Experience moving house in Japan

At least 3 days before you move out, please call to let us know that you will be moving with the electricity, gas, and water company (the phone number to contact is listed on the bill). On the day you move, employees of the above companies will come to see the clock to calculate the money.

1. Shipping company

If you want to keep as much stuff as possible and move it long distances, the Hikkoshi Center (引越しセンター) moving services are a popular choice. This service will provide large trucks and drivers and help you pack and move into your new home. The cost for this service is quite high (depending on the mileage and bulky items such as refrigerators, cabinets, gas stoves, ...). In addition, if you move on the weekend and the peak seasons move house (March, 3, 4, 9, and 10), the price will be even higher. The strong point is that the item is transferred quickly in one go and you don't lose too much effort. The downside, of course, is the high cost.

You can see a spreadsheet of trying services by old and new home addresses and price comparisons on Kakaku http://hikkoshi.kakaku.com/hikkoshi

Some low-cost carriers are Sakai (http://www.hikkoshi-sakai.co.jp/) or Arisan Ma-ku (http://www.2626.co.jp/)

This is a website that compares Japanese moving services, but the Japanese language is a bit complicated:

https://kuchiran.jp/life/moving.html

Experience is that you should ask someone fluent in Japanese to help choose the most suitable service to save costs.

2. Transfer in the form of consignment

If you just want to move a few boxes, Yamato or Sagawa are good choices. Victims only need to pack their things into boxes, bring them to Yamato or Sagawa's stores or make an appointment by phone or Internet for staff to pick up the items and send them in the form of Takkyubin. Then you set a date to move to the new address. This way will save more money if you do not move bulky items but only clothes, books, sundries, etc.

See sample price list on Yamato: http://date.kuronekoyamato.co.jp/date/Main?LINK=TK

And Sagawa: http://www2.sagawa-exp.co.jp/send/fare/input/?_ga=1.263664204.1972467378.1486255781

3. Rent a van or a taxi

If you have friends who have a driver's license and move from a short distance, you can rent a minivan for about 6000 yen/day. Renting a truck is also convenient for you to dispose of garbage at waste collection sites (usually located far from the city center).

If you do not have friends who can drive, you can search for some cheap Japanese moving services by truck on Sayonara Sales groups.

4. Taxi

If your belongings are neat and not very much, you can transfer by taxi with a distance of a few kilometers, which will be cheaper than the above services. Four-seater taxis can load more dollars than you think, taxi prices vary by company, but if you are in an area with MK taxis, this company is the cheapest and easiest to use.

5. Throw things away

When moving house, you should also pay attention to the problem of garbage disposal. For some types of large garbage you must contact the city's collection center and schedule a date to pick up the garbage. You need to buy a throwaway stamp at Conbini and stick it on the items you need to throw away, leaving it on your doorstep on the right day.

Some types of large-format garbage such as refrigerators, washing machines, you can contact second-hand stores to liquidate.

6. Procedures for contract cancellation and address change.

According to the experience of moving house in Japan, you should also pay attention to the call to cancel electricity, gas, and Internet contracts. Some Internet services have Hikkoshi Service mode, which means you can still use the old service when you move, so please be careful to use it.

The first thing you need to do when you arrive at your new home is go to Shiyakusho to report the change of address and renew your insurance. When the new address is updated on the alien card, you can go to the bank to change the address on the bank card.

In addition, some of your correspondence may still be sent to the old address, so go to the post office near your house to fill out a new address change form (within a year if there is a mail from the old house). then the post office will automatically deliver to your new home.) The name of this newsletter is 転居届 (you can also report it via the Internet at https://welcometown.post.japanpost.jp/etn/index_sp.html )