When you move to a new house, and specially coming from overseas, you have to find new household products, and maybe new house equipment.
Cleaning products:
Do you remember all the household products you had to get rid of before moving? Well, I’m sorry to inform you that you have to rebuy all these products, but in the Japanese version!
Be ready to spend many hours in the shops scanning the back of all products with your best friend Google translate (or any other translator), trying to understand the purpose of every product (Japanese love cleanness, so you have a lot of choice!). Or, just have a look on this selection of the main products you can easily find for a cleaning starter kit (chemical or natural, it’s up to you!):
1. Dishwashing liquid:
Frosh dish detergent - Frosh餐具用洗涤剂 芦荟维拉
Sonett dishwashing liquid - Sonett自然皿洗剤
2. Kitchen detergent and all-purpose cleaner:
Scrubbing Bubbles Kitchen detergent キッチン洗剤スクラビングバブル
So far, we’ve found this product only on Rakuten.co.jp: Soap nut detergent せっけん洗剤
3. Glass cleaner:
Magic clean glass cleaner spray bottle - ガラスマジックリン ガラス用洗剤 スプレー
White vinegar 白酢家掃除用 (not easy to find in the shop)
4. Bleach:
Kao kitchen Haiter キッチンハイター 台所用漂白剤 特大サイズ
5. Bathroom cleaner:
Magic clean bath detergent - マジックリン
White vinegar + Lemon juice + baking soda Baking Soda, Gekishi-kun 激落ちくん
6. Toilet cleaner:
超泡沫浴室清洁剂EX 空气过滤型
ソネット ] Sonett ナチュラルトイレットクリーナー ミント&マ
7. Mold cleaner (from june until october, the humidity level is very high, so you might have some mold in your bathroom):
Mold killer kabi killer - カビキラー カビ
8. Laundry detergents:
Arau Baby Laundry Soap アラウ. One of the best Japanese laundry detergents.
Sarasa Additive-Free Laundry Detergent with Ingredients Derived from Plants - sarasa洗濯洗剤
Ecover (eco friendly laundry liquid) エコベール
Note that you will find a lot of refill pockets, which has 2 advantages: easily stockable and a bit less of plastic waste!
Otherwise, if you don’t want to spend a whole day trying to understand which product corresponds to what you need or if you don’t want to have a whole bunch of cleaning products, you should be able to clean everything with white vinegar, lemon juice and baking soda!
These products are natural and can be used for multipurpose cleaning. You will find white vinegar in some grocery shops but in small bottles. If you are lucky, you can find it sometimes at Costco in bigger bottles. And if you absolutely need it urgently, it’s available on Amazon.com.
White vinegar 白酢家掃除用
Where can I find these products?
AEON James Yama (Tarumi), convenience stores (Lawson, 7 eleven, Family mart, but in very small quantity and less cheap than bigger shops), home improvement shops like Kohnan, Cainz, and some grocery stores too.
Later, we will share with you all the best tips and cleaning products, when your kiddos have decided to repaint the walls or expressed their artistic talents on your preferred coat ….! Stay tuned!
House equipment
Looking for a new ironing board or a clothes drying rack? Be assured you will find some options there.
Also, after a few months (or days!) in Japan, you will probably consider buying some specific appliances such as humidifier and heater for winter, and air/conditioning and dehumidifier for summer!
Here are the places to find what you’re looking for:
Nitori ( AEON James Yama Shioya, 4th floor or there is a bigger store in Tarumi): the Japanese IKEA version ! You will find almost all the household items you need and also decorative items.
IKEA, the famous Scandinavian store is in Japan. Be careful, most of the furniture are corresponds to Japanese standards. Do not expect to find bed linens corresponding to your Western size beds!
Yamada denki shop: second-hand appliance store.
Off house: second-hand store. You can find some new or used appliances for a good bargain. If you don’t want to invest in an expensive appliance for only a few months or years of using, this is THE place! You will also find clothes, toys, bags, shoes, dishware, ….
Last but not the least, do not forget to visit some Facebook groups where foreigners living in Japan give away or sell their possessions when they leave Japan (Kobe Sayonara Sale | Groups | Facebook). You will have great bargain and you will give a new life to furniture instead of being burnt!
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