Moving is no easy feat. Whether it’s your first time embarking on this journey or you’re an old pro, moving is often stressful, frustrating, time-consuming, and complicated.
In Japanese, moving is called “hikkoshi” and Hikkoshi Season in Japan falls between February to April, as April is both the start of the new fiscal year and the new academic school year. Newly hired employees or students will often be apartment hunting and gearing up to move during this time, making these months very lucrative for professional moving companies (“Hikkoshi Gyousha”), but potentially exorbitantly expensive for individuals who have to move.
Financial woes and tight budgets aside (though if you go with a real estate agency such as Village House, you may be able to receive up to ¥30,000 of move-in support), numerous other issues can and often do arise when moving, and this article will attempt to disclose the Top 5 Most Common Ones along with how to (hopefully!) successfully deal with them.
1. Damage to Your Belongings
There is always a risk of your belongings sustaining some damage when you move. Sometimes it’s inevitable – there is only so much either you or a professional moving company can do to minimize the risk of your belongings getting jostled about in the moving van, nicked, or bumped into as you move it from one room to another, etc.
That said, to ensure that any damage that your belongings might sustain during any part of your move is at the bare minimum, do your due diligence and research reputable moving companies if you are planning to use such services. One way to gauge whether a moving company is reputable is to read the reviews, comb through their website, and even look up YouTube videos on people who have used the moving company you’re interested in.
If you are on a tight budget and are planning to move without the assistance of a professional moving company, the best thing to do is to pack your belongings carefully. Make use of the 100-yen stores to purchase packing materials such as bubble wrap, packing peanuts, packing tape, etc. You can also get sturdy double or triple-wall cardboard boxes for free at supermarkets and pharmacies. Depending on the store, they might pile these cardboard boxes by the self-packing area for customers to take and use; or you can simply ask a store employee for one.
You can also use other belongings such as blankets, towels, clothes, pillows, etc. to help pad and cushion your more fragile items when packing so ensure they don’t move about in the box and are safely cushioned by something soft if you do happen to drop the box or bump it into something.
2. Dents and Scratches to the Walls, Furniture, and Floors of Your Current Apartment!
Speaking of damage, another frequent issue individuals who are moving run into is damage to their current apartment. As careful as one might be, it’s only human to bump into something, drop something, or nick something as you haul your belongings and furniture from A to B.
Again, the best way to counteract this is to hire a professional moving company. Some hikkoshi gyousha like Art Hikkoshi Center will line the walls and floors of not only your apartment but the building hallways and elevators with temporary protective padding to minimize any scratches or nicks as they carry your belongings down to the moving van.
If you’re opting to move by yourself or with the help of family and friends, the best thing you can do is to inform your volunteer helpers gently but firmly to be careful when shifting furniture and boxes from one room to another and out the door. If you have foam puzzle mats, carpets, or rugs on the floor, leave those there until you have finished moving everything else as they’ll protect the floors from any drops from your belongings or furniture.
3. Missing Things
It may just be the laws of nature at work, but things do go missing during a move, sometimes without you even realizing it until days, weeks, or even months after you have moved into your new place. The key to minimizing the chances of this happening is to get organized and stay on top of things before, during, and after your move.
Before you even begin to pack, make a packing to-do list for each room of the apartment. Think of it like taking inventory of your belongings and furniture. Sometimes the thing that you think has gone missing isn’t missing; you’ve simply decided to discard it, donate it, or give it away; so having a packing to-do list will help you keep track of what you’re going to pack and bring with you to your new place.
Next, label and color code your boxes once they are packed and sealed. Try to keep things for the kitchen separate from things for the bedroom, living room, etc. to ensure that it’s easier for you to locate what you need for a specific room. You can also take a picture of the contents of the box to refer to if and when you need to look for something.
Another option is to pack your belongings in transparent plastic storage containers so that you can see the contents inside.
4. Delay
In a perfect world, punctuality would be next to godliness, but the reality is that many external factors can hinder an individual or company’s ability to keep time. So, if you have procured the services of a professional moving company and they are regretfully delayed or, worse, fail to show up at all, what should you do?
Speaking from experience, try to schedule some breathing room between your official moving-out date from your old place and your official moving-in date to your new place. In other words, try to schedule the start of your new lease or the termination of your old lease either before your moving-out date or after your move-in date. For example, if your current lease expires on March 31st, try to start your new lease at your new apartment on March 28th or 29th. This allows you some breathing room in case of delays or interruptions.
If this is not a possibility because you are in a time crunch, you can either call up the moving company you’ve hired and ask for alternative solutions that can include sending out another team post-haste or compensating you for the inconvenience. If you’ve opted to move yourself and/or with the help of family and friends but something came up, you may have to either attempt to complete the move on your own or call around to see if other friends or family members can lend a helping hand.
Worse comes to worse, you may have to employ the services of delivery companies such as Yamato Transport and Sagawa to have your items shipped to your new place. You can also mail them to yourself via Japan Post.
5. Not Doing Proper Research on Moving Companies
As previously mentioned, if you plan to use a hikkoshi gyousha or professional moving company, an effective way to determine whether or not they are reputable and trustworthy is to read the reviews from previous customers online. You can also seek advice from colleagues, friends, and family members who have moved before on what moving companies they used and what their experiences with them were like.
Taking the time to research different moving companies is also smart because it lets you assess if they’ll be a right fit for you, especially if you have a limited budget to spend. Depending on your individual needs (are you moving as a single individual, a couple, or a family?) some moving companies have special packages that cater to those who may only have a handful of belongings to move and no furniture or those who are moving as a family with many belongings and large furniture to move. Certain real estate agencies like Village House offer move-in support if you rent an apartment with them so be sure to make use of these services if they are available to you.
Freelance writer with over 2 years of experience writing for the Village House Blog, ESL teacher, and digital nomad who has lived in countries including The Czech Republic, The UK, The U.A.E., Japan, and most recently, Georgia. Is constantly on the hunt for the best, most optimal apartment for remote work when not enjoying going to film festivals, concerts, and the theater.