So, not exactly sure where to post this, but... I'm visiting Japan for the first time this summer and want to do a short-term apartment rental (often cheaper than a dorm room in a hostel, and you get a private studio). I found this place and the prices are great and the rooms suit my needs. But I can't find any reviews for them, and they want a $300 deposit. They seem pretty legit, but I'm a little cautious.

Does anyone have experience with "kyoto-apartment.com" and can review them for me? Failing that, does anyone know any good short-term apartment rental places? I heard of gaijin-friendly short-term rent dorms once as a rising fad in Japan, but I can't remember the term for those places.

Thank you!

You're basically looking for a "guest house."

There are indeed private, fully-furnished apartments, available for short term stay. I stayed in a few of those not too long ago-- the building quality varied from fair, to nearly 5-star-- but I didn't make the arrangements. I would try the housing section of Craigslist for foreign-friendly establishments.

vix86 - That term brings up a lot of hostels (seems interchangable, actually) which are at the rate of about $30/day for a private room, or $900/month. "Short-term apartment" can be $500/month.

gc_3k - craiglist is a good idea! Unfortunately, Kyoto doesn't have its own craiglist. It's grouped in with Osaka and I can't find any listings about Kyoto...

Just wanted to post what I ended up doing for future apartment-hunters... I went to airbnb and found a ton of great options, all foreigner-friendly, for apartments, bedrooms, and dorm rooms all over Japan. I got a great place in Tokyo for only $15/night and it's a 10 minute walk to Akihabara.

This site has examples of the short-term apartments that I stayed in. They're a little pricey, I guess.
http://realestate.co.jp/en/short-term

I second AirBnB. AirBnB has many full apartment units, as well as rooms inside of larger apartments. Also, the better ones will have multiple reviews. I'm staying for cheap in Katsushika when I go to Tokyo in October.