What I Learned When Moving Out of Japan
I recently moved out of my 1-bedroom Tokyo apartment (1LDK) and out of Japan, and moved back to the US.
It's a lot of work, even more than when moving in the US, and it can be pretty expensive.
Here are a few realizations and lessons I learned while going through the process.
The cost to throw away small items adds up
We may think about how much an item costs and whether or not there are expenses for it down the road, but we usually don’t think about how much it’ll cost to throw then away later.
In Japan, there's even a charge for throwing away something like a small container. You’ll have to buy special stickers to be able to throw them away as well as schedule an appointment for someone to come and pick up your specific item.
¥400 fee + need to call for collection for this container
¥400 fee + need to call for collection for this furo bath cover
Even if you live in an apartment complex where multiple items have been paid for and are awaiting pick-up, they won’t come and collect everyone’s items.
A ¥300 steal at Daiso may cost you ¥400 and time to get the trash stickers and schedule that pickup.
Breaking down trash is time-consuming
The process of throwing away things takes longer than if you’re moving in the US because there's more work involved.
Each item needs to be broken down and separated by individual parts - burnable, metal, etc., then thrown away appropriately in separate bags or bins.
If you have a lot of foreign products, it's worse.
Packaging from many non-Japanese companies often are "nice" these days because it’s seen as a value-add and a differentiator in an era where it’s typical for people to show the "unboxing" of them.
However, the truth is that most of their packaging are not made to be easily broken down or folded flat for easy recycling, which is required in Japan.
Using Mercari is helpful
Facebook Marketplace and Craigslist works minimally at best, although I have used the latter in Japan.
I've sold several things on Mercari (make sure you’re using the Japan app, which is different from the US one).
Note: Like with any customer service in Japan, the amount of etiquette you have to have to have in order to successfully interact with Japanese buyers on the app is crazy, it’s not like how it is in the US whatsoever.
Once you get the hang of it though, it begins to get smoother and you can get rid of a lot of unneeded items around your house.
You can ship items easily at a combini.
I used 2 combinis to ship Mercari items and I recommend 7-11.
At 7-11, you just bring the packaged item to the checkout counter and the staff will scan your QR shipping code that comes up in the app, give you a postal sticker that you stick on the package, and done. They take your item and ship it, there is no money exchange or writing of addresses, nothing.
My experience at FamilyMart wasn’t as good. They require using a kiosk in order to create a ticket to ship your item. Then, you need to take them to the cashier before doing the same as 7-11.
Sell clothes at a second-hand shop
While selling items on Mercari was helpful, selling clothing was quite hard.
This is why we ended up taking a lot of our clothes to a second-hand clothing shop in Shimokitazawa, the Tokyo neighborhood known for things like thrifting.
We used TreFacStyle. If you download their app and create an account, they’ll give you an added percentage for the items that they buy.
Clothes have little value.
It was a slap in the face to know how little value our clothes actually had.
Here are some of the things I sold that they paid the most for:
Burberry Black suit: ¥4240
Haglöfs rain jacket: ¥2000
Burberry Black sport coat: ¥1500
Sisley trench coat: ¥1000
Porter messenger bag: ¥1000
Nike tech jacket: ¥600
And here are some of the items I sold that they paid the least for or refused to take:
J.Crew button down shirt: ¥20 each
Banana Republic knit: ¥20
J.Crew knit: ¥20
Hugo Boss tie: Didn’t take
Futura shirt: Didn’t take
Y-3 sneakers (kind of worn condition): Didn’t take
I know thrifters like to buy clothing for reasons like it’s trendy or more eco-friendly, but these stores don’t pay much for them meaning thrifters are paying prices that are insanely bloated.
Use AirTags to track your boxes and luggage
Apple’s AirTags are great for tracking your boxes or luggage when you ship them or check them in on your flight.
I put a few of them inside pockets or items inside the boxes. Updates on their whereabouts weren’t realtime, but they were frequently updated and I could see where they were in the truck, at the holding center, port, etc.
Just a note, because AirTags link to your Apple account, it might be a good idea to link some of them to your partner or someone else’s account if you plan to use the AirTags for daily use after and don’t need all of them. I’ve learned that once their paired with your account, it’s hard to unpair them and I didn’t need so many AirTags after my items arrived.
I hope this helps. Feel free to share or ask any questions you might have.