Once you have found a house or apartment to rent, the process of setting up will be in full force. There are lots of things to consider in this busy stage! Our two experiences have been that from signing on a rental home to actual move in date can be several weeks at the earliest, but there is much to start preparing.
So what is included with a rental in Japan? Often, just the basic structure of the house! While our house in Niigata already had AC units in each room, our apartment in Nagoya only had one unit in the main living area. We had to purchase units for the other rooms and get them installed. Thankfully we moved in during October, so we were fine without units for a few days waiting for installation. But if you move in the middle of summer or winter, you will want the AC/heat units in very quickly! Gas heaters are another consideration. They heat the room very quickly but do require to frequently ventilate, so they are not a good option for nighttime. Also you will need a gas hookup in the wall, something that older homes might not have in place already.
One of the first things you will want to consider is purchasing curtains. Take measurements of all the windows in your home and head to the closest home goods store. Often the realtor or leasing company will let you into the apartment/house before move-in date so that you can take such measurements. In Japan, most windows have a sheer curtain and a regular curtain in place. Standard size curtain sets can be purchased ready to hang, but odd sized windows or very large windows might require a custom order that could take weeks to finish. You don’t want to get caught without curtains in your bedroom when you move in so just keep this in mind! I also recommend good blackout curtains for your kids’ room since the sun can come up as early as 5:00 in the spring/summer.
One mistake I made during setup was to pick out my color themes for each room before I knew what I could find. It has now been my experience that there are not as many color options available in Japan, so this was not the best idea! I recommend doing a lot of window shopping before you decide on color schemes for bathroom, living room, etc.
Nitori, Komeri, Cainz, and Tokyo Interior (pricey) are all good stores to check for furniture and home goods. We also had some good furniture finds at Off House and 2nd Street (recycle shops). And Amazon also was a life-saver for us. Amazon Japan has a low yearly fee but you can get most items delivered next-day. Totally worth it! I have purchased curtains, dish drying rack, various cleaners, fitted sheets, waterproof mattress covers, etc from Amazon.
Don’t forget about appliances. In fact, it might be good to shop for and order appliances before anything else! Japanese homes do not typically come with any appliances outside of the stovetop burners and a fish grill. So you will need to purchase refrigerator, oven/microwave, and washing machine/dryer. It will come in handy to have measurements when you are shopping for these larger items to make sure you don’t buy something too big for your space. It also never hurts to compare online prices to in store prices. Often the associate will match the cheapest price for you. They might even given you a few hundred dollars off for purchasing multiple appliances. It doesn’t hurt to ask!
While you are setting up your home, please keep in mind that many landlords are much more particular in Japan about damage to walls, floors, etc. In some cases you could lose your safety deposit over simple holes in the wall from hanging items. Personally we have found apartments to be more particular than individual homes. Either way, it is good to make sure you know up front if you will be required to patch every little hole or not.
Most of all, have fun setting up your new home. It really is an adventure.