Should I Stay or Should I Go?

I'm not talking about leaving Japan here, I'm talking about moving from my apartment.

I've heard of a 7 year itch, but I've got a 5.5 year itch to move somewhere a bit nicer. Nicer how? Well, my spot now is pretty legit, the size is good, and it is near a few stations. But there are a few things that suck.

• The bathroom is ancient, a tiny thing meant for a little old lady at best. The tub just takes up space. It is impossible to keep clean.
• There is no view. Not only that, the window is frosted, so during the cold months I get nothing to look at.

For reference, here is a video I took a long time ago:



I'd like to move toward the Shimokitazawa area, which isn't too far from here. A real estate guy at a bar I frequent is helping me out this time. We found a few places that fit my criteria. The first one looked great on paper. A modern building, designer style. The layout is a bit like my current place, without the separate kitchen room, something I don't really feel I need. Japanese kitchens are never nice, and an unventilated room with no windows that takes up 1/3 of the apartment is a waste of space. I'd rather have a smaller kitchen, counter style.



This one is on the 1st floor, but it is actually a sub basement. So no natural light. And the size is just small enough to not work. Not seen in the video was a walk-in closet, which was neat. Cost for this place is around 130,000 yen ($1240)

Next!



This one has a decent layout, but nothing inside was that special. The awesome point being the rooftop balcony. If I really put my mind to it, I could turn that into an amazing deck / chillout space. I don't really have parties out here, so the idea of hosting barbecues and what not would probably never see the light of day. Cost is 150,000 yen ($1430). It's also next to a major road, so noisy AF.

Keep lookin!



Vertical filming, ごめん！I'm digging this spot. Up on the 9th floor of a 15 story building. The view is nice, looking north. You can see a bit of the Shinjuku skyline, but I just like being able to see the sky for once. A bit concerned about the layout, as it has strange diagonal geometry going on. How to visualize a bed?



Lay down some paper! Hmmmm, this might work. I'll probably never close that door, so if I change my current dark sheets for something light it would blend in nicely. Cost is 153,000 yen ($1457).

But wait, there's more!



The same apartment up on the 14th floor. Baller! The price goes up 7000 yen ($66) a month, but you don't have to pay the reikin, which is essentially a gift to the landowner of 1 month rent. So if you do the math, it is almost the same cost over a 2-year period.

Of course, none of these spots have a place for my motorcycle, so that is an extra 5000 - 10,000 yen a month for a spot at a local parking garage.

Time to spend some of that hard-earned ramen money on a life upgrade?