With the start of April, perhaps some of you are just settling into new jobs, new schools, or new apartments. For many expats in Japan, finding and renting an apartment is just the first arduous step. Upon finally securing a place to live, many people are often shocked to find they must furnish their entire abode – including everything from an air-conditioning/heating unit to light fixtures! The initial outlay for home electronics alone can be quite substantial, and if your savings have already been substantially depleted (or worse, you are in debt) after paying the hefty deposit and key money requirements, the burden is especially heavy. For someone only planning on staying in Japan for a year or two, buying a whole set of electronics, only to have to sell it some 12 months later, seems like a rather significant waste.
Well, resident foreigners are apparently not the only persons facing these issues. Many Japanese, such as students, salarymen living and working alone, or other professionals on assignment, also find themselves faced with setting up residence in a place where they only plan to live for a year or two. A few companies recognized that there was a unique niche market need to be filled, and thus the home electronics rental package business was born.
The major player in this market is Toshiba Techno Network’s “Kaden Rentaru Pakku Saabisu” (Home Electronics Rental Package Service). Their basic two year contract offers four appliances (a TV, freezer/refrigerator, microwave, and automatic washing machine) for 4,725 yen a month, with the latest up-to-date appliances. After the two-year contract is complete, you have the option of continuing rental for 3,150 yen a month, or having them take away your appliances at no charge. A cancellation charge is applied unused portions of the contract. Options for renting a slightly better TV (with DVD and video options), as well as vacuum cleaners, rice cookers, hot water pots, and AC/heater units are also available for an extra charge. A clear, concise description of the service can be found at: http://www.toshiba.co.jp/tcn/pack/kaden/index_j.htm (Choose Single or Family Pack.)
Note that a “Family Pack” service, with larger and better appliances, is available for 8,400 yen a month for the same four items. The service is also offered through a variety of other distributors, including Seven Eleven Japan’s “Seven Dream” website. Since this service only advertises in Japanese, I suggest you enlist the help of a Japanese friend or coworker (perhaps your boss or the person in charge of seeing that you are settled) to help navigate their websites or make a telephone call. Note that recent law changes requiring a hefty recycling fee for the pick-up of used electronics for disposal makes renting electronics even more of a bargain.
A few other options for assembling the required items are to buy used from other foreigners, at sayonara sales and the like, or to take advantage of competitively-priced packages at volume electronics retailers like Yodobashi Camera or Bic Camera. These discount packages are usually called “shin-seikatsu kaden” (new start) fairs, and can be recognized by a large group of appliances displayed together with a common color or design theme. They are usually held from February through late March.
You can sometimes get 10 to 12 items for between 80,000 and 120,000 yen. While not cheap, you will have purchased every possible item you will need, and they will all match!
© 2004 Wendy J. Imura.