Renting and living

Renting in Japan has costs an English speaker may not expect: besides the deposit, 敷金(しききん), many flats ask for 礼金(れいきん), "key money", a thank-you to the landlord that is never returned. Flat adverts are written in a compressed style of their own, so many of the words here are the ones that appear on them. Rooms are measured in tatami mats, and the counter for that is 畳(じょう).