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Kionon
Joined: 12 Apr 2008
Posts: 226
Location: Kyoto, Japan and Dallas, Texas
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 Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 4:49 am Post subject: |
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I didn't want to start a new thread, just bump this one. It is related.
I'm having trouble deciding how to ship my stuff back to Japan. It honestly isn't a lot in the grand scheme of things. Maybe seven or eight 3ftx2x2 boxes. I've cut down all I can, what I am taking with me is stuff I want to keep pretty much forever. I do not have any immediate need, so they can be shipped from my parents' house at a glacial pace. I'm cool with that. Service? Post office? UPS?
Which leads me to my next question, since when I moved to Japan originally I only had two suitcases and nothing else, I didn't need to make decisions about what to take or not to take for my first few months in Japan. At this point, I do NOT plan to leave Japan for an extended period of time for the rest of my life. I have decided to pursue permanent residency when I meet the requirements.
I have done a bunch of searching on the topic, but all I have come up with is checklists for people doing the year thing or doing a PCS military move. I have not found anything relating to what to do in the first three months if you are planning to relocate to Japan for the rest of your life.
All of my belongings in the world must eventually come to Japan, as my parents are selling their house, and because the only belongings I have left I want to keep.
...and on a different topic, has anyone used a b-mobile sim for their iPhone? I want to go ahead and use my ARC and my credit card to get one pretty much as soon as I land... |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 12:54 pm Post subject: |
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Kionon,
My advice is to keep at least half of that stuff with parents or someone else trustworthy until you figure you need it. Get re-established first. You won't need half the clothes until 6 months go by anyway. You also may relocate. And, unless you have an address by the time you leave, where are you going to ship the stuff? I sent mine to my employer, but still had to cart it on a train to my apartment! Easier to send it to the new home when you have one.
Ask the PO what is their preferred service for shipping so many (yes, that is many) boxes. They may suggest a special container for it all. Compare to UPS and any other private service.
Also, really think hard what you want sent here. Some things are better kept at home. |
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Kionon
Joined: 12 Apr 2008
Posts: 226
Location: Kyoto, Japan and Dallas, Texas
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 2:08 pm Post subject: |
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| Glenski wrote: |
Kionon,
My advice is to keep at least half of that stuff with parents or someone else trustworthy until you figure you need it. Get re-established first. You won't need half the clothes until 6 months go by anyway. You also may relocate. And, unless you have an address by the time you leave, where are you going to ship the stuff? I sent mine to my employer, but still had to cart it on a train to my apartment! Easier to send it to the new home when you have one. |
Right, I was asking about what to do after the initial three months it takes for me get re-established and get my own apartment. As for six months of clothes, I assume you mean three months of summer, three months of winter. In my personal experience, Japanese weather is not as seasonal as the Japanese like to claim. In October, the temperature will snap and it will stay cold. If I just take my summer clothes, I'll be caught without adequate protection during the winter.
I may relocate, yes, but I may also have relocated if I stayed in the United States. Actually, most assuredly, as there are no positions in this area. This really doesn't change the issue of storage because....
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| Ask the PO what is their preferred service for shipping so many (yes, that is many) boxes. They may suggest a special container for it all. Compare to UPS and any other private service. |
Thank you.
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| Also, really think hard what you want sent here. Some things are better kept at home. |
What "home?" Generally, Glenski, you offer very good advice, but every so often I think you miss some important detail. My parents are selling the house. My friends have all moved away. It really isn't that much stuff to begin with (and it was all stuff I had at my Japanese apartment and shipped BACK to begin with, most of it was purchased in Japan). Japan is my home, and just like if I was moving across town or across the state, I would eventually, within a reasonable time frame, move everything to my address. |
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Glenski
Joined: 15 Jan 2003
Posts: 12844
Location: Hokkaido, JAPAN
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| Posted: Tue May 15, 2012 10:16 pm Post subject: |
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| Kionon wrote: |
| Right, I was asking about what to do after the initial three months it takes for me get re-established and get my own apartment. As for six months of clothes, I assume you mean three months of summer, three months of winter. In my personal experience, Japanese weather is not as seasonal as the Japanese like to claim. In October, the temperature will snap and it will stay cold. If I just take my summer clothes, I'll be caught without adequate protection during the winter. |
Ask someone to send half of your stuff here a month or 2 after you arrive. "Home" is a relative word, and unless your parents are moving into a place where they cannot take half a dozen of your boxes, and you have absolutely no other friends or family to take care of that situation for you, then send it to an employer (if you have one by the time you come here) or to whatever address you have before you arrive. |
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pnksweater
Joined: 24 Mar 2005
Posts: 173
Location: Tokyo, Japan
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 4:57 am Post subject: |
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| For people who move internationally they usually find it cheaper to buy stuff in their new country than try to ship their possessions. However, there are some things you may not be able to part with. From the US, flat rate international shipping through the USPS is the most reasonable, but the boxes offered are pretty small. If you want to make sure your stuff reaches Japan without taking a wrong turn in Tanzania or something, see if there�s a (Kuro Neko) Yamato shipping center near where you live. I�ve had good experiences with the company, and, unlike the USPS, Kuro Neko tracks your package door to door. While many people have had zero problem with the USPS, I�ve had more than a few packages go missing or get torn up and repacked with sticky tape and someone else�s stuff. |
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Kionon
Joined: 12 Apr 2008
Posts: 226
Location: Kyoto, Japan and Dallas, Texas
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| Posted: Thu May 17, 2012 5:51 am Post subject: |
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| pnksweater wrote: |
| For people who move internationally they usually find it cheaper to buy stuff in their new country than try to ship their possessions. However, there are some things you may not be able to part with. |
These are mostly collector items. In some cases I own the only known copy or one of the only known copies in existence. I also have quite a few clothes and a number of shoes I would not wish to part with. Replacing them would be hundreds of thousands of yen, especially with Japanese prices for American brands. Shipping it all back to the US via JP Post and then USPS only cost me $700, a bargain compared to the overall value of the items.
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| From the US, flat rate international shipping through the USPS is the most reasonable, but the boxes offered are pretty small. If you want to make sure your stuff reaches Japan without taking a wrong turn in Tanzania or something, see if there�s a (Kuro Neko) Yamato shipping center near where you live. I�ve had good experiences with the company, and, unlike the USPS, Kuro Neko tracks your package door to door. While many people have had zero problem with the USPS, I�ve had more than a few packages go missing or get torn up and repacked with sticky tape and someone else�s stuff. |
I love Kuro Neko in Japan, I didn't realise they had US locations... Time to Google... |
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