How I Furnished an Empty Rental Apartment in Japan
There is a saying about living and working in peace, and I think it is true. The romantic idea of using the sky as a blanket and the earth as a mat does not suit most people. Recently, I slept on the floor for nearly half a month, and my body could not take it anymore. I had to quickly buy a comfortable mattress.
With my current life experience, I find that most of us, myself included, whether rich or poor, feel uncomfortable throwing away good things. As a result, we are often burdened by possessions. We spend time, labor, and money on them, and afterward it may feel like we simply created trouble for ourselves.
So I wanted to write an article using data to calculate things clearly, so that when we settle down next time, we can make decisions that benefit us.
First, three points:
- If you are willing to spend money and do not want to think too much, you can ignore this article.
- If you do not plan to live long term, meaning less than one year, I recommend finding a place with furniture and appliances.
- If you plan to live long term, furnishing the place yourself is more reassuring and saves money.
Background Information
For foreigners, renting in Japan is not especially convenient and can involve considerable costs. For more about renting, see my earlier article Renting in Japan: How Foreigners Can Find Housing.
Unlike rentals in China, most rental homes in Japan do not include living facilities. They are truly empty shells: no appliances, no beds, tables, chairs, or stools, let alone a sofa. You may even need to install curtains yourself.
That is why I said above that for short-term stays, it is best to find a fully equipped place. Although the rent may be higher, and insurance and move-out cleaning fees may also increase, overall it is still a wise choice rather than simply a question of whether it is “worth it.”
Below I will use my own data to list how I handled an empty apartment. I will make it as detailed and complete as possible. Prices will not be accurate down to the last yen, but they are real prices. Considering that prices keep fluctuating, the overall picture may be more useful for decision-making.
For foreigners who have just arrived, Japan is unfamiliar. My life experience tells me not to focus too much on chasing bargains. Choose platforms with good value and reliability. Almost everything I bought for settling in came from Amazon Japan direct sales and Nitori.
For shopping, you can read my earlier article Shopping in Japan, Especially Online Shopping.
My Amazon Japan direct-sales filtering method is: turn on Prime, select Amazon.co.jp as the seller, and choose same-day or next-day delivery. Usually, items filtered this way are sold directly by Amazon.
Kitchen Items
| Item | Price (yen) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Refrigerator, 90L | 18,300 | Enough for one person. Vegetables in Japan are not cheap to store in large quantities, so there is no need to buy too much at once. In my view, this small refrigerator is also fine for two people. |
| Microwave, 17L | 8,000 | Simple functions, convenient and easy to use. Usually we only heat meals, so this type is just right. |
| Induction cooker | 6,300 | Strong heat, completely fine for stir-frying. It is easy to clean and easier to move than a gas stove. |
| Small rice cooker | 2,700 | Truly a small rice cooker. Japan has many of these. For women, it may be fine for two people; for men, probably not. |
| Electric kettle, 1L | 1,700 | It is also useful to buy a hot-water pot and cold-water pitcher. I already had two thermos bottles, so I did not buy them and made do for now. |
| Frying pan, 26cm with lid | 2,100 | Japanese pans are quite good, inexpensive, and good quality. The same quality in China would cost at least 200 to 300 yuan. |
| Stainless stew pot, 3L | 2,000 | Optional. For noodles or dumplings, the frying pan can actually handle it. |
| Small kitchen knife | 1,500 | Chain 100-yen shops and discount stores have cheap knives, but I do not recommend those. This small knife is made in Japan, not expensive, and works well. |
| Cutting board | 1,000 | Cheap ones are available in the places above, but I recommend buying a better one with better antibacterial properties. Also buy a longer board. Many one-room units in Japan may not reserve cutting space, but almost all rooms with cooking facilities have large sinks. A long cutting board can be placed across the sink for cutting. |
| Silicone spatula | 900 | Very useful. I also recommend not buying the cheapest 100- or 200-yen kind. |
| Vegetable-washing basket, 4L | 600 | I bought it, but rarely use it. |
| Plates, bowls, chopsticks | 800 | Two plates, two small bowls, and a set of stainless chopsticks are enough. If you are not picky, buy cheap ones at a discount store. |
| Food containers, 2 | 400 | Necessary. They can hold leftovers, and you may need to bring your own bento when working part time. |
| Scissors, peeler, seasoning boxes, dishcloths, etc. | 1,000 | These small items can be bought together at discount stores. Usually they cost a little over 100 yen each. This 1,000 yen included five dishcloths and a sponge for cleaning pans. |
Excluding daily consumables, these kitchen items should be complete. I used only these, with almost no unnecessary burden.
I did not buy a dining table for now. Since I eat alone, standing, sitting on the balcony, or making do anywhere is acceptable. I can buy one later.
I also did not buy small items like a chopstick holder. For one person, chopsticks, spoons, and forks can simply be placed in bowls or plates. When I bought the refrigerator, it came with an ice container, and the size happened to be perfect as a chopstick holder.
I also did not buy a trash can, which I will mention later.
