Daily rental apartments may be small but have everything you need — experience authentic Japanese life

Text and photos by /MIKA

This trip to Tokyo was actually half business inspection and half leisure. It’s called a five-day, four-night trip, but I only really had four days to play around. Plus, the flight schedule was quite odd — departing and returning at dawn — so thanks to that flight, I even booked a capsule hotel at Narita Airport to catch the 6 a.m. flight. That way, I got to experience a daily rental apartment, a backpacker hostel, and a capsule hotel all in one trip！ Although moving around was tiring, being able to try out three different types of accommodations in Japan was also a really fun experience！

(Image source fromhere)
I took Vanilla Air for the first time because the itinerary was decided at the last minute, and I couldn’t get a discounted ticket, so I ended up buying a round-trip ticket for over 8,000 yen. It wasn’t cheap at all, and to save money, the flight times weren’t very convenient either.

Actually, Vanilla Air’s service was pretty good. At 3 a.m., only Vanilla Air had flights, so the whole airport was empty.

The boarding lounge in Terminal 1 is now very colorful, with each gate having a different painted theme. Since I often take budget airlines, I’m getting pretty familiar with Terminal 1 these days XD

It was the first time I noticed this flag.

By the time we arrived in Japan, it was already morning！ Vanilla Air’s planes are quite eye-catching.

After collecting our luggage, we went to buy the Tokyo Subway Ticket for three days！ This time, we were just walking around within Tokyo, so the three-day subway ticket was more cost-effective. The Tokyo Subway Ticket plus a one-way trip on the Keisei Electric Railway Skyliner express train from Tokyo back to Narita Airport cost a total of 3,500 yen. This price is quite a deal — around 1,000 Taiwanese dollars — for unlimited subway rides for three days, plus a one-way ticket back to Narita Airport. It’s great value.

The Tokyo Subway Ticket we used for three days accompanied us throughout our stay in Tokyo. In fact, within the city, you can go almost anywhere by subway, and this ticket covers all 13 lines of the Tokyo Metro, including the Toei lines.

After buying the Tokyo Subway Ticket, we went to the JR ticket office on the first basement level. The Tokyo Transport App has information on it！
For more about the Tokyo Transport App, please refer to this：http://mika0310.pixnet.net/blog/post/168352635

Go to the first basement level and just follow the signs！

Just line up with everyone else！

There’s a special offer now for 1,500 yen one way, which is quite a good deal！

Trains run every 30 minutes.

You can reach major stations across Tokyo. We were headed to Harajuku, so we got off at Ikebukuro and transferred — just one stop.

It’s kind of like Taiwan’s high-speed rail — very comfortable inside, and there’s space for luggage.

It’s assigned seating, so just find your designated seat.

No worries about missing your stop — every car displays the next stops in Chinese, English, and Korean.

Interestingly, once in Tokyo, the train cars split and head in two different directions.

Then we transferred at Ikebukuro to get to Harajuku. Our Airbnb was on Takeshita Street, and technically we should’ve gotten off at Takeshita Street Exit, but Harajuku Station has an elevator while Takeshita Street Exit doesn’t. So if you have luggage, it’s more convenient to get off at Harajuku Station and then walk to Takeshita Street — the two stations are very close, just a five-minute walk.

We’re at Takeshita Street！！ This is a paradise for young men and women, full of the latest trends, and crowded with shoppers every day！

The shops here are all so cute — selling clothes, bags, socks, and more...

Our Airbnb was just a left turn down a certain alley, then a right turn when you see the real estate agency — less than two or three minutes away from the busiest part of Takeshita Street.

Who would’ve thought that just turning down an alley would change the scenery so much — it’s so peaceful here！

Then you know you've arrived when you see the drink vending machine. Since I had requested the room in advance, the host sent me a very detailed map and photos showing the way, so finding it was smooth sailing.

Photo of the building's exterior. The apartment owner asked me to remove it, as she wanted to maintain her privacy XD. That’s a first for me, but I respected her wish—so no picture, no proof, folks~ The landlord had already given us the mailbox password; we just needed to find our unit’s mailbox, decode the lock, and get the key. Again, no pic, same reason.

It’s the first unit on the first floor—whew, thank goodness for that, I didn’t want to lug my luggage up any stairs. We rented the whole apartment, and one of the reasons I love staying in local short-term rentals is the feeling of living like a local. The room isn’t big, but it’s got everything you need. I stayed in another unit from the same landlord when I last visited Tokyo—just a different room. This one is closer to Takeshita Street. There’s a sofa, a tiny kitchen, and even a small backyard. Everything is compact—Japanese people really know how to maximize space, and thank goodness they aren’t very big themselves XD.
(Image credit fromhere)

The little kitchen and fridge are actually quite handy for guests staying several days, though I was only there for one day XD.

The space is really tight, but it’s enough for two or three people to live comfortably, and you could squeeze in up to five if needed. There’s a large Japanese-style room with basic closets, storage cabinets, and a full-length mirror.

We originally booked the place for four guests, but only three of us showed up. The landlord still prepared four sets of bedding for us to set up ourselves.

I feel like fitting four beds into this Japanese room is a bit of a stretch—the ideal would be three people who can sprawl out. But if you really try, five can fit, though personally I don’t think it’s necessary lol.

If you think the bedding is insufficient, there’s more in the closet.

The toilet is really small, and there’s even a tiny bathtub inside~ Is life in Japanese apartments just too cramped? It feels kinda tough.

This landlord has several short-term rental apartments available. Her biggest advantage is that she provides free mobile Wi-Fi routers. If you’re staying for five days or a week, it saves you the cost of renting Wi-Fi, and you still get to experience apartment life in Japan—it’s actually pretty worth it.

The Wi-Fi password and usage instructions are posted on the wall.

This apartment has a backyard, albeit a tiny one that’s shared with the neighbor next door. There’s a washing machine in the back for laundry and drying clothes.

The best part about staying here is how convenient it is for shopping. Step outside and you’re right on Takeshita Street—you can shop to your heart’s content. Nearby you’ll also find popular spots like Omotesando and Meiji Shrine. The accommodation is just minutes away from Harajuku Station. It’s super accessible and peaceful, which I personally love, because you get the experience of living in a local Japanese apartment while still having some privacy and personal space. I stayed at this landlord’s apartment twice during my trips to Tokyo, and compared to the previous one, this one is more comfortable. Check it out:here.

The base price for this short-term apartment is 2694 TWD, with an extra 351 TWD per additional person. A cleaning fee of 966 TWD is charged regardless of the length of stay. Staying multiple days is more economical. Feel free to email the landlord if you have any questions. She has several other short-term rentals close to train stations, and there might be one that fits your trip’s budget and needs. It’s a fun experience to live in a Japanese apartment and feel like you’re in a Japanese drama.

P.S.: After sharing this article, I sent the link to the landlord because I used a photo from her booking site. I thought it only polite to inform her. However, she then asked me to delete many of the photos she thought were unflattering or showed the building’s exterior. I insisted on keeping two to preserve the integrity of the article, but she said she felt uncomfortable and threatened to make me take down the whole post if I didn’t remove those two images. I’m just baffled—what gives her the right? I paid to stay there, didn’t I? And I wasn’t even inviting anyone else!? Why should I listen to her!? Her attitude really upset me, but I refused to delete the post. Later, after she softened her tone and made the request politely during our conversation, I respected her wishes and took them down.

Jan H.
Mailbox:everydaysunnyday@gmail.com
Apartment booking page:here

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