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After the Second World War the life of Japanese people changed to a great extent. Large numbers of people moved from the countryside to urban cities to make a living. Eventually cities grew in size and population. Also, larger numbers of people began to commute from their homes in the suburbs to their offices in central areas. A traditional Japanese household consists of three or more generations of the same family living together in one house. Urban households today usually consist of parents and children and grandparents living elsewhere.

Housing

Traditional Japanese houses are made of wood and sustained by wooden pillars, but contemporary homes usually have Western-style rooms with wooden flooring and are constructed with steel pillars. Large numbers of families in urban areas live in large, reinforced concrete apartment buildings.

Two notable differences between Japanese houses and western homes are that shoes are not worn inside a Japanese house and that at least one room is designed in the Japanese style with a Tatami floor where a straw mat is placed on the floor. Shoes are taken off when entering a house to keep the floor clean. The Genkan, or entrance, serves as the place for removing, storing, and putting on shoes. People prefer wearing slippers as they are easy to remove and wear.

Tatami's are mats made of a thick base of straw and have been used in Japanese homes for 600 years. A sole Tatami usually measures 1.91 by 0.95 meters, and room sizes are often measured in terms of the number of Tatami mats. A Tatami floor remains cool in the summer and warm in the winter, and stays fresh even in humid months.

In big cities there are many good options for housing. There are many furnished and unfurnished apartments available as well as apartments that cater to executives and expatriates such as serviced apartments. In addition, homes for rent can be found in the suburbs. Similarly, at any given moment a number of homes and apartments are for sale. If a foreigner visits Japan with a limited amount of money, he/she may want to stay at a "Gaijin house." "Gaijin" means foreigner. A Gaijin house is a dormitory that caters to foreigners. Some people stay in these houses permanently, rather than pay the full cost for an apartment.

If one is looking for an apartment in Japan, there are several points to keep in mind.

Rent

The amount of rent is dependent upon the nature of the apartment, the size of the apartment and the apartment's location. In a metropolitan area, one has to typically pay around 70,000 yen a month for a standard 1-room apartment. The smaller the city, the lower the rent.

Size

Japanese rooms are measured by "Tatami" where each Tatami mat is 6 feet by 3 feet. A standard room is 6 mats, or 9 feet by 12 feet. Some rooms are as small as three tatami, others as big as 9 or even 12. Many apartments have no tatami and are carpeted, but they are still measured in "tatami," as determined by square footage.

Location

There are many commuter trains and train stations in Japan; one will have at least a few choices of train lines, with stations. Ideally you should look for a location with a supermarket and/or convenience store nearby as well. Zoning is not followed in Japan; usually one can find a small factory or truck loading area on the other side of the block.

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