{"id":7908,"date":"2021-10-08T10:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-10-08T01:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/vhbloglive.wpengine.com\/?p=7908"},"modified":"2021-10-14T16:37:16","modified_gmt":"2021-10-14T07:37:16","slug":"2k-apartments-in-japan","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/japanese-apartment-life\/2k-apartments-in-japan\/","title":{"rendered":"2K apartments in Japan"},"content":{"rendered":"\n
\"Apartment<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

What is a 2K apartment? Apartments in Japan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

So, you\u2019re moving to Japan and looking for apartments in Japan. Or you\u2019re here already and looking for different apartments for rent. Anyway, you\u2019ve stumbled across some confusing descriptions \u2013 the 1LDK, 1DK, 2K apartment \u2013 and decided that it\u2019s time to figure out the Japanese apartment layout. We\u2019re here to help!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

There is no shortage of apartments for rent due to the falling population, so looking for apartments in Japan should be easy, right? That might not be the case, as with anywhere, apartment hunting can be challenging because it can be hard to find exactly what you are looking for. When you find a good deal on a decent apartment it can make up for all the stress though!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The adverts for apartments in Japan can be confusing, especially if you are only just moving to Japan. Not only are the labels for the Japanese apartment layout different, but also the way the size is calculated can also vary.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Types of apartments for rent<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

It can be hard to understand the descriptions for a Japanese apartment layout. Most places will be listed as a number followed by some letters. Things can get confusing so it\u2019s good to familiarise yourself with these terms before you start searching for apartments.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

R<\/strong> \u2013 Room<\/p>\n\n\n\n

L<\/strong> \u2013 Living area<\/p>\n\n\n\n

D<\/strong> \u2013 Dining area<\/p>\n\n\n\n

K<\/strong> \u2013 Kitchen<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Apartments in Japan generally fall under one of these categories:<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 1R apartment is similar to a studio apartment, where the kitchen is integrated into the room.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1K is generally an apartment with a small kitchen area where there\u2019ll also be a separate room area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 1DK apartment means the kitchen will also have a dining room, as well as a separate room area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

1LDK apartments will usually have a combined living, dining, and kitchen area, as well as a separate bedroom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2K apartment will usually be two separate rooms as well as a kitchen so it is often popular with couples.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

A 2DK apartment is also popular amongst couples. There will usually be 2 rooms, as well as a dining and kitchen area.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

When the \u2018R\u2019 is omitted, please don\u2019t worry \u2013 it doesn\u2019t mean that there is no bedroom, the bedroom is assumed so the other letters just mean the additional elements to the apartment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Measure<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

Size measurements of apartments in Japan<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Across Western countries, apartments for rent tend to be measured in either square meters or s by feet and inches.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Moving to Japan, you\u2019ll soon realize that this doesn\u2019t usually apply to apartments here, despite Japan using the metric system. Apartments in Japan are actually measured in jo<\/em>, measuring the size of the room by tatami mats.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The jo <\/em>measurement can be listed as \u2018jyou\u2019, \u2018jo\u2019, \u2018jou\u2019, or even just a \u2018j\u2019. In the Japanese apartment layout, the jo <\/em>measurement usually only calculates the size of one room rather than the whole apartment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\u20185J\u2019 would mean that the room is the size of around 5 tatami mats. \u20186.5J\u2019 would mean that the room is about 6 and a half tatami mat big.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The average tatami mat size is 1820mmx910mm (around 1.62 square meters). The size of the tatami can vary across Japan, and will often be smaller in more populated cities, so please bear this in mind when you\u2019re trying to grasp the Japanese apartment layout!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As would be expected, generally the larger the living space, the higher the cost of the apartment!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"Japanese<\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

The 2K Apartment<\/strong><\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The 2K apartment is popular amongst both Japanese people and foreigners moving to Japan since the 2K apartment often works well as a balance between cost and living space. This can vary for everyone\u2019s needs and situation of course!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

As well as the two rooms and a kitchen, the general Japanese apartment layout for a 2K apartment will usually include an entrance to take off your shoes, a toilet room, a separate bathroom and shower room, and some storage space. You might also have a small balcony or porch too!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

\"\"<\/a><\/figure><\/div>\n\n\n\n

For a single person looking to save money, a 1K or 1DK apartment will often work well. For couples, however, we really do recommend 2K or 2DK apartments since it allows for a bit more space. Make sure to check the size of each room, however, since the sizes can vary, which will make a big difference!<\/p>\n\n\n\n

If you\u2019re moving to Japan, please check out our blog for more advice on what to expect!<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

What is a 2K apartment? Apartments in Japan So, you\u2019re moving to Japan and looking for apartments in Japan. Or you\u2019re here already and looking for different apartments for rent. Anyway, you\u2019ve stumbled across some confusing descriptions \u2013 the 1LDK, 1DK, 2K apartment \u2013 and decided that it\u2019s time to figure out the Japanese apartment […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":7912,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-7908","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-japanese-apartment-life"],"acf":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7908","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=7908"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/7908\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/7912"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=7908"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=7908"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/blog.villagehouse.jp\/en\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=7908"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}