The number of international students and overseas researchers at the University of Tokyo continues to increase every year. Finding housing is an important aspect for your stay in Japan, yet many international students and researchers face hardship finding housing that fits their needs. This is due to the scarce availability of housing for internationals, and the culture-specific customs and situation of finding housing in Japan that is at first difficult to understand.

For this reason, we have sought cooperation from a local real estate agency to jointly create a guidebook for international students and researchers searching for off-campus housing. In this guidebook, we have collected the questions and concerns raised by international students and researchers towards the University of Tokyo staff members and local real estate agencies. We also introduce tips to find housing, and Japanese culture specific customs and systems to keep in mind during your search process. This guidebook contains a wealth of information to better understand Japanese culture, and will be useful to not only those who are currently looking for housing, but to also those who have already found housing in Japan.

We truly hope that this guidebook will help you find your desired housing, and that you would be able to fully enjoy your pursuits of academics and research at the University of Tokyo.

The University of Tokyo