33rd Asakusa Samba Festival (2014)

Last year I traveled many hours to get to Tokyo so that I could see the annual Asakusa Carnival Contest (浅草サンバカーニバレコンテスト) for the first time. I hadn't really prepared well for it, so I also had to watch while standing in a crowd of old Japanese men constantly snapping photos. This year, all I had to do was take a quick train ride and once there I was able to enjoy it with friends.

Enjoying the event with some Tokyo friends

Samba Carnival dancers (called passistas) dance down the street

For anyone unfamiliar with Rio de Janeiro's Carnival, or Carnival events in general, it may be a bit eye-opening to see some of the skimpy costumes the samba dancers wear. Perhaps this aspect of the event may even offend some conservative folks. If it does, I apologize but personally, I just view it as a reflection of Brazilian culture and tradition. It doesn't bother me at all. Anyway, I have no intention of discussing this point; instead I thought I would just mention it considering the nature of these photos.

Asakusa is a old cultural district of Tokyo located just northeast of the city center. It's very well-known for Sensoji Temple and various festivals throughout the year. Apparently there is also a significant Brazilian presence in the area which may explain why the Samba Carnival festival is held in this location.

A young woman dressed in a costumes inspired by Japanese pop-culture

I don't know what's going on here, but this picture amuses me

I went into a lot of detail in my post from last year regarding how the contest works but here's an overview: various samba groups participate in a large parade and compete by presenting the most creative and interesting themes through their elaborate costumes and floats, energetic music, and of course, samba dancing. 

The dance teams are impressive to watch

Carnival is all about lively expressions, attitudes, gestures, and movements

Many children also participate in the event

Teams are judged on the following aspects: (1) representation of theme, (2) dynamism (3) costume design, (4) performance, (5) dancing, and (6) overall evaluation. In this year's parade, the team "G.R.E.S. Uniao Dos Amadores" won first place again as they did the previous year.

The event is held on the last Saturday of August during most of the day, and takes place on Umamichi Street (starting near Nitenmon Gate of Sensoji Temple) and turning onto Kaminarimon Street where it eventually ends. For more information about the event including updates on upcoming dates, here is the official website: www.asakusa-samba.org (Japanese).

Moving to Tokyo!

I pinched open the curtain just enough to get a quick look outside without disturbing the other sleeping passengers. It was early dawn; the streets were quiet and peaceful. It brought back fond memories of all the early mornings I spent watching the sunrise. I thought of the elderly men who faithfully rode their bicycles out to the docks and cast their fishing lines into the sea. I would always pass by them on my way to my favorite spot to watch the sun come up over the sea. Suddenly, the bus stopped as we arrived at Aomori Station.

One of my favorites places in Aomori

I had just returned from a quick Tokyo trip with the purpose of finding a new apartment. I had already moved out of my place in Aomori and had all my belongings locked up in my old apartment’s outside storage unit. Fortunately, the new tenant was a fellow co-worker who let me to do this temporarily while I was between apartments. Also fortunate was that my upstairs neighbor, also a previous co-worker, was going to let me stay at his home for the next few days. And yet another piece of good fortune was the timing of all this which allowed me to see this years Nebuta Festival before making my final departure out of Aomori. Best of all, my mission was a great success. In just four quick days I had found a new apartment, completed all of the necessary documents, and signed everything to make it official.

Moving from Aomori to Tokyo

Before going to Tokyo for my apartment search, I had done a good amount of online research and preparation. Previously, my employer had arranged all of my apartment matters for me so all I had to do was sign a few documents and pay my rent every month. But this time, I was on my own.

My old apartment in Aomori -- I really loved this place

Renting in Japan - Process and Costs

Renting in Japan is much different than renting in the US. It's almost always done through real estate agents and companies rather than directly by landlords. I also discovered that it can be a much more challenging and frustrating process. Discrimination is part of life when it comes to renting here and many landlords will simply refuse to rent to foreigners, or at least certain kinds of foreigners.

When I was at each real estate office browsing through pages of properties for rent, the real estate agent would have to phone the landlord's agent to confirm availability. In my experience, the usual order of questions was first, "Is the property currently available?", which if yes was followed by, "Are foreigners allowed?" Sad to say, the answer was often, "no," but even when foreigners were allowed it was usually dependent upon nationality and occupation.

