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R San's Profile
Came to Japan in August, 2006 (but previously spent a year and a half in Japan) Australian Graduate Student Housing: Apartment Commute: 5 minute walk to school
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TB -- Nice to meet you.
R San -- Nice to meet you, too.
TB -- When did you arrive in Japan?
R San -- I arrived in the fall of 2006. But I also lived in Kyoto for a year and a half.
TB -- Your Japanese is great.
R San -- Thank you.
TB -- Can you speak any other languages?
R San -- Yeah, including Japanese I speakﾉ6.
TB -- Wow! So, can I ask you a few questions about your apartment?
R San -- - Yeah, I just signed the contract for a place actually. (Shows a map)
TB -- Congratulations! Wowﾉand your campus is just a stone's throw away! Very nice.
R San -- Yeah, it's great.
TB -- How did you find it? Did you use the internet?
R San -- No, I went to almost all of the real estate agents in my area. The deposit for my current place was a month's rest, key money was a month, and commission was half a month's rent. Actually, the key money was originally one and a half month's rent, but I negotiated with them and got it down to just one month's worth.
TB -- That's great! Did your level of Japanese help make the process go more smoothly then?
R San -- Well, at that particular agency I had no problems. But some other real estate agencies said that because I am a foreigner, I would have to pay double for deposit and key money. Also, at one place they only showed me apartments for over my budget, after asking me what my budget was!
TB -- Are you serious? That's terrible.
R San -- Yeah, deposit, key money, commissionﾉthey make the initial costs of moving so expensive. I think it's really hard for most students. Also, the contents of the lease contract are really difficult to understand.
TB -- Well, our aim at Transborders is to make it easier and find reasonable prices for exchange students.
R San -- That would be great. I was really relieved when I finally decided on my apartment.
TB -- I'm happy to hear that. Thanks for talking to me today, and for sharing your experiences on some sensitive issues you had to go through. It really helps me figure out where to focus my goals.
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