Tsutomu

I'm planning for a 3 month stay in Tokyo for our family (wife and 2 kids, 15 and 13) next summer. Does anyone have any suggestions on furnished apartments for this short term stay. Ideally, I'd like to stay near the University of Tokyo, but a close location is not absolutely required. I guess these are called "serviced" apartments. Any suggestions/experiences will be appreciated. We are all looking forward to a longer stay in Tokyo/Japan!

Tsutomu

deptrai

Try the Mansions in Roppongi. The cater to short term stays like yours. I have stayed there twice, but for only a couple days each time. They are very new and have washer/dryer, full kitchen, LCD TV, english speaking staff. They just don't provide much "service" beyond replacing dirty towels.

Dave

BigFeat

I have reservations for the Mansions as well for a bit over a week. I think for 3 months it would be quite pricey if since they don't really reduce their rates that much for extended stays. I think you would easily be paying well over $25k (USD) for that length of time. That estimate is based on their monthly rates. So I think you can rule the Mansions out as a viable option. Very nice place though.

KimJapan

Try looking at http://www.sakura-house.com/
http://www.monthlychintai.com/english/
http://www.cheaphousingtokyo.com/ You can find lots more options buy searching for
MONTHLY MANSION or SERVICED APARTMENT and TOKYO.

There are lots of places that rent on a short term basis to newly arrived or short term stay foreigners that will rent to you without the usual lease guarantor and key money (big amount of money you pay for the luxury of moving in). The Japan Times newspaper has classified ads on Mondays and lists some, as do the links above. They aren't usually luxe - nothing like serviced apartments for expats on a company expense account, but they are generally fine.

Will you be working or studying at the school? If so, they may well have some accommodation set aside just for foreigners coming short term..many, many schools do.

If you can read Japanese, there are many, many "monthly mansions" which just might be suitable for you. Usually these are advertised in Japanese newspapers, the housing publication "sumairu" etc.

Tsutomu

Thanks for the ideas. We don't really need luxury apartments since I suspect we will be spending most of our time just being in Tokyo. I immigrated to the US with my family to Kansas when I was six. When we went back two years ago so my kids could see Japan, it felt like I was back home. It was nice and we all enjoyed our 17 day visit to see the sites and the family farms.

Indeed, the most beautiful part of Tokyo (and Japan) is the beauty of ordinary residential houses and streets. It would be nice to find a residential home to live in. My wife and I will be doing research at Todai as well as further exploring Tokyo. We saw Tokyo and points south last time so we'd like to explore Tokyo and ppoints north now.

Asahi Meguro Mansion has furnished 2BR apartments for $4~6K a month which is roughtly $15K and about what I thought it might cost. It is expensive, but on the other hand, the experience of living in Japan for the summer is priceless.

Thanks for the ideas, and I shall check out these suggestions.