Learning about this process from the initial stages of research all the way to signing the lease documents was stressful. I had to do nearly everything using Japanese and it was time consuming, not to mention expensive. When it comes to finally signing for a new apartment, there are many extra fees and costs associated with renting in Japan. The most common fees include: chūkai tesūryō (仲介手数料, broker's fee), shikikin (敷金, security deposit), reikin (礼金, key money), hoshōnin kaisha (保証人会社数料, Guarantor company fee--for foreigners), and tetsukeikin (手付金, reservation deposit). Of course these do not include yachin (家賃, monthly rent), kanri-hi (管理費, monthly maintenance fees), or mandatory fire insurance fees. Just how much each of these costs depends on many factors; it's common for many of these to be equal to at least one month's rent but may not be the case in certain situations. In my situation I got a relatively excellent deal on my place, but admittedly the total startup costs still crippled me financially for the following few months.

My Apartment Search

When I arrived in Tokyo I had already had a full schedule planned out. My first day I had scheduled times to meet with people at some of the biggest real estate agencies in Tokyo. It was the most exhausting day but it paved the way for everything else. 

After figuring out what features were most important to me and discussing locations and other factors, they showed me dozens of available places. After selecting many which I was interested in, the agent contacted the landlords' agents to confirm availability. As I explained above, I had to sit there as the agent crossed off listings that wouldn't rent to foreigners and circle those that would. This was the process at each of the four places I went on the first day. For available properties I was especially interested in, I was able to make quick visits in person to check them out. 

At the end of the day, there was one place that easily stood out above all others. I spent a lot of time thinking about it and realized I better go for it. I knew that good places get rented out very quickly in Tokyo, and I didn't want to lose out. I also remembered something a friend told me earlier; he said, "don't look for a place that checks every box on your list; look for a place that checks most." I took out my phone and sent an email to the agent explaining that I decided to commit to the apartment.

North view from Nakano Station, my place is just 10 mins walk from here

The next morning I got a confirmation email and the rest is history. I cancelled all of my other planned visits and went back to the agent to start the process, which actually took three days to complete. On my last day I signed the final papers and with some hesitation brought a big pile of cash to the agent. Six days later I would get the key and move in.

By the way, these real estate agents will harass you constantly to rent through their company. I kept getting calls and my email inbox was flooded daily with emails trying to persuade me to broker a deal through their agency and not the others. It was extremely annoying, and even after I told them I had made a final decision, they still have the nerve to send a few more emails asking me if I was sure about it and/or to recommend them to friends.

My New Home

My new apartment is located in the Nakano Ward of Tokyo. It is one of 23 such special wards, which make up the most populated, core areas of Tokyo. I chose the location based on time and ease of commute to work, proximity to the major Tokyo areas, and several specific features like availability of nearby gyms. Nakano is known to be a pretty expensive area to live in, but I got a truly great deal on my place.

One of the streets near my home

I'm living on the second floor of a new two-story building, in a good location near the train station. Since the building is only about 10 years old, it was built within the most modern construction regulations (earthquake-safe) and is very clean. Since I'm living on the second floor, I have no upstairs neighbors to worry about either. Everything I need is easily within walking distance, including grocery stores, shopping, the library, a couple good parks, gyms, and so on. It takes me about 10 minutes to get to and from the train station, and everything else is mostly between the station and my home which is very convenient.

Not much to look at from the exterior, but it's a pretty new building

The apartment is considered a "1K" which basically means it has one room plus a kitchen. However, it's not quite as basic as that description might lead you to believe. When you walk in there is a small entrance space for shoes and such. This space is connected to the tiny kitchen area. It's small size is pretty much an unavoidable part of life for apartments in this location and price range. Nonetheless, I've adapted quickly and it hasn't been a problem. Off to the side of the kitchen is the bathroom area which is one of the amazing features here. The bath, toilet, and sink are all separate and quite nice. The bath section and toilet sections have windows, and the sink has a fantastic vanity. Straight from the kitchen area is a sliding door which leads to the main room. This is my living room, and has a huge closet and loft where I have my bed. I'm not able to decorate my place yet so it may look simple, but that will come soon enough.

It's pretty basic but works for me!

Kitchen and bathroom spaces

For months I didn't have any furniture to speak of, but suddenly one of my buddies was moving out of Tokyo and I was able to make a deal with him. As such, I felt like I could finally get this post done! So that's my moving experience and new apartment. My Aomori life has finished, but my Tokyo life has just begun :-)