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                DREAM. PLAN. MAKE IT HAPPEN.
MAKING THE MOVE TO JAPAN
Destination content © Ruthy Kanagy, used from Living Abroad in Japan, 1st Edition.
Maps © Avalon Publishing Group, Inc.
Overview "Almost everything you need to set up house in Japan can be purchased after you arrive—linens, kitchenware, furniture, television, DVD players, and so on. Many household items can be found for a reasonable price at “recycle shops” and ¥100 stores (the equivalent of a dollar store, but with many more items). In a nutshell: Take only what you can’t live without."
Prime Living Locations
True Stories
Making the Move Visas and Immigration Moving with Children Moving with Pets What to Take

Electronics and Media • Comfort Food • Clothing and Shoes
SHIPPING COMPANIES

Almost everything you need to set up house in Japan can be purchased after you arrive—linens, kitchenware, furniture, television, DVD players, and so on. Many household items can be found for a reasonable price at “recycle shops” and ¥100 stores (the equivalent of a dollar store, but with many more items). In a nutshell: Take only what you can’t live without.
  However, do bring as much money as you can for startup costs. Getting the key to an apartment can set you back as much as $5,000. Costs are lower in smaller cities and towns away from urban centers. Any amount up to ¥1 million ($9,090) in any currency is not subject to customs declaration when you enter Japan.
Electronics and Media
As far as voltage goes, your laptop computer will operate with no problem in Japan (which uses 100V versus our 120V). You can also buy a computer in Japan—the English classifieds might be a good place to find one—although the Japanese keyboard has a slightly different configuration. Software sold in stores is, naturally, all in Japanese.
  Your American cell phone, however, will not work in Japan. But the good news is that cell phones are abundant and you can buy prepaid phone cards to go with them.
  To protect market share, DVD software and players are regulated through region-specific codes. If the DVD and player are not from the same region, they are incompatible. For example, region 2 software (manufactured for Japan) can only be played on region 2 DVD players. The regions are designated as follows:
Region 1—United States, Canada
Region 2—Japan, Europe, Middle East, South Africa, Egypt
Region 3—East Asia, Southeast Asia, Hong Kong
Region 4—Australia, Central America, Caribbean, South America
Region 5—Former Soviet Union, North Korea, Mongolia, South Asia, Africa (other than South Africa)
Region 6—China
  So, if you bring your DVD player from the U.S. to Japan, it most likely will not be able to read Japanese software. However, some software and players are region-free. So, if you purchase a region-free (or code-free) player, it will play most any DVD from any part of the world. Make sure to note whether the warranty is international or limited to the country of purchase.
  Standard TV frequencies and FM radio (from 76 to 90 MHz) are different than in North America. You can get English news and other bilingual broadcasts in Tokyo and other large cities.

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Comfort Food
 Most large department stores in Japan have an international foods section where you can find such exotic items as Skippy’s peanut butter, taco shells, and pretzels. But if you have any favorite seasoning mixes, spices, herbal teas, microwave popcorn, macaroni and cheese, or tortilla chips, you may want to bring along a supply. Also, don’t forget that decaffeinated coffee doesn’t exist in Japan!

Clothing and Shoes
 If you are a tall woman (over 5’7”) or wear shoes larger than a size eight, it’s a good idea to bring most of the clothing and shoes you will need in Japan from home. Larger sizes are available, but only in major department stores and specialty shops, and prices are quite steep. Japanese clothing and shoes tend to be well-tailored and high in quality, but shoes may cost $200 or more, and a two-piece suit for women $300 or more. Women’s clothing sizes are 9, 11, 13, 15, 17 (L), 19 (2L), 3L, and 4L. However, if you’re smaller in stature, you’ll have no problem finding clothing to fit.
  Men’s shirts come in the following neck sizes, in centimeters: 36 (14 in), 37 (14.5 in), 38 (15 in), 39 (15.5 in), 40 (16 in), 41 (16.5 in), 42 (17 in), and so on. Shoe sizes for both genders are also measured in centimeters. The following sizes are approximate: 23 (women’s 6.5), 24 (women’s 7), 25 (women’s 8.5, men’s 7), 26 (women’s 9.5, men’s 8.5), 27 (men’s 9.5), 27.5 (men’s 10.5). Again, if you wear a larger size, bring your own shoes to Japan.

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SHIPPING COMPANIES
 The cost of shipping to Japan may seem reasonable, but the cost of shipping goods home again is quite high. This applies to books as well. U.S. post offices have large canvas bags that hold up to 40 pounds of books, but shipping them back from Japan is the hard part. I paid about $100 for each small box of general goods, and only a little less to mail books to the U.S.—and the books had to be in small parcels of 10 pounds or less to qualify for book rate. My total cost was about $1,000 for postage.
  To get an idea of shipping costs to or from Japan, contact Nippon Express or OPAS Ship to Japan (an affiliate of DHL) for free estimates.
  Other means of transporting items, such as via container ship, are available if you plan to bring a large quantity of household goods. However, packing light and buying or borrowing once you reach your destination helps to establish solidarity with your new home, and shopping for items is an excellent way to interact with your new neighborhood and introduce yourself to local shopkeepers.