Photo/Illutration A fully furnished apartment in Tokyo’s Minato Ward, with a view of Tokyo Tower from the living room (Provided by Mitsubishi Estate Co.)

A growing number of rental properties in the Tokyo metropolitan area are available fully furnished and fitted with electronic appliances.

While these types of properties were previously mainly marketed toward single people, they are becoming increasingly popular among foreigners living in Japan for longer periods and young people with few possessions.

In Tokyo’s Azabu-Juban district, a rental apartment furnished with a bed, dining table, refrigerator, washing machine and other essentials overlooks the iconic Tokyo Tower.

Electricity, water, internet and other services are available, and residents can live there for as short a period as one month.

Monthly rent varies depending on the season from 260,000 yen ($1,680) to 650,000 yen, occasionally exceeding 1 million yen during peak months.

No security deposit or key money is required.

The apartment is operated by Blueground Japan, an affiliate of Mitsubishi Estate Co., which is a Greek startup that operates furnished rental properties in 48 cities around the world.

Mitsubishi Estate signed a licensing agreement with the company toward the end of last year so it could enter the Japanese market in May of this year.

Mitsubishi Estate has leased, furnished and rented out a total of 36 units across Tokyo to date.

More than 90 percent of the renters are long-stay visitors from outside Japan.

Foreign residents often encounter challenges when trying to rent homes in Japan, including complicated paperwork and language barriers.

However, Blueground allows renters to sign contracts entirely online, and provides English support even after renters have moved in, so foreigners can lease homes with confidence.

Additionally, these furnished apartments offer a higher degree of privacy than kitchen-equipped apartment hotel rooms.

Going forward, Mitsubishi Estate intends to cater to demand among “digital nomads,” expatriates such as computer system engineers who can work from anywhere with a personal computer.

According to an estimate by a U.S. travel information website, 35 million people were categorized as digital nomads as of 2022.

Since many digital nomads are said to earn high incomes, nations around the globe are stepping up efforts to attract them.

The Japanese government created a new visa option in April allowing digital nomads to stay in the country for up to six months.

Panasonic Corp. launched Noiful, a home appliance subscription service, for apartment owners and property management companies in 2022.

Owners can rent out homes equipped with Panasonic electronics to residents, who can choose their preferred appliances without installation fees or maintenance costs under some Noiful packages.

The electronics giant introduced this leasing service aimed at reducing the large volume of discarded home appliances.

A Panasonic survey shows that 40 percent of 1,700 people in their 20s to 50s who planned to move out of their homes soon said they would buy appliances for their new residences. Many also purchase electronics after a few years.

With the new leasing service, Panasonic hopes consumers will avoid unnecessarily replacing appliances and that its products will be utilized for as long as possible.

“An advantage for consumers is that they can change their addresses with fewer packing boxes,” said a Panasonic representative.

Panasonic released a specialized package in April this year to provide furniture to rented houses in addition to home appliances.

As of July this year, the service is available at 2,200 rental apartments in 21 residential complexes mainly in the Tokyo metropolitan area. It is proving particularly popular among residents in their 20s to 30s.

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