Tokyo Explorer

Certain Japanese industries carry with them certain images in as far as the foreign population goes.

One of them – the real estate industry – in the eyes of most in Japan, would equate to a stuffy old world of contacts, insider dealings and a general, unwritten policy on being as unhelpful as possible to the resident, and visiting, foreign population.

All that, however, is changing; and leading the charge for international reform is Certified Real Estate Dealer, Sakiko Tanaka – a bilingual (Japanese / English), 31-year-young Japanese woman with one eye on the future of this vibrant city, the other on the wider world of international travel, increasing foreign residency and equality for all in the quest for housing.

As President of transborders, offering her service in Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean, based in the bustling neighborhood of Hongo in Tokyo’s Bunkyo-ku, Tanaka-san sat down with TE’s Mark Buckton on a humid afternoon in mid-June to discuss the state of play in things ‘real estate’ for those already here, and those about to make the trip.

ST – transborders President, Sakiko Tanaka TE – Tokyo Explorer

TE: First question, why do you speak such good English when so very few people in Tokyo can string together a sentence?

ST: I studied in Edinburgh in Scotland for a year.

TE: Why did you start this business – transborders?

ST: I started it as I wanted to do what I can for society, and looking at myself, being married to a foreigner, I knew I was in a position to do something that not many other Japanese could do – which was to help the international community find desired housing – not just any housing. Also, I know it is difficult for foreigners (coming here) to find housing, and that is why I started this business.

TE: Did you have any difficulties yourself (in Edinburgh) finding a place to stay?

ST: No, because I was living in a dorm at the time, and most exchange students had help from the university.

TE: What did you think of Scotland, and when were you there?

ST: I was there from 1996 to 1997 and I thought it was, is, beautiful. It was my first experience of doing everything in English.

TE: What was the biggest memory of your time in Scotland?

ST: The culture shock but I enjoyed it. I couldn’t really express myself, but had to cop, so that was really good.

TE: Scottish food – any comments?

ST: Bad! The only food I could say I liked was Indian food!

TE: What did you study in Scotland – at the university?

ST: Theology and philosophy.

TE: You returned to Japan in the late 90s, but how old is transborders and why is it in this location (north central Tokyo)?

ST: I started the company two years ago, and chose this area because it is near Tokyo University (‘s main campus).

TE: Are there many non-Japanese students at Tokyo University?

ST: Yes, it used to be number one in terms of foreign students, but now Waseda (university) has more.

TE: Do many of the foreign students stay in dorms?

ST: No, 80% of the international students live in private housing.

TE: Do many of the students live near here? In Bunkyo-ku?

ST: Not really. This area is very expensive so many of the students cannot afford to live here. Most live around 30 minutes away by train.

TE: Do you have a main ‘focus area’ in which you try to locate most of your clients?

ST: No, we operate all over Tokyo as we are an agency certified by the Tokyo Metropolitan Government so we have access to 600,000 housing listings. That means, we can cover, technically, any part of Tokyo, but we often place students and researchers relatively close to here. We do have inquiries from banks, securities companies and the like, but they prefer to live in Ebisu, Meguro, Shinagawa etc.

TE: Many long-term foreign residents will be aware of, or would have seen signs saying ‘no foreigners’ in real estate offices – often below signs for ‘no pets.’ Have you had any clashes in this regard with landlords?

ST: We do – all the time. We do have a network of internationally friendly landlords, if the tenants can afford the rent of course. Also, when we have questions, we want to introduce the right housing to the clients, but we don’t want to force housing on the client if they don’t really want it so we try to negotiate (in terms of locations) with property managing firms – and that is difficult.

TE: Do the clients from overseas focus more on price range or housing types?

ST: We do have many types of questions coming in. For example – those mailing from abroad have no idea what to expect, and what Tokyo is all about so they do sometimes have hard to meet expectations.

TE: What price ranges can you offer your clients – those walking through the door?

ST: Generally, students from Asia spend around 50,000 yen per person, while many western students spend 80 – 100,000 yen per person. For overseas researchers, a little more than that and couples, more still.

TE: Do you have a pet policy?

ST: We don’t but (some of) our owners do.

TE: How do you feel about the so called ‘key money’* I have read that it is illegal, to charge key money, but that it is a law that no-one bothers to enforce. Have you had any troubles?

ST: Yes, all the time. But that is the reason I started this company, to help people through this. I sued to be a paralegal, a compliance officer in a publicly listed Internet company in Tokyo.

TE: Are you originally from Tokyo?

ST: No, I am from Osaka, but I came here when I was 18 as my university was here.

TE: Any plans to return to the Kansai area?

ST: I think most of my friends are here now – or overseas. So, I think I’ll stay here or move abroad.

TE: Will you ever branch out into Osaka, or overseas?

ST: I’m not sure about Osaka but Kyoto is a really big student town, so owners cannot ignore students. So they have a network to try and help foreign students, but because of that they don’t really need us. As for overseas – no plans for at least the next five or 10 years.

TE: Let me ask you the biggie now then, what is your main goal here at transborders? What do you want to achieve above all else?

ST: To help foreigners and Japanese be equal in as far as the search for housing goes.

TE: In that regard, what is your main language of operations – offering Japanese, English, Chinese and Korean as you do?

ST: English, then Chinese. Actually 60% of the foreign students in Japan are Chinese now. We don’t really use Japanese unless we talk to the (building) owner.

TE: One thing that I often hear about is the supposedly returnable deposits not actually being returned. Why is that? Why do real estate agents remove some of the deposit?

ST: We do have a legal regulation in Tokyo that agencies must explain, ahead of time, what is done with the deposit when they move out. So, if that is not agreed upon, there is no need to move in. Cleaning rates and payment for accidents are explained in that document. That is a legal (requirement) – (to explain the conditions)

TE: I have never heard that in the places I have lived / rented!

ST: When preparing for someone to move in, we have to prepare 3 documents – one is the lease agreement, another is the ‘important issues summary’ document, and the third is the ‘Document based on the Tokyo Legal Regulations of Boarding and Agreement Between Owners and Leasers’ – often called ‘Tokyo Rule’ for short. It was introduced four years ago to help avoid such issues as this, and other fees associated with living in rented housing.

TE: OK, last Q – would you rent – from yourself?

ST: (grins) No, I would buy. I don’t want to pay my salary to anyone (for no come-back). I would buy. I do have some strong personal opinions about foreigners (not being able to buy and how unfair it is) but that is somewhat political and away from the point.

TE: Sakiko – thank you for this honest insight into the world of real estate, and especially for parting the clouds and offering up a silver lining for the international community. Best of luck in the future.

* Literally a non-refundable gift of one or more month’s rent payable to owners ahead of being permitted to move in.

Transborders, Inc - http://www.transborders.co.jp/