When to rent apartment?

hello everyone, i'm going to stay in japan for 1 year and half, starting from
October as a student.

I'll need to rent an apartment (i prefer with private bathroom and kitchen, even very small and not so new, i dont care).
Around shinjuku preferably.

You think 60-65,000 yen/month is enough as budget for renting a place like that?

Also, when should i start looking for an apartment and contacting the agencies? (i will enter japan approx on 1st-2nd October)


Thanks!

PS:
20 y/o male, my girlfriend is japanese and will help me too

I'd say probably a bit higher budget might be needed, if you want Shinjuku, but if you move outside the central Tokyo area a bit, that would be easier. The rent really depends on numerous factors, though.

If you are trying to rent a room/self-contained unit in a guesthouse (catering to foreigners to begin with), you can look them up beforehand on the internet and start asking. If you find a room that you like, I believe most places let you book quite early in advance.

Or probably you can contact your school now to ask for suggestions for estate agencies/landlords they have experience with already. In either case, if you book ahead, that means you'll have to sign up without seeing the actual apartment. But you can be assured that you'll have a place :)

Or you can simply come, plan to stay in a hotel for the first week or so, then look for a place during that time.

www.sakura-house.com

It was something I was looking in to also. There are other links attach to the site that might help you find what you want or desire.

Some basics:
http://www.japan-guide.com/e/e2200.html

Try to see here:
65,000 yen, 5 min. to Shinjuku
http://tokyo.apartment-office.com/q_mejiro.shtml
or 10 min. to Shinjuku
http://tokyo.apartment-office.com/p_jujo.shtml

maybe in this agency
http://www.tokyorent.com/mikan/p_mnagasaki.shtml
72,000 yen, 10 minutes to Shinjuku station by Toei Odeo line

Make sure you are choosing an area for the right reasons.

It is incredibly easy to get around Tokyo so proximity doesn't have to be a huge factor.

IMO, you should only limit yourself to a specific area like Shinjuku for the following reasons:
1) You are claustrophobic and/or you hate subways
2) You plan on going out drinking/partying a lot (several days a week) and plan on using taxis.

The places listed by posters above are not that nice. I have seen them and while the realty people were friendly, the apartments were not as nice or convenient as they appear.

Sometimes traveling a few stations away can save money and get you a nicer room while being closer to the station.

Consider looking in areas like Hatsudai, Hatagaya, Meidaimae.

Also check out this realtor.
http://guesthouse-takumi.jp/index_e.htm

Alternately, I suggest you use services like craigs list Japan. I found two room mates that way. Look for house-shares where you share the same house as someone but have your own private room, if you do it directly with the house owner you can skip things like keymoney and deposits.

guesthouse-takumi.jp
5,mat s room- 60000 yen + 8000- Utilities, 12 min. from Mitaka

It is really so expensive ???

Not sure about that room in particular but I when I lived in Tokyo for 2 years, I rented from TGK Realty, which became Guest House Takumi.

I found their rents are equal to or slightly lower than similar apartments in the respective area. This is NOT a comparison with shared guest houses.

As a foreigner living in Tokyo who DID NOT want a roommate or to live in a shared house ("gaijin house"), this company was a godsend.

No guarantor required, no key money, no tricks, small deposit (mostly refunded), furnished, good locations, respectable apartments, flexible, generally nice people.

Finding an apartment on your own can be hell for foreigners and the up-front costs alone can cripple you if you company is not willing to pay up.

I If you want to live alone in Tokyo and don't work for a company willing to do a corporate contract and pay part of the 5-7 month's rent typically required, they are one of the few if not only option.

My experience was 3 years ago so some new options may have emerged since then.