This Is Japan
Explore everyday life in Japan
Moving in Japan means either buying new appliances, or bringing the old ones with you--everything from refrigerators and washing machines to light fixtures and air conditioning units.
Of course, the same could be said for just about anywhere, more or less, but for me, having grown up in America, where apartments tend to at least come with refrigerators and a full set of light fixtures, Japan is a little different. The rule of thumb here is that you, as the renter, are responsible for supplying all of your own appliances.
As a buyer, of course, the same is true.
Moving in Japan, like anywhere else, can be done in two ways. You can hire people to do it for you, or you can do it yourself. Typically, people in Japan hire a moving company to do the job for them. There tends to be a hesitation here when it comes to DIY home projects and repairs, and moving sort of falls under these categories. The attitude here seems to be, Just leave it to the professionals;and there is a very good reason for this.
Moving companies in Japan are extremely efficient, cautious, and reliable. All of your possessions are wrapped, padded, and carried by a team of workers who have the equipment they need to make the job easy and who use a system of calls and check-stops to make sure that everything is transported carefully.
Me being me, though, no matter how reasonable the price, I just can't justify hiring someone to do something that I can do mostly by myself (And a little help from friends, too).
Over the past weekend, I spent two days moving into my first house. It was very exciting and a little nerve wracking as well. It also meant installing a lot of lights.
Japan has a universal light socket that is unlike anything I have ever seen before. The ceiling is outfitted with a type of plug and the bases of light fixtures are plugged directly into this and snapped into place.
It is an incredibly easy process. Here are some pictures that document it.
1.
Plug the base of the light fixture into its socket and turn it until it clicks.
2.
Put the light fixture over its base and lock it into place. Then attach the cable that is hanging from the light fixture to the cable that is connected to the base. These cables snap together.
Different light fixtures have different locking mechanisms. This particular fixture snaps into place. Other fixtures I have seen require you to turn a key that extends arms into the fixture itself and secures it.
3.
Place the cover over the light fixture and turn it until it locks.
Finished
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.
When I first heard that in the US you often find things in the rooms you rent - even refrigerators - I was a bit shocked. After all, how should THEY know what refrigerator you want? - Just as one example.
Here rent rooms with furniture are mainly for seasonal staff (harvest, tourist, construction worker) and students, and the interior tends to be very very cheap.
These differences are interesting, aren't they? You don't find many furnished apartments in the US, but they all have refrigerators and stoves/ovens. If you like the apartment, you just take what comes with it. I've not rented apartments before because they had electric ranges instead of gas. In Japan, you have to buy your own oven, stove, washing machine, etc. Maybe that's pretty typical outside of the US, though. I really don't know.
Interesting!
I think these sockets are pretty neat. They make installation really easy!