Job Discussion Forums

[JimDunlop2]

In N. America, moving is easy. Just pack up all your crap in boxes, get all your friends to come over (having bribed them with pizza & beers beforehand) and rent a big ol' U-Haul.... Problem solved... Now seeing that in Japan I have a few less friends, and no local U-Haul office, what would some of you long-time ex-pats recommend if I were to wish to move from one city (prefecture) to another city (quite possibly in another prefecture)..... And what are the costs involved with some of this...

In terms of stuff, we are talking about the usual: a bunch of clothes, books, TV, furniture (most of which can be disassembled into planks of wood) and other misc. stuff... No BIG stuff like pianos, couches... Oh wait.. the kitchen table and chairs are kinda a dog... But other than that.....

Any words of advice (especially in the way of how much money I should be considering setting aside for a move) would be helpful..

Thanks,

JD

[lajzar]

Moving in Japan is ludicrously expensive. Black cat is probably your simplest option. They have an option which costs about 5000 for each large item, which they will gift wrap in brown card for you, and another option which costs you 20,000 for a caged cargo pallet, which you load yourself. iirc.

The man and van for hire concept just doesnt seem to exist here. Someone really ought to do this; it would work really well I think. Untapped market.

[guest of Japan]

In my last move, my wife found a company named Arisan. It means ants.
It was the van for hire approach with movers. They were very efficient and punctual. It cost us 40,000 to move from Utsunomiya, Tochigi to rural Chiba. The price is less if your move is shorter. I'll use them again for my next move. According to my wife they are all over Japan. It's important to note that it is cheaper to move on weekdays.

[shmooj]

If anyone is tempted to hire themselves a truck and do it themselves don't bother with the company Nandemo kashimasu which literally means, We rent anything. They don't. We went in for a truck and came out disappointed. We ended up borrowing one off a friend however we were moving a relatively short distance so could return it easily.

[TokyoLiz]

I had a good experience with Akabou Fliegen in the Kanto region. Like any service, they were a little expensive, but very careful and kind. I rode in the truck from my old place to the new and I was impressed with how fast the service is, from initial email to closing the door at my new place. You'll find them on the internet.

[markosonlines]

My girlfriend and I are thinking about buying a 2nd hand Suzuki minivan (assuming we have somewhere for it in the new place) and doing it ourselves. We are planning to rent a house in Chiba. We don't have much furniture and we'll probably sell the car six months later and get something faster, like a Ferrari F40, or a couple of mountain bikes!!

This is just speculative but anyone who has tried this or something similar please tell us of your experiences.

Markos

[shmooj]

Well, I know of a couple just last month here who rented a minivan for similar purposes. It took them four trips in it to move all their stuff and they really didn't have that much. They only moved about 5km away. Ise to Chiba is slightly over that. You might want to take a reality check and make sure you really can fit all your stuff in the van. If you are renting a house the other end, you probably have a bit of stuff, no?

[Gordon]

I just moved 2 weeks ago so the memory is still too fresh in my memory. Fortunately, the move was really close. We borrowed a pickup truck and 2 more friends lent their cars and more importantly their muscles. I have a lot of friends so that makes a big difference and we have a lot of furniture because it belongs to the school. The move went smoothly and our only cost was lunch and a full tank for the truck.

[JimDunlop2]

Thanks for the feedback everyone (and keep em' coming if you want to contribute)....

But for Guest of Japan: Can you give a bit more detail as to what the 40,000k bought you? E.g. Did you have everything pre-packed and ready for them? How much stuff did you have? Did the charge by the hour or by weight or by distance? etc... etc...

Otherwise, 40,000 (if it covers what I would imagine it SHOULD) sounds reasonable....

[guest of Japan]

Everything was pre-packed and sitting on in the apartment on the fifth floor. The movers parked a big truck in front of the apartment. They carried everything down and loaded it on the truck. They then drove for about 4 hours to my new home. Upon arrival they brought everything into the house and placed all the big items in the appropriate rooms. The workers were very very friendly and considerate.

The fee was based on the size of the truck and the distance travelled.

[Brooks]

can anyone guess how much it would cost me to move from Sagamihara in Kanagawa (just west of Tokyo) to Osaka? I am thinking of moving in March but maybe in July.
I would like to have a moving company do it.

thanks

[Gordon]

Brooks,
I think it would depend on how much stuff you have. 1 box or 20, furniture?

[shmooj]

[Brooks]

I don`t have much stuff. A small refrigerator, a kotatsu, two bookcases, a stool, a chair,
three futons, and several boxes. And one guitar. Oh, an air conditioner.
I wouldn`t need a big truck. A small truck would work.

[Gordon]

Brooks,
Why hire a moving company to do it? Just rent a truck and do it yourself. You don't have that much stuff.