Short-Term Rentals
Short-term rentals in Tokyo
Furnished apartments from one month. One monthly price that covers rent, utilities, and Wi-Fi, with English support from your first message to move-out day.
A short-term rental in Tokyo is a furnished apartment you book for weeks or months instead of years. You get a real home with a kitchen and a washing machine at one flat monthly price. Book from overseas and sign your lease online, with help in English or Japanese.
HalfKey offers stays from one month. Check each listing for its minimum stay and available dates before planning your move. For a shorter visit, compare accommodation options that accept your dates.
A furnished apartment gives you space for everyday routines: cooking, washing clothes and working from home. Compare the complete quote for your dates, including any one-time fees, when deciding what suits your stay.
Staying a little longer? Explore our monthly apartments in Tokyo and mid-term rentals in Tokyo.
HalfKey operates furnished short-term apartments across central Tokyo. We manage each home ourselves, provide support in English and Japanese, and confirm available move-in dates before you book.
The Comparison
Short-term apartment vs hotel vs Airbnb
Three ways to stay in Tokyo for a month or more. Here is how they compare once the stay passes a few weeks.
| Short-term apartment | Hotel | Airbnb | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Minimum stay | Check the listing minimum | 1 night | Check each listing |
| Space | A full apartment: 17 to 60 m² | One room, usually under 20 m² | Varies widely by listing |
| Kitchen and laundry | Full kitchen and washing machine | Rarely either | Sometimes, listing by listing |
| Price over a month | Quoted for the home and dates; the 12-month rate is the lowest monthly tier | Nightly rate varies by dates; compare the total for the stay | Nightly rate plus cleaning and service fees |
| Price certainty | Fixed for the contract | Moves with demand and season | Moves with demand and season |
| Who you deal with | The operator that runs the apartment | Front desk | An individual host through a platform |
| Paperwork | Simple digital contract, no guarantor | None | Platform booking, no contract |
Compare each option for your actual dates, preferred location and daily routine. Look at the total price, included services, cancellation terms and move-in arrangements.
HalfKey lets you select dates on a listing and see the rental quote directly. Check the available dates and minimum stay, then review rent, one-time fees and any refundable deposit separately before booking.
What You Get
What furnished short-term apartments include
On a short stay, setup time is the enemy. You do not have a spare week to open a utility account, wait for an internet installation, or shop for a duvet. A short-term apartment only makes sense if it works completely from the first hour.
HalfKey furnishes every apartment itself, to one standard. A studio or a one-bedroom arrives ready to live in: you cook dinner the night you land, do laundry the same week, and take a video call without buying a single thing.
Rent includes electricity, gas, water, Wi-Fi and monthly cleaning. Any one-time move-out cleaning or restocking fee and any refundable deposit are shown separately in your quote before you book.
- Bed with bedding, sofa, dining table and chairs
- Working kitchen with cookware, plates, and cutlery
- Washing machine and air conditioning
- Electricity, gas, and water included
- Wi-Fi from day one
- Free monthly cleaning and English-speaking support
Who Books Short-Term
Four situations where short-term is the right call
A short-term stay usually has a reason attached: an arrival, a gap, a season, a deadline. If one of these four sounds like yours, this is the housing built for it.
Your first month in Japan
You have just landed for a new job or a new chapter, and everything is unfamiliar at once. A furnished apartment for the first month gives you a stable base while you open a bank account, get a phone number, and learn the city, without committing to a neighborhood you have never slept in.
You are between homes
Your lease ended before the next one starts, a renovation ran long, or a landlord changed plans. Gap housing is stressful precisely because it is short. A furnished apartment for a month or longer absorbs the gap without a hotel bill or a panicked lease signing.
A season in Tokyo
A summer program, a semester abroad, a long family visit, one season of remote work from Japan. The stay has natural start and end dates, so the housing should match them: book the weeks you need and hand back the keys when the season ends.
A work sprint
A one-month client engagement, a training rotation, a product launch. You need a desk, fast Wi-Fi, and a quiet apartment near the office for exactly as long as the work lasts. You book the month, request an extension subject to availability if the sprint extends, and leave on your agreed end date under the contract terms.
