# Renting Furniture



## timcuk

Hi

Has anyone know any good places to rent furniture (beds, sofas etc.) and white goods (washer/dryer, fridge etc.) in the Tokyo area?

I'm moving for a 2 year assignment and will not be shipping furniture from the UK (as currently in furnished accommodation!).

Also looking at buying as an option, other than Ikea, any other good places that are not too expensive?

Many thanks
Tim


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## larabell

Go check out my reply to your post on 5 Jan.


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## timcuk

Apologies, I did see yours and others who replied to my earlier post, which I found very useful and grateful for the responses, so probably should have continued my questioning on that post.

Have been a bit manic last few days as expecting to move in 2 weeks and still have lots of things to sort out before I leave.

What I was after here, was more recommendations of shops etc. for either renting or buying furniture. Re-reading your response in the other post I now see you were referring to Tokyo Lease Corporation... I will take a look at that now.

If there are any other recommendations etc. for both renting and/or buying, other than Ikea, also much appreciated.

Thanks.


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## Joppa

timcuk said:


> Apologies, I did see yours and others who replied to my earlier post, which I found very useful and grateful for the responses, so probably should have continued my questioning on that post.
> 
> Have been a bit manic last few days as expecting to move in 2 weeks and still have lots of things to sort out before I leave.
> 
> What I was after here, was more recommendations of shops etc. for either renting or buying furniture. Re-reading your response in the other post I now see you were referring to Tokyo Lease Corporation... I will take a look at that now.
> 
> If there are any other recommendations etc. for both renting and/or buying, other than Ikea, also much appreciated.
> 
> Thanks.


One of the largest furniture stores in Japan is iDC Otsuka Furniture. Their Edogawa (Ariake) showrooms are the largest in Japan for interior furnishing and furniture. They aren't cheap but have solid reputation.
Their Japanese-only website is ????????????????????? IDC????
Another place, much more reasonably priced, is the furniture department of a large discount store called Takeya in Okachimachi.
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## larabell

Another option would be to check out a free magazine called Metropolis (used to be called Tokyo Classified because they specialized in running free classified ads in English -- it's more of a "where to go" magazine now but still runs classified both in print and online). You can often find other ex-pats who bought furniture and now that they're returning they have stuff to give away or sell for next to nothing. The downside is that you usually have to transport the stuff yourself but that's what "Takkuubin" is for...

If you're really only here for two years, renting might be better. Getting rid of large stuff in Japan is a pain (if you have time and don't mind jumping through a few hoops -- in Japanese -- the ward office will usually haul your old stuff away... otherwise you have to pay a premium to have someone come over and take the stuff off your hands). If you rent/lease you just have the leasing company pick the stuff up on your last day here. My experience is that most employers prefer a monthly lease over buying since they aren't stuck with the stuff when you go back home. On the other hand, if you change your mind and decide to stay for longer than 2 years, you can usually buy the stuff you like at the end of the term for a lot less than what it cost brand new and send the rest back.

Tokyo Lease handles used stuff, too (which is even cheaper). They used to have a huge multi-story warehouse of stuff to pick from and that's probably still true. When I went there they also had dual-mode (NTSC and PAL) televisions, which are kinda hard to find in stores.

Besides Ikea, there's IDC (one in Odaiba, one in Shinjuku... maybe more elsewhere). Not all of their stuff is cheap but they usually have some low-end stuff that's pretty good. Better looking than most of Ikea's stuff. Sometimes the larger electronics stores have bits and pieces. We almost bought a sofa we saw at Yodobashi Camera in Shinjuku last year and, in retrospect, it might have been a better choice since the one we bought at Shimachu (a huge home-improvement store) is a bit too big for the living room. Shimchu has some really nice stuff but they're a bit pricey... but they'll ship the stuff and usually set it up for a nominal fee.


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## timcuk

Thanks for the details, I'll check those out. Although only currently expecting 2 years, it may well get extended and my work pays for shipping so think I should be ok when leaving, plus the idea of renting furniture sort of feels like it would work out more expensive... think I'll look at how much it will cost to buy either new or second hand.

On the TV's, if I find a dual TV here in the UK (NTSC and PAL) would that work in both the UK and Japan or am I better to source that in Tokyo do you think? My instinct was to buy electronics once I arrive as always assumed that there would be more choice, maybe better technology in Japan, and less concerns over compatibility... but i do have time now to buy whilst I'm still in the UK, and could have it shipped easily.


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## Joppa

timcuk said:


> Thanks for the details, I'll check those out. Although only currently expecting 2 years, it may well get extended and my work pays for shipping so think I should be ok when leaving, plus the idea of renting furniture sort of feels like it would work out more expensive... think I'll look at how much it will cost to buy either new or second hand.
> 
> On the TV's, if I find a dual TV here in the UK (NTSC and PAL) would that work in both the UK and Japan or am I better to source that in Tokyo do you think? My instinct was to buy electronics once I arrive as always assumed that there would be more choice, maybe better technology in Japan, and less concerns over compatibility... but i do have time now to buy whilst I'm still in the UK, and could have it shipped easily.


Best to buy TV in Japan. Even if you get a NTSC/PAL compatible TV in UK, there are numerous differences in TV and broadcast standards between countries and it may not work properly in Japan. Especially digital transmission standards (i.e. the digital tuner specs) differ widely. For example, digital transmissions between US and Japan (both use NTSC) are different.
If you intend to take your TV back to UK, then getting a PAL/NTSC set in UK may be viable, as you can buy a set-top box for digital TV in Japan (Japan is moving wholly to digital on 24th July this year). Ensure it can cope with Japan's 100V power supply. Using a step-up transformer isn't recommended.


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## timcuk

Thanks. Out of interest, why is a step-up transformer not recommended, and is that just on TV's or any equipment needing transformers?


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## larabell

The AC frequency here is 50 Hz and I believe the UK is also 50 Hz, right? If so, other than the larger than usual power requirement I can't think of any reason you couldn't run a TV from a transformer. You can certainly run a computer on a transformer and they're usually more sensitive to power issues.

Of course, you'd think that if the TV was designed for both NTSC and PAL, they probably also designed it with a voltage switch on the back so you could use it in various places. You might want to ask about that.

Also consider just buying a computer with a huge monitor. If you're going to buy a set-top box to deal with Japan's digital TV format, you can get them as computer peripherals now and modern LCD displays are generally look as good or better than most TVs.


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## Joppa

timcuk said:


> Thanks. Out of interest, why is a step-up transformer not recommended, and is that just on TV's or any equipment needing transformers?


It's just that with a sophisticated electronic equipment like multisystem TV set, it's best to use a set that is designed to work with a given power supply. Transformers can be poorly made and designed, with unstable supply and heat generation.
Multisystem TVs normally run on universal voltage, 100-250V, so no worries but it's well to check. They are not easy to find in UK, however.


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## boatracers

*just ikea it*

it's your best deal for 2 years.... then sell it all off when you leave.


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## boatracers

if you check out their site, they will even deliver. just need to order it from the catalog.


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