The first thing you think about after being told what town you will live in is what will my living situation be like? Getting an apartment in Japan can often be a costly process with various non-refundable deposits that don’t exist back home. Most ALT’s get to avoid these fees because their contracting organizations arrange their accommodations. Sometimes ALT’s in big cities pay a lot of rent for a tiny Japanese apartment. Many fortunate ALT’s get subsidized apartments, and a few get to live totally rent free.
After learning about the actual apartment/house, the next question is that of furniture. When I was an ALT, I was the seventh or eighth teacher to live in the same apartment, and so I inherited a large amount of stuff. My predecessor had purchased very little, so I didn’t have to pay for anything. This was definitely a blessing, but I was often frustrated by how much stuff I had that I couldn’t really throw anything away because it was property of the board of education.
Often times, the outgoing ALT has purchased a substantial amount of furniture/appliances and tries to sell everything to his/her predecessor. Of course, the successor may not want everything, but when it’s already in place, it’s a good idea to negotiate. Occasionally, a new ALT doesn’t have a predecessor and has to furnish an apartment from scratch. In our case, Becky had a predecessor, but we didn’t move into the same apartment that she lived in. So we purchased a few, key appliances from her, and decided to start from scratch on most everything else. We’re feeling a little like refugees at the moment, but hopefully that changes as we acquire some furniture.
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| Our front door |
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| Our neglected "back yard" |