How It Works
Booking a short-term rental with HalfKey
There is no viewing circuit and no application packet. Most bookings go from first message to confirmed apartment in a few days.
Tell us your dates and budget
Message us on WhatsApp or email with your arrival date, stay length, and monthly budget. You can write from overseas, before you have a visa stamp or a Japanese phone number.
Pick your apartment
We reply in English with the available apartments that fit, including photos, exact locations, and the full monthly price. Ask us anything about the unit or the neighborhood before you decide.
Sign and move in
You sign digitally and pay the amount shown as due in your quote. On arrival day you get the keys and the Wi-Fi password, and the apartment is already cleaned, furnished, and running.
Read before you book a short stay
Review the minimum stay, contract terms and full quote before booking. Our guides help you prepare for a furnished stay in Tokyo.
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Understanding your furnished rental quote
Compare rent, one-time fees and refundable deposit for your dates.
Read guide -
Start with 30 days, not 90, on your first Tokyo stay
Why a shorter first booking beats a long one, and how to extend once you know the neighborhood fits.
Read guide -
Choosing a 1-6 month Tokyo stay: which kind to book
Furnished apartment, sharehouse, hotel, or Airbnb: how the four options trade off for your stay length.
Read guide
HalfKey homes
Explore our furnished apartments
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Studio in Chitose-Funabashi
Furnished apartment
Setagaya · 15 min walk to Chitose-Funabashi · 17 m²
From ¥100,000/month
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1 Bedroom in Shirokane
Furnished apartment
Minato · 9 min walk to Shirokane-Takanawa · 30 m²
From ¥240,000/month
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1 Bedroom in Yotsuya
Furnished apartment
Shinjuku · 6 min walk to Akebonobashi · 42 m²
From ¥280,000/month
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3 Bedroom in Nakameguro
Private house
Meguro · 12 min walk to Yutenji · 62 m²
From ¥360,000/month
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1 Bedroom + Study in Nakameguro
Furnished apartment
Meguro · 8 min walk to Ebisu · 61 m²
From ¥390,000/month
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2 Bedroom in Nishinippori
Furnished apartment
Arakawa · 2 min walk to Shin-Mikawashima · 40 m²
From ¥230,000/month
FAQ
Frequently asked questions
What is a short-term rental with HalfKey? +
HalfKey offers furnished apartments for stays from one month. Check each listing for its minimum stay and available dates, then select your dates to see the quote.
What is the minimum stay? +
The minimum stay is shown on each HalfKey listing. Most homes start from one month; the available dates may limit the stay length you can book.
Is a short-term apartment cheaper than a hotel? +
Compare the total for your dates, including rent or nightly rate and any fees. Hotel nightly rates vary by date. For a furnished apartment, check the current listings and ask for an exact quote for the home, your dates, and your stay length; the listing's starting price is the 12-month rate, so a shorter stay costs more per month.
How is this different from Airbnb? +
With HalfKey, you rent a furnished home directly from its operator. Select dates on a listing to see your quote, including rent, any one-time fees and any refundable deposit. Compare the full cost and terms for the same dates when considering other options.
What is included in a furnished short-term apartment? +
A HalfKey short-term apartment comes fully furnished: bed and bedding, sofa, dining table, a working kitchen, washing machine, and air conditioning. Electricity, gas, water, and Wi-Fi are included in the monthly price unless a specific listing states otherwise, and English-speaking support is available throughout your stay.
Do I need a guarantor or key money? +
No. HalfKey does not require a Japanese guarantor or charge key money. Your quote separately shows rent, any refundable deposit and any one-time move-out cleaning or restocking fee, along with the payment schedule.
Can I extend a short-term stay? +
Usually, yes. If the apartment is free after your end date, you can extend in one-month steps. Tell us two to three weeks before your end date so we can confirm. Many guests book one month first and extend once they know the neighborhood fits.
Ready for your Tokyo stay?
Tell us your dates and budget. We will send the apartments that fit, in English, usually within a day.