if you're trying to sleep or watch TV, they are super annoying (and would be annoying for filming)

Yes to a nearby gym!! So important, glad you’re prioritizing that and proud of you for sticking to it

I totally agree with your "wants" and I think a thick wall is one of the most important factors since I experienced how awful the life can actually be when you have a noisy neighbor, which is out of your control.😂

Ikea has a 3D visualizer for smartphones where you can place objects in real space. That can be helpful to get things checked prior to the deal.

For me, the absolute only must have is… good water pressure! If the shower is perfect, then everything else is gravy.

FYI, if you decide to buy an electric cooker from let's say walmart so you don't use "gas", you can a portable power source call, "bluetti" and I think it comes with solar panel to help you charge that power unit. Hope that helps. :)

The gym has also become a big part of my life. We live slightly out of Tokyo, bordering Souka city in Saitama. Supermarket only 2 mins away by foot, no lights, 7 mins from the station, although it’s ground floor, it’s allowed us to both enjoy owning a treadmill and a power rack. We are both on a budget, so a 52m2 1LDK ‘mansion’ for 92k yen was a nice price for a few compromises yet also a few lifestyle upgrades.

We were lucky that both apartments we moved into accepted foreigners as long as they could speak decent Japanese.

I wish you all the luck on your apartment search!

Damn, moving in Japan sounds like a nightmare, didn't know about all those extra costs but not surprised given the nature of Japan. Very reasonable non-negotiables, I recently moved to Japan to move back in with my mum for a bit but when I was in Australia, I had the same mindset as you where I splurged a bit more to live in a super good suburb and a nice apartment