Almost all apartments in Japan have a "no pets" rule, and even with a Japanese guarantor, foreigners with a pet will usually have a lot of trouble obtaining accommodations. Yamasa provides a range of accommodation options, and to cater for those who need/wish to bring their pet to Japan we are currently allocating Yamasa Villa 3/4. Please note that due to Japanese laws and customs, Yamasa's obligations to local residents may be different to what you are used to at home. We also of course have an obligation to the other students living in the accommodation to ensure that their study environment is not adversely affected by the presence of pets - hence the rules below.

A student may bring a pet with them to Japan, provided that they complete all of the quarantine procedures as required by the Japanese Government, and observe all of the following rules.

1. A student wishing to bring a pet with them to Japan may only live in Yamasa Villa 3/4. In the event that Yamasa Villa 3/4 is fully occupied, we regret that we will not be able to provide any alternative accommodation.

2. If you are bringing a pet with you, Yamasa's Housing Office will need to be informed an absolute minimum of 12 weeks (72 days) in advance. A student may not buy a pet after arrival in Okazaki and live in Student Housing. Only pets brought with the student from the place of residence prior to enrollment in Yamasa are permitted. Please note that permission to bring a pet will sometimes depend on the type of pet. Due to our responsibility to ensure the maintenance of high standards of living for our students, we reserve the right to refuse entry for certain pets. If you are uncertain about whether you will be able to bring your pet, please contact Yamasa's Admissions Office for more information.

3. Absolutely no type of pet is permitted in Yamasa Villa 1, 2, Residences K, L or U, or the Yamasa Student Village or Homestay program. Students who keep a pet in any of the accommodation other than the designated location, or who keep a pet in Yamasa Villa 3 & 4 without prior approval from the Housing Office (see #4 below) are in breach of their housing contract, forfeiting deposits and losing the right to stay in Yamasa's subsidized accommodation.

4. Airport pickup services are not provided for unaccompanied pets. Please arrive with your pet or make your own arrangements.

5. For airport and station pickups, all pets are to be in cages or pet boxes that can be safely secured inside Yamasa's vehicles. For safety reasons, the pet may not be held by the student(s) in transit or be unconstrained inside the vehicle - i.e. when we are driving you to your accommodation it is a requirement that you wear your seat belt at all times, and the pet remains in the box or cage, which will also be secured by safety constraints to prevent the box or cage from moving if sudden braking is required.

6. Students with pets are required to rent apartments either as single occupancy, or in the case of shared accommodation, enroll at the same time and for the same duration with a spouse, partner, friend or family members. Yamasa's Housing Office is unable to search for or provide roommates for pet owners. As above, Yamasa's Housing Office is to be informed a minimum of 12 weeks (72 days) in advance.

Permission to keep a pet in Yamasa accommodation is subject to the following conditions

Permission for a student to live in a Yamasa Villa 3/4 apartment with a pet is subject to the following conditions, and permission will be immediately rescinded if any of the conditions are in the opinion of the Director of the International Office to have been breached:

• The student is solely responsible for looking after the pet's health and safety, including all veterinary fees (please note that vet fees are expensive in Japan). You are required to make your own insurance arrangements for your animal before you come. Information concerning local veterinary hospitals will be provided on request after arrival.
• When the pet is outside the apartment, it is to be kept on a leash at all times.
• When the pet is on a leash, the student is to be with the pet - i.e. you can't leave the pet tied to a pole or other object.
• Any faeces left by the pet are to be cleaned up and disposed of immediately. When walking a dog in Japan, it is required that the owner pick up all droppings.
• Noise made by the pet (for example barking dogs) may disturb other Yamasa Villa residents or nearby residents and will not be tolerated - the Institute cannot afford to have complaints about student housing from local residents as it prevents us from expanding student accommodation in the future. Noise made by pets is subject to the same rules as applies to stereos, TV noise etc - i.e. if you (or your pet) are complained about on 3 or more occasions for any reason, then you will need to leave the accommodation and obtain alternative housing. In the event of shared/family occupancy, this applies to all occupants of the apartment.
• To minimize the odor and hopefully remove the need to re-surface the walls of the apartment after your leave, it is the policy of the Housing Office that a Bio-micron device is to be installed in any apartment where there are pets. The machine costs 175000 yen to lease, and needs to be serviced every six months at 12000 yen per service. To recover these costs, students bringing pets will need to pay a surcharge of 175000 yen (cost price of the lease), plus a small surcharge of 14000 yen per 3 months in the case of long term student (holders of Shugakusei visas or any student studying for longer than 3 months), or 3800 yen per week in the case of short term students (any student studying at Yamasa in a program lasting 12 weeks/3 months or less).
• All students bringing a pet need to pay a 85,000 yen deposit in addition to any standard deposits made. As with the usual deposit, the balance of this is refunded after cleaning.
• You will be required to sign an indemnity form before entering any accommodation contract at Yamasa with your pet.

If the above conditions are not observed, then unfortunately we will need to terminate your term of residence in the Yamasa Villa 3/4. Our standard Refund Policy applies if this causes you to terminate your studies Yamasa midway through your course either voluntarily or by need (e.g. due to unavailability of other accommodation options).

After you leave the accommodation at the end of your studies, your apartment needs to be cleaned before the next student arrives. It has been constantly reported that even after the cleaning services completes their work, the smell from the pets is still noticeable - particularly with cat and dog odor. As this inconveniences other students (especially those with allergies), it often requires additional cleaning and replacement of wall surfaces. Please be aware that in most cases, students who have brought pets with them have usually not received much in the way of refund from the accommodation deposit due to the additional expenses incurred.

If you have any questions regarding any aspects of this policy please contact us as soon as possible.

Questions regarding this file...

If any of the information in this file is unclear, or if you need more detailed information, please read the FAQ before contacting us. Best regards, Declan Murphy.