Saturday, November 27, 2010

Ben from U.S

Apartment hunting in Tokyo can be a real ordeal, especially if you don't
speak fluent Japanese. My experience turned out well thanks to Seiya
Kato of Hikari Home. Kato-san is clearly very dedicated to his work. He
patiently guided me through the process of viewing apartments and
negotiating a contract. In the end, I found a place that perfectly fit
my desired criteria and budget. Kato-san is also a cool guy to boot!
(Ask him about modern art.)

Monday, November 22, 2010

Lawrence from Singapore


I had a very pleasant house hunting experience with Kaz. With credit to his patience, we had four weekends of house viewing before I finally settled on one. And with each passing weekend, his choice of apartments gradually got closer and closer to my ideal in terms of size, location and (of course) price. It is amazing how he went from left of the target to the right and left again, only closer this time to the middle. He also took care of the moving in\out and documentation process as well, making it such that I do not have to attempt to cross the linguistic barriers involved. All in, the experience was more than positive, and thank you very much!

James from UK


Finding an apartment whilst working full time can be a challenge; the language barrier, new culture and unfamiliar customs made renting in Tokyo a daunting prospect. Kaz gave me an initial consultation where he got to understand my needs, and explained the terminology used in the Japanese real estate world. Despite spending a considerable amount of time in the Hikari Home office before viewing any apartments, this approach proved effective as the second apartment we went to see was perfect. The language barrier wasn't an issue and I was helped through all the forms. I've enjoyed learning about Japanese culture and look forward to my new life in Japan.

Sunday, November 14, 2010

Jonathan from USA


This was my first time renting a regular apartment in Japan. I wanted to avoid the typical monthly apartment so that I could choose from a nicer selection in my area. Kaz found several nice places for me to view. Many had great terms like free rent, no key money, etc. I found the perfect place on the first day. Kaz's excellent English ability and prompt service made the entire process from selection to finalizing paperwork very easy. It has been a pleasure to work with Kaz, and I can easily recommend Kaz and Hikari Home to anyone searching for an apartment in Tokyo.

Thursday, November 11, 2010

William from Australia

Although I have lived in Tokyo for a few years, it was my first time to look for an apartment, the process of which is challenging even if you have a working knowledge of Japanese. For that reason, I appreciated Kaz Harada’s assistance with finding the rental apartment, from explaining the procedure and paperwork to setting up the utilities. Kaz was able to negotiate the rent to match my budget and responded to my inquiries in a timely manner. I have found it helpful to have an English-speaking real estate agent; I wish to thank Kaz for his help.

Wednesday, November 10, 2010

Elizabeth Weiblen from U.S.A

I would like to express my appreciation for the service I received from Hikari Home while searching for my residence in Tokyo. Special Thanks go to my agent Seiya Kato for all of his attention and effort on my behalf.
Kato san took into account all of the qualities that I was looking for in an apartment including expense, location, convenience and amenities. He found me a variety of different apartments to choose from and went with me to view each one of them.
More importantly, he helped me through the entire screening and contract process. I am sure you are aware of the special difficulties in finding a home as a student and as someone who is living in Japan temporarily on a visa. Kato San’s help was invaluable during the contract process, when there were language issues and contract conditions that are standard in Japan but not where I am from in the United States.
I am quite pleased with my new apartment and I appreciate all of the hard work that was done on my behalf.

Thank you for all of your help.
Elizabeth Weiblen
Undergraduate, Temple University Japan

Thursday, November 4, 2010

Pierre from France


"Finding an apartment in Tokyo can be very painfull for foreigners, especially if your japanese level is not that good. Thankfully Hikari Home is a great Housing management company who can make this task easier. With an access to all "real" apartment in Tokyo (not only the big expensive foreigners friendly towers) and an english speaking staff. My agent, Kaz Harada, helped me to find the apartment I was looking for as fast as possible with his perfect english and his pleasant company. He also helped me with all the paperwork, was very available and dedicated. I'd recommand to anyone looking for an aparment to give Hikari home a try!"