# Furniture



## timcuk

Hi

I should be moving over to Tokyo for a 2 year assignment towards the end of Jan. My work pays for accommodation, but I notice that most apartments do not come furnished.

Should I buy furniture here (London) and have it shipped (work will ship so not worried about cost).

I'll be in serviced accomm for the first month so have time for things to be shipped.

What do you think, buy before or wait until I'm in Tokyo?

Even if I wait until I'm in Tokyo, anything that you would recommend buying outside Japan and shipping either to save cash or because not available in Japan?

Many thanks
Tim


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## larabell

If you're going to buy new stuff anyway, you'd probably be better off buying it here. That way you don't end up scratching your head trying to get everything to fit in the smaller rooms. If you were moving from the US, I'd say "certainly" rather than "probably" but, as I recall from my brief stay in London some 20 years ago, your rooms might not be as large as those I was used to Stateside so... if there's some piece you have your eye on, it's probably not going to be a huge problem. But I'd avoid buying the larger items like sofas, bed frames, and whatnot until you see what kind of space you have to work with.

Appliances are best purchased here. Not only will you avoid potential issues of voltage and frequency but you'll have an easier time getting rid of them when you go back. Radios and televisions are not likely to be 100% compatible (though if you have a large collection of PAL videos, you might want to bring over a player since the format is different here).

One thing to consider is Tokyo Lease. If your employer is willing to buy stuff for you to use here, they're even more likely to be willing to lease for a couple years because then *they* won't have to get rid of the stuff when you go back (that can often cost almost as much as buying the item in the first place). The hidden advantage is that on the off chance you like it here and decide to stay, you can buy out the lease for pennies on the dollar (or pound, if you will). I've used them twice (through two different employers) and they have a huge selection. If you're willing to do with used stuff, it's even cheaper.

There's not much in the way of furniture that's not also available here. Special things that you can't live without might be worth shipping. If you have kids, letting them bring over a few familiar things might help ease the transition. Again, a player for your videos if you're bringing them over, too (while you *can* buy/lease dual-mode players here, they're generally more expensive). Body and health-care products are also good candidates -- at least enough to get you by until you learn to read the labels on the stuff here (I know you only asked about furniture but I thought that was worth mentioning).


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## Joppa

larabell said:


> If you're going to buy new stuff anyway, you'd probably be better off buying it here. That way you don't end up scratching your head trying to get everything to fit in the smaller rooms. If you were moving from the US, I'd say "certainly" rather than "probably" but, as I recall from my brief stay in London some 20 years ago, your rooms might not be as large as those I was used to Stateside so... if there's some piece you have your eye on, it's probably not going to be a huge problem. But I'd avoid buying the larger items like sofas, bed frames, and whatnot until you see what kind of space you have to work with.
> 
> Appliances are best purchased here. Not only will you avoid potential issues of voltage and frequency but you'll have an easier time getting rid of them when you go back. Radios and televisions are not likely to be 100% compatible (though if you have a large collection of PAL videos, you might want to bring over a player since the format is different here).
> 
> One thing to consider is Tokyo Lease. If your employer is willing to buy stuff for you to use here, they're even more likely to be willing to lease for a couple years because then *they* won't have to get rid of the stuff when you go back (that can often cost almost as much as buying the item in the first place). The hidden advantage is that on the off chance you like it here and decide to stay, you can buy out the lease for pennies on the dollar (or pound, if you will). I've used them twice (through two different employers) and they have a huge selection. If you're willing to do with used stuff, it's even cheaper.
> 
> There's not much in the way of furniture that's not also available here. Special things that you can't live without might be worth shipping. If you have kids, letting them bring over a few familiar things might help ease the transition. Again, a player for your videos if you're bringing them over, too (while you *can* buy/lease dual-mode players here, they're generally more expensive). Body and health-care products are also good candidates -- at least enough to get you by until you learn to read the labels on the stuff here (I know you only asked about furniture but I thought that was worth mentioning).


