МЫ УЕЗЖАЕМ! Шокирующие правила аренды жилья в Японии

Moving situation + why they’re moving again

• The hosts are relocating for their 8th time in ~15 years living in Japan.
• Previously, they lived in Fukuoka for 4 years in a ~40-year-old rental house (about 99 m²), but had to leave because the rental had a maximum 7-year limit—ending the owners’ plans for the property.
• They stress Japan’s strict expectations around moving out, including landlord rules and possible repairs/fees if the home isn’t restored properly.

Travel/area highlights (Fukuoka life)

They chose Fukuoka (the largest city in southern Japan, on Kyushu / Shu island) because of:

• energy and a youthful atmosphere
• green streets
• delicious food
• closeness to nature

They say they’ll stay in Fukuoka and not change cities soon—only moving to a new house within the same area.

Renting a Japanese home: major “rules” and costs

Common rental conditions they mention

• Many rentals are listed as unfurnished (sometimes no lamps/lighting and sometimes no air conditioning).
• Key entry requirement:
  • stable job / salary (even freelancers can struggle to qualify)
• They require a:
  • guarantor (in their case, the husband’s father)
  • sometimes also a guarantor company that covers rent if the tenant can’t pay

Upfront costs can be huge

Upfront costs they mention include:

• down payment equal to about 3 to 10 months of rent
• typical components such as:
  • roughly 2 months rent in advance
  • a security deposit for repairs/cleaning (often 1–2 months rent equivalent)
  • cleaning fees, key replacement/change fees, and real estate agent fees
  • sometimes a non-refundable “gift” to the owner, equal to one or more months’ rent

Their specific experience

• They paid nearly $9,000 including a 4-month gift (non-refundable) and no deposit in their case.
• They learned that some landlords prefer taking a gift instead of a returnable deposit.
• They warn that if you can’t restore the home exactly as required, landlords may charge extra repair costs—and you generally can’t modify things freely (for example, repainting, putting up wallpaper, or even drilling/adding holes).

Their health/lifestyle routine angle (minimalist approach)

• They describe a “minimalist” habit:
  • before buying something new, throw out one old item
• Even so, they still accumulate enough items that moving requires substantial sorting and packing.

No explicit workout/health routine is described beyond this lifestyle mindset.

Packing/moving logistics + furniture disposal strategy

• The hardest part of moving is packing everything you’ve accumulated.
• Their recurring approach:
  • sell furniture each time they move

Example:

• They decided to get rid of an IKEA sofa, and their cats were stressed/shocked because it felt like something big was happening.

Moving-company help

Moving companies handle heavy items such as:

• refrigerator
• washing machine
• large shelves

Cats + a “nightmare” incident during the move

• During cleaning, their cats disappeared overnight.
• They later realized that while sweeping dust out to the street, they used a back door that wasn’t properly locked.
• One cat jumped into a box, the box fell, and the box opened the door, letting the cats run outside.
• The cats were likely missing for hours, despite treats and calling.
• When they returned, the cats hissed at each other for two days.

Moving fear

With this next move, they worry the cats could escape again, so they emphasize:

• they keep cats indoors
• there are street cats nearby

Restoring the rental before leaving (wallpaper + repairs)

They stress that even small damage can lead to charges, including:

• the landlord may change wallpaper at your expense
• they may withhold/charge beyond any deposits

Damage they found to repair

• wallpaper scratches from cats jumping onto a windowsill
• a broken toilet door handle (it would spin endlessly; the husband removed/knocked it off)
• likely additional room wear in areas where wallpaper differs

Wallpaper plan (DIY attempt)

• They watched YouTube tutorials and decided to:
  • partially remove old wallpaper
  • apply new wallpaper
• The problem:
  • they couldn’t find the exact same color/pattern, so the repair looked noticeably different.
• Their takeaway:
  • wallpapering isn’t too hard,
  • but it’s best only if you can match the wallpaper exactly, otherwise repairs can be obvious and may not help.

What the rental was like (pros/cons)

Pros

• spacious compared to typical Japanese rentals (99 m²)
• big windows
• traditional Japanese-house exterior they liked
• a garden (though small)

Cons

• the second floor was hard to use due to very poor thermal insulation (they describe it like a “bathhouse” interior)
• lots of shadow in the area; not much grew
• frequent insects and cockroaches over the 4 years

New home: big upgrade after buying

• They “bought a house” in Fukuoka after spending 4 years looking.
• They mention a 35-year loan (details deferred to another video).
• Their new home is:
  • the biggest they’ve ever lived in
  • two floors
  • six rooms total, including a Japanese room
  • very high ceilings (unlike typical Japanese houses)

They also note:

• high ceilings
• the back/yard area didn’t impress them at first, but now feels normal
• very spacious bathrooms
• the house still needs cleanup since previous owners lived there about 12 years, leaving wallpaper worn/torn in places (they plan to address later)

Cats adapting

• Cats initially hide under the bed.
• They temporarily release the cats near the bed so they can hide if needed.
• The move is ongoing (Day 3 still includes scattered/dirty areas, unpacking, and organizing the pantry/space).

Notable locations, products, and people mentioned

Locations

• Fukuoka, Tokyo, Kyushu (southern Japan, island/“Shu”)
• references to nearby sea and mountains

Rental house details

• traditional older Japanese house, ~40 years old
• 99 m²
• rent around 130,000 yen/month (~$900)

Products

• IKEA sofa
• household items they sold/moved included large appliances (refrigerator, washing machine) and shelving

People/Speakers

• Terichan (host) and Izumi (partner/husband)
• Haru and Aki (cats)
• Izumi’s dad (guarantor)