Housing/Daily Life

Deciding on housing

Housing is called “jyuutaku”. There are three kinds of housing

• Public Housing(kouteki jyuutaku)
  Housing that one rents from the city or prefecture.
• Rental Housing(chintai jyuutaku)
  Housing that one rents from an estate agent.
• Own Housing (mochiya)
  Housing that you have bought and privately own.

Public Housing

In the case of city or prefecture managed housing, there are prefectural housing, municipal housing and town managed housing.

Persons receiving a substantial salary may not be to rent these kinds of housing.

Information lines for prefectural housing (this information is able to be heard 24hours a day, any day)

• Chubu, central area (Shizuoka City, Yaizu City, Fujieda City etc.)  TEL: 054-255-4181
• Toubu, eastern area (Fuji City, Numazu City, Mishima City etc.)  TEL: 055-924-2901
• Seibu, western area (Hamamatsu City, Kikugawa City, Kakegawa City etc.)  TEL: 053-455-2366
• Seibu, western area Portuguese line TEL: 053-489-9411

Contact for questions regarding prefectural housing

• Chubu, central area
  Shizuoka Prefecture Housing Supply Corporation, department of housing service TEL:054-255-4824
  Portuguese available Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday 8:30-17:15
  Portuguese service – Shizuoka Prefecture, Shimada Civil Engineering Office TEL:0547-37-5271 (Wednesdays only)

• Toubu, eastern area
  Shizuoka Prefecture Housing Supply Corporation, Toubu branch office TEL:055-920-2271
  Portuguese available Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:15

• Seibu, western area
  Shizuoka Prefecture Housing Supply Corporation, Seibu branch office TEL:053-455-0025
  Portuguese available Monday to Friday, 8:30-17:15

Portuguese, Spanish website：http://www.sjkk.or.jp/kenei/

Rental Housing, Own Housing

If you inform the estate agents of the amount of rent that you are able to pay, the size of apartment you would like to live in, the distance of the apartment from the station and so on, they will show you some suitable apartments and flats.

You must tell the estate agent your name, employment, the number of people living with you, your salary and whether you have a guarantor, etc.

When renting a home, you will need money sufficient for 5-6months rent.

In the case of buying a home, please also enquire to an estate agency.

Joint guarantor (rentaihoshounin)

A guarantor is someone who will pay the rent, in place of the tenant, in the case of the tenant being unable to pay rent.

Documents required at the time of making a housing contract

Resident card (jyuuminhyo), passport, proof of earnings (shotoku shoumeishou), certificate of student registration (zaigaku shoumeishou), proof of earnings of your joint guarantor, certificate of registered seal, and so on.

Persons intending to return to their own country or move,

must inform their landlord or estate agent, two months in advance.

Preparation for moving in

When you have decided on your housing and completed your rental contract,

you will need to apply for electricity, gas and water. You also need to apply to change the address on your resident card.

Please apply for electricity, gas and water, before you move into your apartment.

When you complete your rental contract, you will receive the key for your apartment.

You must return the key to the estate agents, when you stop living in the apartment.

Please do not lose the apartment key. In the case of losing the apartment key, please contact the estate agent immediately.

• Please apply to the electricity company for electricity, gas company for gas, and to the city hall for water.
• If you rent an apartment, there will be no furniture or curtains. Please buy them yourself.
• You will need to change the address on your resident card and residence card, when you move. Please apply at the city hall.

Things to take note of in daily life

Neighbourhood Association (chounaikai) ・Residents’ Association (jichikai)

In towns there are neighbourhood and residents’ associations.

Everyone reads the circular notice (kairanban), containing information necessary for daily life and district notices,

and takes part in emergency drills and festivals, etc..

You need to pay a fee to join the neighbourhood and residents’associations.

Joining the associations is a useful way to get to know and interact with your neighbours, and help each other.

Refuse collection

The day and time of refuse collection, and the way in which refuse is separated,

differs from district to district. Usually refuse is separated as following:

1. Burnables (paper, food)
2. Unburnables (metal, glass, plastics, etc.)
3. Recycling (newspapers, magazines)

You will have to pay money, in order to throw away large electrical appliances such as televisions and washing machines.

Please refer to the refuse collection pamphlet available at the city hall, for rules concerning refuse collection.

Noise consideration

Please do not make a loud noise or shout in a loud voice.

When living in an apartment with other residents, the following 1-3 will cause a nuisance to others. Please be careful.

1. Listening to music or the television, at a loud volume.
2. Using your vacuum cleaner or washing machine at night.
3. Talking in a loud voice.

Moving

In the case of moving, persons renting an abode, must inform their landlord or estate agents two months before the date of moving.

Please contact the appropriate companies and city hall, two or three days before moving, in order to stop electricity, gas and water services.

You must clean the apartment and not leave anything to be thrown away, behind.

Persons renting an apartment must return the key to the old apartment to the landlord or estate agents.

When you have moved to your new residence, you must go to the city hall and make an application to change the address on your residents card and residence card.

Please leave the inside and outside of your old residence, in its original state-the same as when you first moved in.

If you make any holes in the walls, or break any windows, you must pay the money to repair them.