Housing and Environment

●Renting accommodation ●When keeping cats and dogs ●Moving ●Delivery service ●Returning to your home country
●Transportation

Renting accommodation

Unless you use a homestay program, student dormitory, or a company residence, you must find and rent a public residence or condominium. It is common to determine your needs including rent, floor plan, and access to the nearest station, and consult a private real-estate agent to find suitable accommodations. It is recommended that you find a reliable person at your workplace or school and ask for advice and that you have one or more Japanese friends go with you when negotiating rental terms.

When making a contract, be careful of the following business practices including the security deposit (shikikin) and the commission (reikin) that are unique to Japan:

Guarantor (hoshonin)・・・It is desirable to have a person, hopefully a Japanese, at your school or workplace become your guarantor.

Commission (reikin) ・・・Also known as key money (kenrikin). It is paid to the landlord at the time of signing the agreement. It is not refunded when you vacate the property.

Security deposit (shikikin) ・・・ It is the money to be deposited to the landlord as security for payment of the rent. It is refunded when you vacate the property, but the cost of repairs of damaged property or unpaid rent will be deducted from the amount of the refund.

Rent (yachin) ・・・ It is normally paid in advance by the end of the previous month. At the time of signing the agreement, the rent for the month must be paid on a pro-rated basis.

Maintenance and management fees for common services (kyoekikin)・・・It is maintenance and management fees for common areas of the property. It is paid every month with the rent. The amount depends on the property, normally about up to 20% of the rent.

Renewal of contract (keiyaku koushin)・・・The contract period is normally two years. The rent may increase when the contract period is renewed.

Termination (kaiyaku) ・・・You are responsible for notifying the landlord of contract termination one month before the intended date of termination. If you vacate the property with no or delayed notification, your security deposit refund may be decreased.

Pet ・・・Keeping pets is often prohibited. It is necessary to check your contract in advance.

Prefectural housing (fuei jutaku) ・・・For more information about the application period, contact Osaka Prefectural Housing Supply Corporation.

When keeping cats and dogs

Exercise good manners to prevent creating a nuisance for other people. Keeping pets is prohibited in some collective houses. When keeping a dog 91 days or longer after birth, the owner is responsible for registering the dog (once) and having it vaccinated against rabies (once every year). Contact the following for more information.

Moving

Use an expert mover or rent a car. For a small number of belongings, you may use a delivery service (takuhai-bin).

Delivery service (takuhai-bin)

The "takuhai (door-to-door delivery) service" system that delivers packages to each household is popular in Japan. Packages are usually delivered the next day after shipping. Convenience stores also deal with the delivery service. For shipping a large package, contact a delivery service company for collection.

If you are absent at the time of delivery, the package may be left at a neighbor's house or a building manager or a notification of delivery is placed in the mailbox. Call the delivery person for re-delivery.

Returning to your home country

・Settle your rental accommodations. Complete settlement of charges for water, electricity, gas, and domestic and international calls.

・ When leaving Japan in the middle of the fiscal year, tax debts must be settled. Pay the entire amount of city inhabitant’s tax for the year at the municipal office. Since the local tax is calculated according to the taxpayer's income the previous year, it must be paid even if the taxpayer does not stay in Japan for the subsequent one year.

・Income tax may be returned on the final tax return by appointing a tax manager to report to the Tax Office. Otherwise, make a temporary declaration and pay unpaid income tax for the year before the date of departure from Japan.

・Subscribers to the National Health Insurance Plan and the Medical Insurance Plan for the Latter-stage Elderly must apply for premium settlement and withdrawal about one month before the date of departure from Japan.

・Subscribers to the pension plan may apply for a lump-sum payment for withdrawal after returning to their home country. Obtain the application form from the Social Insurance Office or your employer.

・Submit the Certificate of Alien Registration to the immigration officer at the time of departure from Japan.

Transportation

Suita City has convenient transportation systems to and from Osaka City. Railway services include the following: Japan Railway running across the east and west of Suita; Osaka City Subway, the Kita-Osaka Kyuko Railway and the Senri Line of Hankyu Railway across the north and south; the Kyoto Line of Hankyu Railway in the southern district; and Osaka Monorail in the northern district. Bus services are provided by the Hankyu, Keihan, and Kintesu buses.

Using railway

All stations of JR, private railways, subways, and monorail lines are equipped with ticket distribution vendors. Ten yen and higher denomination coins and notes (10,000 yen, 5,000 yen, and 1,000 yen) are accepted. Most ticket gates are automated. With a prepaid card or IC card, you can go through an automatic wicket without buying a ticket.

Using bus

Hankyu bus is the major bus company in Suita. Exact fare must be placed into the fare box when getting off the bus. If a numbered reference ticket is dispensed from the ticket machine when getting on the bus, take it. Put the numbered reference ticket with the exact fare into the fare box when getting off the bus. Some buses allow the use of prepaid and IC cards.

Parking bicycles/mini-bikes and prohibited parking area

Bicycles and mini-bikes must be parked in designated areas. There are pay bicycle parking areas around the station.

To deter illegal parking around the station, prohibited parking areas are specified and equipped with traffic signs, road surface indications, and direction boards. Bicycles and mini-bikes left in these areas are removed from the site and stored by the City.
Owners must collect their bicycles and mini-bikes at one of the four storage sites in the City. As a removal and storage fee, the owner must pay 3,000 yen for a bicycle and 4,500 yen for a small motor vehicle. The key to the bicycle/mini-bike and a document certifying the owner's ID, such as a driver's license or the Certificate of Health Insurance, are also required.
Office hours for collection:9:30 a.m.–6:30 p.m. (excluding the period between December 29 and January 3)

Contact the following for more information about use of the municipal bicycle parking areas and collection of removed bicycles: