Moving apartments in Japan #1

Sergio
2021.06.09
670 views

Moving can be one of the most tiring and frustrating things in life, and doing so in Japan is no exception. I recently moved from Tokyo to Yokohama, and while I’m extremely happy to my new place and it was ultimately well worth it, I can’t say that I enjoyed the experience of moving itself.

There are some minor differences when it comes to moving in Japan compared to other countries, some good and some not. Today we’re going to talk about the more positive aspects of moving places while living here.

Perhaps the best thing that Japan has over other countries when it comes to moving is that moving companies are very professional and will do a lot of the most annoying things for you, no questions asked. The moving company I hired disassembled the bed frame for me and then reassembled it again at the new place. The same goes for other things like removing and reattaching sofa legs, installing the washing machine, etc. They also bring their own containers where you can hang your clothes without having to pack them, and then just hang them again at the new place. They will wipe things for you before putting them on the truck, like the back of a bookshelf. They even parked my bicycle. Everyone knows that packing sucks, but once you have done that, they take care of a lot of the hassle. They are not that expensive either.

Another good thing is that there are many options when it comes to what kind of apartment you want to stay at. Japan is infamous for having really small apartments, especially in the big cities, but that also means that if you can’t afford a huge place you can at least have your own little one. Personally, I prefer that to sharing a bigger place with strangers, so that’s a positive in my mind.

If you don’t want to move to a traditional apartment, there are companies like Leo Palace that rent out apartments that include some furniture and appliances. You also don’t have to worry about things like paying deposits and other fees.

Speaking of deposits, there are some things that are not so great about moving places here, and we’ll talk about those next time.

Hi, I’m Sergio.
I’m from Spain, lived in the UK for seven years and came to Japan in 2012.
I majored in journalism in London and have been teaching English in Tokyo.
I like traveling, cycling, photography, movies, and spending time with friends.
I wrote articles about life in Japan as a foreigner and anything that I might find interesting.
My email is ” sergio.dom.jpn@gmail.com “, by all means contact me about anything!