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Last updated: 20 August 2026
In short
- SUUMO has no English version (checked August 2026). Neither do the other big Japanese listing sites. Stop looking for one.
- That leaves three routes: read the Japanese sites, walk into an agency, or use a service built for foreigners.
- You only need seven words to read a Japanese listing. Translating the whole page wastes your time.
- The usual mistake is finding out the total move-in cost after choosing a room. A normal rental wants 4 to 6 months of rent upfront.
- If your Japanese is not there yet, start in multilingual housing and move to a normal rental later, once you have the language, a bank account and a card.
“I want to find a room, but I cannot read the Japanese sites.” Almost everyone hits this in their first weeks. This article is only about where to look. Contracts and the cost breakdown are in how renting works in Japan.
Does SUUMO have an English version?
No. There is no English SUUMO – suumo.jp/en/ does not open (checked August 2026) – and LIFULL HOME’S and the other large listing sites are Japanese only. Do not spend your evening hunting for an English button. Knowing this settles what you do next.
Choose on two things only: how much Japanese you have right now, and how much cash you can put down. Starting from the room you want is what makes this take months.
Seven words are enough to read a Japanese listing
A listing page looks long, but seven lines decide the money and the conditions. Feeding the whole page to a translation app usually makes it harder to read, not easier. Learn these seven and you can compare rooms.
The one that costs people money is reikin (礼金). It is a gift to the landlord and you never see it again. Shikikin (敷金) is a deposit, so part of it comes back if you did not damage the room. Both may say “one month” – they are not the same thing at all.
The other is kanrihi (管理費), a building fee. A room listed at 82,000 yen with 5,000 yen kanrihi costs you 87,000 yen every month. Search on rent plus kanrihi, not rent.
What happens if you walk into an agency?
In Japan, walking into one of the property shops outside the station is the normal way to do this. No appointment. You say what you want – area, maximum rent, when you need to move – and they print out rooms on the spot, then drive you to see the ones you like.
The catch is that it all happens in Japanese, and some shops are not used to foreign tenants. Take these three on a note in your phone. Written in Japanese is best, but even numbers work.
- Budget: one ceiling, like “80,000 yen including kanrihi”
- Area: the station nearest your school or job, or “within 30 minutes of X station”
- Move-in date: “sometime in September”. Whether you are in a hurry changes what they show you
Do not sign anything that day. “I will think about it and come back” is a complete sentence. Ask for the move-in cost estimate on paper and read the breakdown first.
Money: know the total before you choose the room
The most common mistake is choosing a room and then learning the total. A normal Japanese rental asks for 4 to 6 months of rent before you get the key. On an 82,000 yen room that is roughly 330,000 to 490,000 yen.
The breakdown, and the ways to bring it down, are in our guide to rental contracts. Read that part before you start looking – it changes what you search for.
If your Japanese is not there yet
Reading Japanese listings, negotiating in Japanese, and producing 400,000 yen in your first month is a lot to ask of anyone who just landed. Often the faster route is to change the order: start somewhere that speaks your language, then move to a normal rental once your Japanese, your bank account and your card are in place.
Housing you can arrange without Japanese: X-House
X-House (Cross House) runs share houses and furnished rentals in Tokyo. Support is available in Nepali, Sinhala and other languages. No deposit, no key money, no agency fee, and no guarantor.
- Share house rooms from 24,800 yen a month (official site, checked August 2026)
- Furnished, so you can live there from the day you arrive
- From one month, so you are not locked in if it does not suit you
- Honest note: the “30,000 yen to move in” you see in the ads is not the total. Your first month of rent comes on top
Share houses do not suit everyone – if you need silence and your own bathroom, they are not for you. We say so plainly in our share house guide. Read the part about who should think twice before you decide.
Whether these sites have an English version was checked by opening them on 20 August 2026. Official source: Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, guideline on restoration costs
Frequently asked questions
Does SUUMO have an English version?
No. As of August 2026 there is no English SUUMO, and the other large Japanese listing sites are Japanese only. To search in English you use a foreign-resident property site or a multilingual operator instead.
Can I just use a translation app on the Japanese sites?
You can. But translating whole pages is slow. Learn seven terms – yachin, kanrihi, shikikin, reikin, madori, chikunensu, hoshou gaisha – and you can compare listings without translating anything else.
Do I need an appointment at a property agency?
No. Walk in during opening hours and tell them what you want. They will show you rooms the same day. It happens in Japanese, so bring a note with your budget, your area and your move-in date.
Can I rent without speaking Japanese?
Yes. Multilingual operators exist, and some agencies are used to foreign tenants. But a normal rental still wants 4 to 6 months of rent upfront, which is why many people start in a share house and move later.
What is the difference between reikin and shikikin?
Shikikin is a deposit and part of it comes back if the room is undamaged. Reikin is a gift to the landlord and never comes back. Both are often quoted as “one month” of rent.
Summary
- There is no English SUUMO. Three routes: Japanese sites, an agency, or a service for foreigners
- Seven words are enough to read any Japanese listing
- Reikin never comes back. Kanrihi is charged every month. Do not mix these up
- A normal rental wants 4 to 6 months of rent upfront – know the total before you choose
- If the Japanese is not there yet, start multilingual and move later
