Typically when moving into an apartment in Japan it often doesn’t come with things like a fridge, washing machine, or stove. Lucky for me, my school rented and provided those things for me when I first got here. Much of my furniture and appliances were bought by me (all at well budgeted prices), and a few items were given to me by other teachers that no longer needed it. Here are my favorite places for buying furniture (on a budget) in Japan:
Rakuten: My favorite and #1 recommendation. Most of my furniture were bought from here and were on sale + free shipping. What’s even better is the awesome shipping of Japan Post! Where 3 days isn’t even considered express shipping! It’s awesome! If only everywhere else could be as awesome.
Rakuten, online shopping. Great for finding furniture.
Nitori: I consider it a Japanese version of Ikea. Stylish, but all on a budget. Much of my dishes came from their awesome prices on dish sets, and my small toaster oven (¥2000) that has served me well for all my baking needs. Certain areas of Japan are getting their own Ikea, but I do believe that the quality of Nitori is way better than Ikea, and for pretty much a matched price.
Nitori, home & furnishing.
Mr. Max: Similar to shopping at Walmart. Stores are not stylish nor glamorous and they’re limited in their furniture, but their prices are really good. I always manage to find the things I need on sale at the time, a lot of my living needs came from here like hangers, laundry poles, etc.
Mr. Max
Recycle Shops: Second hand stores. Everything they sell is always in mint condition, because here they have standards. They don’t take just anything. Their collection of furniture is really neat, sometimes you can find a bargain and other times it can be the same price of buying new.
Sayonara Sales: People who are moving and want to get rid of stuff will often give away stuff at great bargain prices, and sometimes for free. It’s not to be expected, though there are a lot of rude individuals out there that will straight up expect free stuff without consideration to the mover.
Japanese Jutaku Apartments
It’s called a “jutaku” – an apartment that is only rented out to government officials/employees. Apartment sizes, quality and modernization varies, but for all of them, jutaku’s are not the greatest in terms of heating. There’s no installation for the most part, so during winter it gets quite cold. To combat the cold I bought an electric carpet (starting ¥8000 new) and camped out on my living room floor all winter like a bear. My AC in the bedroom was also a heater, but a weak one that couldn’t heat the full apartment. Other people got a Kotatsu (heated table – starting ¥5000 used) or an electric blanket.
When I first arrived at my apartment I had nothing, except my suitcase. With the money that I brought with me I had to go into survivor mode. I bought the furnishing basics that I needed, a converting couch bed & table. Later I would finally get a real bed and dining table. Luckily, Japan has a long summer/warm season that can last until October, giving time to prep for the winter.
BC Roll in Japan 