Welcome. This is the English side of the Sakura no Fudosan R5 blog. We are a real estate office in Sapporo, Hokkaido.
Room Hunting, Then and Now
How did people in Japan find a place to live before smartphones? A slow, month-long series tracing room hunting from the Edo period (1603–1868) to today. Start with the Prologue and read down.
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Could You Find a Room Without a Smartphone? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Prologue
Before smartphones, how did people in Japan find a place to live? The prologue to our series.
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Why Is the “For Rent” Sign Crooked? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ①
A “for rent” slip pasted at an angle, 300 years ago. Why crooked? Even the dictionaries don’t say.
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Did Edo Japan Have Guarantee Companies? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ②
No one to act as your guarantor? In Edo Japan, you could pay for one. A 300-year-old idea.
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Would You Pass Tenant Screening in Edo? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ③
No credit bureaus, no internet. Edo landlords went asking around your old neighborhood instead.
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How Big Was a One-Room Home in Edo? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ④
The smallest Edo row-house unit was about 10 square meters: six tatami mats, no bath, shared well an…
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Edo Rent: How Many Bowls of Soba? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ⑤
Rent for the smallest Edo row-house unit was about 300 mon a month, roughly 19 bowls of soba, and ab…
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The Edo Landlord Was a Hired Manager | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ⑥
The famous row-house “landlord” of Edo did not own the building. He was a yamori, a manager paid to …
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The Edo Well Was Not Groundwater? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ⑦
The shared well of an Edo row house was the outlet of a city water system. Plus the yearly well clea…
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In Edo, You Could Rent Your Bedding | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ⑧
Edo had rental shops called sonryōya that lent out clothes, bedding and utensils. Owning less in a t…
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How Many Great Fires Did Edo Have? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ⑨
More than 100 great fires in 264 years. What it meant to rent a home in a city that burned, and how …
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Edo vs. Today: What Has Changed in Room Hunting? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Edo ⑩
For-rent signs, guarantors, screening by asking the neighbours, a 10 m² room for 300 mon a month. A …
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No Guarantor? Can You Still Rent in Japan? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Today ①
No one to ask to be your guarantor in Japan? I checked the options against government, UR and Sappor…
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What Was “Shikikin” Originally? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Meiji ①
The Japanese word for a rental deposit, shikikin, has six meanings in the dictionary, including a do…
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Move-in Costs: Which Money Comes Back? | Room Hunting, Then and Now: Today ②
Want to keep move-in costs down when renting in Japan? First sort them into money you deposit, money…
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Please note: Lease contracts and the legally required explanation of important matters (jūyō jikō setsumei) are provided in Japanese.