I nearly did not notice the day, but it has now been one year since I moved into my new apartment.

For the first year I was in Fukuoka, I was in an apartment provided via a contract with my Japanese school. After my school year was up, I needed to find new accommodations. A classmate was moving out around the same time and recommend their old place which worked out great since it was the same management company as my initial apartment which made all the paperwork easy.

I was in my second apartment for about six years. It was located in a great place, near a supermarket and subway station and fairly central to everything I needed. I had no real complaints with the place but eventually I decided I wanted more space and I wanted to adopt some cats so I needed to find a new place.

I did some preliminary looking via some websites and realtors but it can be hard to find a place that meets your requirements. In addition, as a foreigner, I had to listen while the realtor called on the phones and asked “do you accept foreigners” and knew that I was NOT going to enjoy trying to find a guarantor to vouch for me.

Japan has a lot of pamphlets that get stuffed into your mailbox every day, but as luck would have it, I got a pamphlet for a place nearby that looked like it covered most of my requirements. Over the next few months, I consulted with friends and coworkers about the process and decided to pursue the new apartment.

It has now been one year since I moved into my new apartment. There are a few minor things I wish were a bit different, and a few minor things that probably need attention, but overall I am still happy with my decision. It is nice to have my own space and being able to adopt cats has been a net positive for my well being.