Only once in my life have I got my damage deposit back. That is tipping the landlord a lot of money. The time I got it back was in a terrible situation and I had leverage over the parasite.

Usually the newer buildings owned by larger real estate groups don't do they kept money thing anymore.

I've only really seen it in buildings owned by small real estate concerns and old dudes.

It's luckily getting kind of pushed out as a normal thing, just slowly.

ya it's funny when you watch some videos about "small apartments" in tokyo and only to realize they are still more cheaper and spacious than some NA options in big cities.

Not in Tokyo, but farther out in Tokyo's residential cities (outside the 23 wards like Chiba and Saitama)

It's even cheaper the farther you get from train stations. There's a 30 minute walk "cliff" where residential land prices plummet when you're more than 30 minutes walk away from a train station.