Having spent earlier this month in Tokyo looking at furniture (and I live in UK), I would say the less, the better. Tokyo flats (apartments) can be quite small, even by British standards (the cost of land and properties is really high), and you will have more working/moving space by having a minimalist amount of furniture to clutter your rooms. For example, all you need in your living room is a TV (bought/leased locally - British TV won't work - different TV format, differing digital standards etc), a *small *sofa and armchairs - you can bring stylish ones from UK (not Ikea!), perhaps in leather in light colours and a coffee table. I definitely wouldn't bring display cabinets, bookcases, Welsh dressers etc. Japanese beddings (mattresses) can be quite hard by British standards, and if you are used to soft ones, you may want to bring them over, together with bedsteads. But if you suffer from bad back, local mattresses are really supportive. It's up to you if you want to bring over dining table and chairs, but if you do, make sure they are compact and not too heavy.


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## larabell

I wouldn't bring a coffee table, though. Check out a "kotatsu" once you get here. It kinda looks like a coffee table but can serve as a dining table in a pinch (more square-ish than your average coffee table) and in the winter you toss a futon (blanket) between the frame and the table top and plug in the heater underneath. If you luck out and end up with one of many apartments that are very poorly insulated, sitting with your legs under a kotatsu is a far more efficient way to stay warm than heating the entire apartment (and very cozy in my opinion). Once I tried one, I couldn't imagine living without it.


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## Joppa

larabell said:


> I wouldn't bring a coffee table, though. Check out a "kotatsu" once you get here. It kinda looks like a coffee table but can serve as a dining table in a pinch (more square-ish than your average coffee table) and in the winter you toss a futon (blanket) between the frame and the table top and plug in the heater underneath. If you luck out and end up with one of many apartments that are very poorly insulated, sitting with your legs under a kotatsu is a far more efficient way to stay warm than heating the entire apartment (and very cozy in my opinion). Once I tried one, I couldn't imagine living without it.


You need a tatami room to use a kotatsu . Executive apartments for expats tend only have Western rooms with carpets, wooden floor or laminate.


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## larabell

That's ridiculous. In the apartment we just moved out of, we had wall-to-wall carpeting and the kotatsu worked just fine. In the place before that we had fake-hardwood floors and a "hot carpet" (like a Persian Rug with an electric element underneath) and the kotatsu on top of that and it worked fine. I also know other friends who have theirs over hardwood floors with no rug and it's no problem (though a cushion is recommended for obvious reasons). In fact, a hardwood floor is probably safer than tatami since the latter can burst into flame if you forget to turn the thing off at night.

Granted, tatami floors and a kotatsu with an official-looking futon is more traditional. But I'm quite willing to sacrifice "traditional" for the same of "comfortable".

I haven't broken out the controls for ours yet because: (a) it's only recently gotten cold enough to justify the effort, and (b) I need to rig up an off-timer because my kids use the thing in the mornings while they're watching TV and they *do* forget to turn it off. I saw a controller with a built-in off timer for exactly that purpose but I haven't gotten around to flipping mine over to see if the new timer will work with the heating element on my table.


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## larabell

One more thing (for anyone contemplating either a kotatsu or a hot carpet). Don't buy a cheap knock-off and don't forget to turn the thing off when you go to bed. I just heard the other day that the fire near our house a few weeks back was caused by a faulty hot carpet that was left on all night.

Many communities in Japan have an interesting tradition where groups of two or three members of the local community will walk around the neighborhood banging wooden blocks and yelling "Hi no Youjin" (be safe with fire). It's a tradition that dates back to the days when most houses were built from wood and heated with kerosene stoves (some still are, in fact). I've been participating in that for the last several years and while, for the most part, people just ignore the warning it's still not a bad idea to be careful with things that get hot.

BTW, Shinnen akema****e omedetto gozaimasu (Happy New Year)...


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## larabell

That should be a.k.e.m.a.s.h.i.t.e, by the way. Stupid forum software filtering out sequences of letters it thinks might amount to swearing but ignoring the fact that some words have swear words embedded within them that are *not* real swear words ;-)...


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## debbiemaddern

hi, i recently moved to tokyo and bought my furniture from ikea, reasonable prices.


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