The move-in process for Japanese apartments requires the renter to provide his own refrigerator, laundry machine, and microwave ($700). Fluorescent ceiling lights are also another must (free because my mom stole them from her previous house). I even had to buy my own gas stove ($250).
What you do not see is the gas stove. I will install it myself shortly; the "faucets" are actually the gas line leads. Japanese people love rice. We also love our rice cookers. A 5.5-cup rice cooker ranges anywhere from $75 to $500. I went conservative and spent less than $200.
All this amounts to an initial investment of $1,100.
I am not quite sure how this system developed in Japan. It's certainly a far cry from renting a room with a beat up gas stove, leaking refrigerator, and having your clothes pulled from the dryer because you were 3 minutes late.
This system is somewhat confusing to foreigners. It is less confusing than the security deposit (shiki-kin) and thank-you money (rei-kin). Perhaps I will write about this next time, because it is an interesting system, and might help explain why Japanese room rentals adopt a "bring your own appliances" mentality.
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