Moving US to Japan: Things to bring? Things to leave behind?
Hi, my family is moving to Japan in November, from US Midwest to Noto/Kanazawa area, and I’m wondering if there are things recommended to specifically bring from the US or things to wait to buy in Japan due to quality or price differentials (or straight up availability).
I’m 6’3”, so I’m buying shoes/boots/sandals in US, as well as pants/shirts. My wife is similarly tall. Kids are tall for their age, but still will get clothes in jp.
We are moving solely by plane, so no shipping containers or other moving services— it has to fit in suitcases.
If anyone can speak to online shopping in rural Japan, let me know if that’s as ubiquitous as it is here (it’s something I personally almost never do here, but i assume I’ll have to do more in jp just for sizing when it comes to clothes, though I’m not a big wardrobe guy anyway).
Bonus question: family cargo ebikes in Japan? Is that common yet? I’ve got an Urban Arrow here and it’s probably by favorite object of mine, and would love to get something similar (or long tail passenger rack) in jp.
Thanks!
I haven't seen many cargo bikes in Japan, but mamachari, including models with electric assist, are ubiquitous. They're bikes that have a large rack, sometimes with a child seat, and while it's really not a cargo bike, they can often carry quite a lot. Examples https://jp.mercari.com/en/item/m74418082391 https://jp.mercari.com/en/item/m82659599061
Yeah I've seen these mamacharis but am hopeful about the long tail racks so that it's possible to get two kids back there. But it looks like the second bike you posted at least could be fit with a long seat. Thanks for the examples.
I think power tools are pretty cheap in the US but not as available elsewhere? But if you're limited on packing may not be a good fit. But I assume if you're in a rural area having like a Milwaukee cordless impact may be nice, Amazon.jp doesn't seem to stock them or ship them there, but no clue on if hardware stores or anywhere else would have them. I remember not really seeing any in any electronics stores in Japan.
Power tools and the like are plenty available, but it's much more of a hardware store thing than an electronics store thing. Hardware stores themselves are relatively scarce. Of course online shopping is an option e.g. https://search.rakuten.co.jp/search/mall/%E3%83%9E%E3%82%AD%E3%82%BF+%E9%9B%BB%E5%8B%95%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC/ for new or https://jp.mercari.com/en/search?keyword=%E3%83%9E%E3%82%AD%E3%82%BF%20%E9%9B%BB%E5%8B%95%E3%83%89%E3%83%A9%E3%82%A4%E3%83%90%E3%83%BC for used
Interesting, hadn't thought of that, and actually good to consider since one of our first tasks is going to be doing some home renovation. We aren't doing a classic youtube akiya house, just moving into a house that was totally fine for 25 years until last fall when they got 13 inches of rain in 3 hours and there was a hole in the roof. Our initial living location will be next door to something like a home depot, so hopefully they have power tools, i'll have to check their website.
Emphasis on cordless... if you're bringing a corded power tool over you'll be dealing with three differences between US and JP electrical grid: voltage drop, 50Hz (if you ever move to "eastern" Japan), and grounding issues.
Corded tools which expect 120V will run at 100V but will generate 30% less power/torque, and more heat under load. If you ever live in an area with a 50Hz grid your motors will also move 15% slower.
I think, I mean any of them are fine default/Ryobi/Milwaukee/home Depot brand etc, but Milwaukee has the best of the mini sized ones, the case would be easy enough to throw in a suitcase. I'd get one of those to hedge and then if you need larger tools just buy them in Japan. I helped my brother move/assemble furniture and he had one he'd gotten for work and it was a godsend. It's like the Ikea gun screwdriver on steroids.
I know this is just autocorrect for DeWalt, but it's funny-- that is how some of my friends would characterize their DeWalts.
I've got many power tools already (Ryobi, which I would think would be sold in Japan considering the name). I wonder about charging, though. As noted by @xk3, the voltage will be different going into the charger.
Ryobi is home depot's in-house brand.