How to find housing in Japan while on a working holiday

Chapter 5 of 5

Regardless of whether you choose to live in a share house or your own apartment, you’ll likely need to get some additional furniture to make it really feel like home.

Before we dive into resources for finding furniture, the first thing you should keep in mind is that in Japan when you move out or change addresses, you cannot simply throw out furniture (even small ones) in the garbage bin. If you do so, you risk being fined. Instead, you must pay for a professional disposal service to come and collect your belongings. Alternatively, you could personally bring your furniture to special disposal centres. In light of this strict policy, you may want to take a more minimalist approach to furnishings to avoid having to pay large sums just to eventually get rid of everything.

Buy new

If you want to invest in some new furniture, Ikea and Nitori are a couple of economical options, both with locations across the country. You can order online and have everything delivered to your address. The prices are reasonable, and delivery in Japan is done with care.

Buy second hand

To save even more money (and if you have the patience to wait until coming across the right pieces), consider buying second hand furniture. In Japan, such stores are called recycle shops, such as HARD OFF and Treasure Factory. There are also tons of Facebook groups in which you can find goods for cheap or even free.

Lastly, also see if your town has any weekly or monthly flea markets. Those sometimes have some great steals.

If you need to arrange for transportation to bring home your purchases, here are a few options:

• Hire a professional moving service like AGS or Sakai Moving.
• Rent a truck yourself via an agency like Niconico or 100 yen rent a car.
• In Facebook groups for used furniture, there are individuals who offer moving services personally. You can discuss your needs and negotiate the price with them.

Furniture rental services

If you want to avoid the hassle of having to dispose of or resell your furniture upon moving out, you can consider renting a few pieces of furniture (at least the big ones)! If your stay is only for a few months, this option might save you some money. Check out Lease Japan and Furniture rental Tokyo.