Moving into a Tokyo apartment, the first thing many newcomers notice is how close everyone lives, and how quiet it can be. Walls and floors are often thinner than you expect, so a phone call or a midnight shower can carry. The good news: nobody expects you to know every rule, and Japanese neighbours rarely complain to your face. A handful of simple habits will keep things smooth, keep you on good terms with the people around you, and help your new place actually feel like home.
The everyday basics
- Noise: keep things quiet roughly between 10pm and 8am. Lower the TV and music, take calls indoors, and avoid running the washing machine, vacuuming, or showering late at night. Heavy footsteps and dragging chairs travel through floors, so soft slippers and felt pads under furniture help a lot.
- Move-in greeting: traditionally people brought a small gift to the neighbours on both sides and the ones directly above and below (上下両隣), with a short hello. These days it is optional and many people skip it, but a brief friendly hello if you cross paths still goes a long way.
- Shared spaces: keep the entrance, hallways, stairs, and the area outside your door clear. Do not leave shoes, umbrellas, strollers, or rubbish there. Park bicycles only in marked spots, not blocking walkways or someone else's space.
- Balconies: balconies are usually treated as shared emergency-escape space. Dry futons and laundry within your building's rules, do not let them hang over the railing onto a neighbour, and never barbecue or use open flame there.
- Smoking: many leases ban smoking indoors, and smoking on balconies or in shared areas is widely prohibited because smoke drifts to neighbours. Check your contract and your building's rules, and use designated areas.
Garbage is the rule people most often get wrong, and how it works depends on your building. If your building uses a street or municipal collection point, there is a set collection morning, so put rubbish out that morning, not the night before. Many apartment buildings (mansions), though, have a 24-hour garbage room (24時間ゴミ出し可) where you can drop rubbish off anytime. Either way, the sorting categories, bag types, and collection days are set by your ward (many publish multilingual guides), so check your ward's garbage guide and always follow your own building's rule.
- Put felt or rubber pads under chair and table legs early; it is the easiest way to cut the noise that annoys the people below you.
- Avoid running the washing machine or dryer late at night: the vibrations carry through the floors and walls and are easy for neighbours to hear.
- If a neighbour is bothering you, do not leave a note or confront them directly; in Japan that can make things worse. Instead, raise it with your building management company or landlord (管理会社/大家), who can mediate.
- Watch the local notice board (掲示板) near the entrance and any circular folder (回覧板) passed between homes; that is where collection changes, cleanups, and disaster drills are announced.
- Learn a simple 'sumimasen' and a small bow for the lift or hallway; small courtesies carry a lot of goodwill here.
- Do I have to join the neighbourhood association (町内会 / 自治会)?
- No. These resident-run groups organise cleanups, festivals, disaster drills, and the local notice board, but joining is voluntary, not compulsory. Membership fees in urban Tokyo are often modest (commonly around a couple of hundred yen a month, though it varies by area). Joining is a friendly way to meet neighbours, but it is entirely your choice.
- Is the move-in greeting really still expected?
- It is increasingly optional, especially in big apartment buildings, and plenty of people skip it without any problem. If you want to make a good first impression, a short hello and a small token to the neighbours on both sides and directly above and below you is still appreciated, but there is no obligation.
- What if a neighbour is too noisy, or I get a noise complaint?
- Start gently. For a complaint against you, simply adjusting your habits usually resolves it. If a neighbour is disturbing you, contact your landlord or building management rather than knocking on their door; for ongoing trouble, your ward office offers multilingual living consultation and can point you to the right place.
