u/MrHoney_GameDev

Hi everyone!
I’m from India and will be visiting **Higashihiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture, in the last week of October** for a corporate/work trip. It’ll be my first time in Japan.

My company will handle the major work/travel arrangements, but I’d love some advice from Indians living in Hiroshima/Higashihiroshima or elsewhere in Japan.

Mainly wanted to know:
How is life in Higashihiroshima, and is it easy to get around without knowing much Japanese?

I’m vegetarian (eggs are okay). How easy is it to find vegetarian food there?

Anything important I should know about Japanese workplace/cultural etiquette before visiting?

What should I pack or bring from India that might be useful or difficult to find there?

Any recommendations for places to explore around Hiroshima if I get some free time?

Also, is there an **Indian community in Higashihiroshima/Hiroshima** or any WhatsApp/other groups I could join?
Any other tips for an Indian visiting Japan for the first time would be really appreciated!

I recently vacated a rented flat in Pune that was under a registered Leave & License Agreement.
Our agreement says that the security deposit is refundable and that the licensees are responsible for damage caused to the premises/furniture, subject to normal wear and tear.
After vacating, the owner/broker gave us several deductions from the deposit, including:
₹4,500 – Deep cleaning — we agreed to this, so no dispute
₹1,300 – Mosquito net
₹800 – Basin leakage
₹1,500 – Sofa & mattress cleaning
₹1,000 – Pest control
Around 2000 more for Carpenter/plumbing/material charges

Later, another ₹550 was mentioned for AC servicing
My main issue is that except for deep cleaning, these expenses were never discussed with us or approved by us before the work was carried out.

We challenged some of them with evidence:

Mosquito net: It was already damaged when we moved in and we have proof. After showing this, they agreed to remove this deduction.

Basin leakage: It was an internal leakage/seepage issue that we had informed the owner about during our tenancy and have the communication/photos. They have now agreed to remove this too.

The remaining dispute is mainly ₹1,500 sofa/mattress cleaning + ₹1,000 pest control (and potentially the newly mentioned AC servicing).
For the sofa/mattress, they say it became dirty because we used it. However, they have no before/after photographs showing stains or damage caused by us. My argument is that routine cleaning after normal residential use shouldn’t automatically be considered tenant-caused damage, especially when the agreement expressly excludes normal wear and tear.
Similarly, there was no pest infestation attributed to us during our stay, and pest control was never communicated as a move out expense.

I have repeatedly told them that I am completely willing to pay for any genuine damage caused by us. I am only asking them to establish what damage we caused rather than charging routine maintenance/cleaning expenses from the deposit.
The owner currently lives in the USA and the broker manages the property locally. We’ve tried resolving it amicably over WhatsApp/calls.
The remaining amount isn’t huge, but at this point it’s more about principle than the money. A lawyer friend is willing to send a legal notice, and I’m also considering approaching Pune DLSA for pre-litigation settlement.

For people familiar with Maharashtra/Pune rental disputes:

Can routine pest control and professional sofa/mattress cleaning legally be deducted in these circumstances?

Does the “damage caused by licensee, subject to normal wear and tear” clause strengthen my position?

Who would generally need to establish that the sofa/mattress was damaged beyond normal use?

Is a legal notice/pre-litigation settlement worth pursuing for such a small amount?

Is there a better remedy available in Pune?

Not looking to harass the owner or avoid legitimate expenses, just want to know where the legal line is between tenant-caused damage and routine maintenance between occupants.