Living outside of Tokyo, cheaply.

I'm 15 at the moment, and although I don't plan on this soon, it is an option for the future. So I'll have a few questions regarding living in Japan.

I'm a UK citizen. I'm aware a UK citizens may stay in Japan for up to 6 months without a visa, and that living outside of Tokyo is much cheaper.

I'm looking to live in Japan for a short period of time (2 weeks up to 6 months) as cheap as possible. Having a room mate to help pay rent, outside of Tokyo (the apartment could be very small, 1K even) and I am currently studying Japanese.

Yes, this is an idea I'm am serious about, and so I'm pleased to take any suggestions from people with experience of Japan.

You would be better coming on a working holiday visa than a tourist permit. A WHV allows you to stay up to a year and work while you are here if you want to.

As a tourist you will not be able to open a bank account or join the local DVD rental store for example, and you will have to carry your passport on you the whole time.

Most landlords will not rent to foreigners on a tourist permit, although guest houses are an option as they are for long or short stays.