RetireJapan

Hello all -
I am planning on moving from Tokyo to Kyoto, and was trying to find some moving services. So far, my online research has turned up quite a few (Yamato Kuroneko Home service, Sakai, etc). Just wondering if anyone has had any direct experience with any (good/bad).

thank you for any suggestions or advice!
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We moved recently, albeit about ten minutes away. We used Art Hikkoshi, the one with 0123 on their boxes. We got quotes from a few others but they seemed the most professional.

The initial quote was for about 150,000. But that was with a fixed morning start. However, we said anytime was okay and that dropped to about 100,000. So flexibility with times can significantly reduce the price. You can get them to pack everything for you but that was expensive. We packed everything ourselves. They delivered boxes a few weeks before moving. Special boxes for plates and dishes were delivered a few days before. On the day, they brought a box for shoes and for clothes on hangers.

There are several add-ons you can get if needed. We had one air con removed, cleaned and installed in the new house. We also had the washing machine properly put in the new place - I could have easily done it myself but with everything going on, I’m glad we got that option. The cost of those options were included in the 100,000 quote.

They arrived about 3pm. They spent the first 45 mins or so protecting the stairs, walls and doors of the house. Took them a little over 2 hours to do the protection, pack the truck and then remove the protection, and then about the same at the new place. It rained heavily too - the staff got soaked. But they protected all our stuff and absolutely nothing got wet. Absolutely nothing was damaged.

I have a big desk that they went out of their way to make sure they got it into my new office safely. The light for the bedroom is in an awkward spot too but they got that up with limited fuss.

There were four staff in all. Three staff at the old place and a fourth joined at the new place to do the air con, washing machine and light.

Once unpacked, they came back and took away all the empty boxes. They even took away other empty boxes that weren’t even theirs.

I’ve moved several times in my life. I’ve always done it myself, rented a truck and had a large breakfast. But about 3 years ago, I managed to break my foot helping a friend move and ended up in a cast for several weeks. So I officially retired from ever moving myself or anyone else ever again. It’s a young man’s game (I’m 42).

My advice would be to get several moving companies to come round, do an assessment of your stuff and needs and give you a quote. Then compare the quotes and go with the one that best matches your needs. I wouldn’t necessarily go for the cheapest as corners may be cut that cost you more down the line.

And another thing we did that I would definitely recommend. The night before the move, stay in a nearby hotel. That way, you can complete all the packing the previous afternoon, have a nice relaxing dinner, and then get a good night’s sleep without worrying about sheets, wet towels after showers, sorting breakfast etc etc.

Good luck with the move!

Gareth wrote: ↑Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:16 am We moved recently, albeit about ten minutes away.

Fantastic answer. Would you mind if I used it as a blog post? I think a lot of people would get value out of it.

RetireJapan wrote: ↑Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:37 am

Gareth wrote: ↑Mon Sep 05, 2022 4:16 am We moved recently, albeit about ten minutes away.

Fantastic answer. Would you mind if I used it as a blog post? I think a lot of people would get value out of it.

Sure go ahead!

In late 2019, I moved from a 1DK to 1LDK about 30 kms apart in Osaka. I asked some companies like Kuroneko, Nitsu and few others. A salesperson from Nitsu showed up to our place and looked at all our stuff. He printed a quotation right then and there with two pricing. One if we agree on the spot, another few thousand yen expensive if we confirm later.
For other companies, they asked few questions over the telephone (like do you have bikes, TV, sofa, bed etc?) And quoted a price over the phone.

Then our Fudoya-san recommended a small company Daichyaan Hikkossi service. https://d-hikkoshi.com/
They gave us the lowest quote for around JPY 35000. (Nitssuu was around JPY 45000, we went back and forth with Nitsuu and them on the phone pitting their prices against each other)

Our service package included the following:
- they send some carton boxes (if I remember correctly, 24) and packaging tapes around 10-15 days before the moving date.
- on moving day, they come, tape up elevators and other sharp corners
- then take all the boxes, put our clothes which are on hangers into their special boxes, wrap big electronic appliances in blankets (literally thick blankets)
- put them all on a van/truck/container kind of vehicle
- bring it all to new place, ask us which room we want each box to go and put them there
- they gave us an offer to come back and take the used boxes (we disposed them ourselves)

At the time of our phone quotation with Daichyaan, we didn't have a bed, just some futons. But before our actual moving day, we had purchased a new bed (not assembled, parts packed in a box)
They moved this bed as well without any additional cost.

All in all, quick, good and smooth service, without any fuss.

I have heard that some people get salespersons from different companies to visit them at the same time.
And get them to out-bid each other. Like a live royal rumble of some sorts.

We've moved a couple of times with Sakai and they seemed organized and professional both times.

Expect to negotiate a bit on price. For example, you might be offered a lower price if you accept on the spot (especially if they know you are looking at other companies) or are more flexible with timing. Like Gareth said, they probably have a fixed morning start of around 9am for the first customer of the day, but if you're willing to wait until around lunchtime without a fixed time that can save you quite a lot.
The sales person may call up their boss and try to put on a big show of negotiating a price for you.

We had our kitchen things packed for us because it would have taken ages to wrap everything up by ourselves and meant that we could keep using plates, etc., right up until the last day. It's probably not necessary though if you are single or just don't have much kitchen stuff.

Moving companies here are fantastic, and quite reasonable.

Just as an aside, man they hate IKEA stuff. When we were getting quotations there were a couple of companies that refused to take anything from IKEA.

Very informative posting Gareth, did not know about the morning versus a later time deal!

We moved four years ago, 13 km further south from a third floor apartment without an elevator to a second floor apartment without an elevator, (not sure if that plays a role in the pricing). I asked for quotes from 3 companies (Sakai the first was too expensive), two came to check the place: Art and Ari. Art we had used once before. The young guy was very nice and professional: They wanted 200,000, including packing, there were 4 of us then, which came to about 80 boxes. The Ari guy on the contrary was quite sleazy, he went down to 100,000 (cannot remember his original offer) when he realized that we had asked others (I had left the Art quote around) and we chose them, in spite of their not so good reputation.

There were no problems with the packing, done by two ladies - the day before I think - and the move at all, just as professional as the former companies we used. The moving people took a 15 to 30 Minute break in the morning (maybe to show the company treated their people well?) and all was finished some time in the afternoon. The only annoying thing was, that for about 3 to 6 months afterwards I kept getting phone calls where they tried to sell me all kinds of unnecessary things or services.

We also had a very good experience with Sakai. We looked at the 口コミ top ratings for moving companies and asked a couple of the top two for quotes. Sakai were considerably cheaper so we went with them. All their staff we dealt with were quick, courteous and careful not to damage our property.

But most of all I recommend that before moving you reassess all of your belongings and try to get rid of (sell, donate or junk) at least a third. Cheaper to move and much easier to pack and unpack too.

Tokyo wrote: ↑Tue Sep 06, 2022 5:14 am But most of all I recommend that before moving you reassess all of your belongings and try to get rid of (sell, donate or junk) at least a third. Cheaper to move and much easier to pack and unpack too.

This is such a good tip. My experience is that stuff is just going to stay in a box for nine months then get thrown away later anyway