The total kitchen cost was 47,300 yen.
Bathroom and Laundry Items
| Item | Price (yen) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Washing machine, 7kg | 30,600 | After seeing it in person, this price exceeded my expectations. It was much better than expected, with good workmanship and details. |
| 2,900 | I had to buy it because of the drainage situation in my apartment. Under normal circumstances, it is not needed. | |
| 1,000 | Same reason as above. Usually this cost is unnecessary. | |
| Extendable drying pole and holders | 2,800 | I bought a better one. Laundry and bedding are hung on it, and rust would be troublesome. Cheap ones also deform more easily. This one uses good steel, extends up to 3 meters, and has not deformed. The holders are optional. Tying it with binding wire can also work. |
| Hangers, clips, hooks | 1,200 | Twenty hangers, twenty small clips, four windproof clips, three hooks, and six adhesive hooks. Buy according to your situation. I bought them at 100-yen shops, and the quality is reliable. Only the adhesive hooks were not great, so I later bought 3M transparent tape, which cost 500 yen. That 500 yen is not included here. |
| Tooth cup, soap box, brush, etc. | 600 | - |
| Hair dryer, 1200W | 2,000 | The price has risen a lot. It now sells for more than 3,000 yen. |
| Toilet brush | 500 | Practical versions also exist for a little over 100 yen, with a base included. |
That seems to be all. Women may need more items. If you use a lot of body wash or shampoo, you can buy empty bottles from discount stores and refill them with bagged refills. This is cheaper and makes garbage disposal easier. I do not use much, so I did not buy them.
The total for bathroom and laundry items was 41,600 yen.
Room Items
| Item | Price (yen) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Single mattress | 12,000 | I have not bought a bed yet. This mattress is quite good and offers strong value. For couples, buying two of this type may be easier to manage later. I think it is better than buying one large mattress. |
| 1.5m quilt | 6,000 | The filling is similar to high-elastic cotton in China, about 2 kg. It feels good in use. I bought a Japan-made one from what seems like a small family workshop, and it is reliable. There are also many small custom-quilt workshops in China now. If I buy again, I will buy from the same seller. I am still using duvet covers and sheets brought from China. At Nitori, I saw decent sheet and cover sets for around 7,000 yen, similar to China. |
| 1.2m desk | 7,200 | The quality is good and it is stable. Prices are rising quickly; it went up more than 10% within a few days. |
| Folding chair with backrest | 2,900 | Quite comfortable. The steel looks decent, though I do not know whether the faux-leather surface will stand the test of time. |
| Ceiling lights, 2 | 5,300 | Easy to install. The connector is more advanced than in China, but do not be afraid if you have not seen it before. Align it properly, and usually it clicks into place within two minutes. |
| Power strips, 2 | 4,000 | I used two power strips. In general, I think three may be needed at most; more is unlikely. Power strips are relatively expensive, but quality is good, and many designs are thoughtful, such as waterproof covers on switches and non-electronic indicators. You can buy secondhand ones online. It is best not to buy these at convenience stores, because they are too expensive. |
Simple as that. The total for room items was 37,400 yen.
Cleaning Tools
| Item | Price (yen) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Broom and dustpan | 400 | - |
| Dust roller and refills | 1,200 | - |
I DIYed trash cans and storage boxes using cardboard boxes. Cardboard boxes came from two sources. First, delivery boxes; deliveries here basically use cardboard boxes, and the boxes are usually quite new. Second, supermarkets often provide free cardboard boxes for customers to take.
Apart from essential daily chemical products, tissues, wet wipes, and similar consumables, the items needed to move in and keep life running normally are basically covered.
Final total: 47,300 + 41,600 + 37,400 + 1,600 = 127,900 yen. Less than 130,000 yen.
Considering Moving and Disposal Costs
Now let us briefly look at disposal and moving costs. Why only briefly? Because I do not know the exact details. I can only refer to some advertising flyers.
If we throw away the large items above, recycling and disposal may cost over 10,000 yen, possibly close to 20,000.
If all these items are moved, the cost may be around 50,000 yen.
For shipping items, the three courier companies are Japan Post, Yamato Transport, and Sagawa Express. From what I have seen, their prices are broadly similar.
For moving, even the smallest boxes are usually around 100 cm total length on three sides, and larger ones around 140 cm. A 100-size parcel costs over 1,000 yen, while 140-size is around 2,000 yen.
After all this talk, you should now have a fairly clear outline. If a company can provide all the items above as a package at good value for people settling down, you are welcome to contact the Donggui Xishi community. I will advertise for you for free.
But I personally prefer another model: someone who understands Japan well receives an order from a client, purchases all the items, and delivers them all at once at the agreed time. If such a service existed, I would choose it too. It is a win-win business.
For clients, when first settling into a home in Japan or moving to a different place, they usually do not have much time. With such a service, everything might be finished in half a day. Doing it alone may take a week little by little. If you start working immediately, it becomes even more troublesome and time-consuming.
For an individual business owner providing this service, earning storage fees, errand fees, and transport fees should also create a decent income.