Moving homes: what to line up, in order

Where do you even start when the current lease is ending and the new one hasn't started yet? Moving within Japan means juggling a housing decision, a guarantor application, a mover's quote, and a deposit you'd like back in full, often within a few weeks of each other.

The nine guides below roughly track that timeline. Start with how you want to live and whether you'll need a guarantor, then line up a mover and plan moving-in week itself: electricity, internet, and furniture. Garbage sorting rules reset with every new ward, so it's worth a look even if you've moved within Japan before. The security deposit guide sits last here, but keep it in mind from the day you sign. What you do at move-in affects what you get back at move-out.

Not everyone needs a guarantor or a mover. Pick the guides that match your situation and leave the rest for later.

1. 1 Share House vs Apartment vs Monthly vs Guest House: Choosing How to Live in Japan A newcomer's decision guide to the four ways to rent in Japan — share house, regular apartment, monthly mansion, and guest house — compared by the things that actually block foreign residents: English support, whether you need a Japanese card or guarantor, up-front cost, minimum term, and how easily you can leave.
2. 2 Rental Guarantors in Japan: How the System Works A plain-language guide to Japan's rental guarantor and guarantor-company system: how it works, typical fees, why foreign applicants often get screened out, and no-guarantor options.
3. 3 Choosing a Moving Company in Japan: How Batch-Quote Sites Work and What English-Speaking Movers Cost Instead Japan's moving companies don't publish a price list. This guide explains how the popular batch-quote sites work (and why your phone starts ringing), plus the English-speaking alternative and what each route actually costs.
4. 4 Moving-In Week in Japan: Utilities, Internet, and Furniture What to do in your first week in a new Japanese apartment: starting electricity and water, booking the gas technician, timing your internet application, and deciding whether to buy or short-term rent your furniture.
5. 5 Switching Electricity Providers in Japan: You're Not Stuck With the Default Why the electricity company your landlord signed you up for isn't your only legal option since 2016, and the three things that trip up foreign residents specifically: a Japanese mobile number, a Japanese-issued credit card, and the cancellation fee on the plan you're leaving.
6. 6 Home Internet in Japan Compared: Fiber vs Home Router vs Pocket WiFi Fiber, home routers (home 5G), pocket WiFi, and phone tethering compared on the axes that matter to a foreign resident setting up home internet in Japan: English sign-up, contract length, overseas card acceptance, and how fast you're actually online.
7. 7 Mercari, Jimoty, and Sayonara Sales: Buying Secondhand Furniture in Japan Mercari, Jimoty, and Facebook's Sayonara Sale groups compared for buying secondhand furniture and appliances in Japan: language barrier, payment safety, large-item pickup, and typical price range.
8. 8 Garbage Sorting in Japan (Gomi): Why the Rules Change Every Time You Move Why Japan's burnable/non-burnable/recyclable/bulky waste system is set by your city or ward rather than nationally, the unwritten rules (designated bags, the morning cutoff) that actually cause trouble, and how to find your own municipality's calendar and app.
9. 9 Getting Your Security Deposit Back in Japan Shikikin and restoration rules when you move out of a Japanese apartment — what landlords can and cannot charge you for, based on the MLIT guideline and Civil Code.