1) From America to Japan - In all, I carried 3 suitcases (2 carry-on size and 1 as large and heavy as the airlines allows) and sent 4 boxes. The cost to send everything was roughly 470. 400 for the boxes to be shipped (US postal service no longer ships, everything has to go by plane so it's more expensive than it would have been a few years ago). The 70 was what the airlines charged for me to carry-on an extra bag. However, if the airline knows you're connecting for an overseas flight, many will let you carry 3 bags without charge.
What I'd recommend bringing -
a) Toiletries - Women, if you use...ummm....a certain type of insertable feminine product, most likely you'll have a very difficult time finding it here and might be best off bringing it yourself.
b) Cosmetics - If you have sensitive skin and can't read Japanese, I'd recommend bringing your own cosemetics. Most make-up has a yellow undertone, which makes my face look plain goolish. It's been a nightmare trying to match it to my skintone. On top of that, I ran out of face wash and have been trying different Japanese brands with horrible reactions. Maybe its the climate, dry winter air, but my skin has become flaky and red...it's depressing...especially since I cant find the right shade of make-up to cover it. And, as everyone who lives here knows, deodorant. Don't leave home without it. Medication...if you take any. Japanese medication comes in VERY low doses. And...not to be crude, but birth control. I've heard it's a real pain to get, I don't have insurance and haven't tried, but most people recommend bringing a year's supply.
c) Pants/shoes - Since I'm supersized, even by American standards (not in the fat sense, but in the tall and large appendaged sense), I recommend bringing your own pants and shoes. This really doesn't apply to guys as much as it does to women. There are Western brands here, Forever 21, Gap, H&M, Zara, Levi's, etc. But even still, the close is tailored for short people. There are tall men here...there really aren't tall women. Make sure the shoes are resilient and water proof as you'll probably find yourself walking a lot more than you did back home...in the rain...unless of course you live in a place where it rains half the year and you don't own a car.
Everything else is pretty easy to find here.
Moving within Japan -
Just like America, you have to shut off all of your utilities. My roommate, fortunately, did all this, though it sounds like it was a real pain in the rear for her, especially the internet. Japan is ONE anal country so be prepared. Because she has national health insurance (kokumin kenkou hoken) she had to go down to the local Ward Office and take care of her taxes. Turns out they'll be giving her money back. I, however, do not have national health insurance and will just have to register with my new ward near my apartment. And...of course, change your address with the post office (tensotodoke form). According to the postal worker, I should have done this 3 days before moving :) ooops. Good thing I don't get any mail.
2)Moving from Gyoda to Omiya...alone. Ok, not totally alone. Another teacher KINDLY helped me take a few suitcases down. Also, my boss helped me with the Takkyubin :). Not having acquired much, the first time I moved I sent most of my boxes Takkyubin. Basically take your stuff to a convenience store, tell them takkyubin, fill out the address and date/time. All my stuff arrived within two days. It's probably one of the cheapest ways to move if you don't have much (4 large boxes were about 60 bucks). I took my suitcases by train...wouldn't recommend taking more than one at a time, people tend to get annoyed. Also, I recommend taking the bus and not dragging your suitcase to the station...Most places in Japan aren't paved and as I found out, most luggage isn't meant to be dragged 2miles along unpaved roads. This way was a pain in the rear, spread out over multiple days and multiple trips, but unavoidable as I didn't have much to warrant a mover.
3) Moving up the street - Fortunately, I had kept my boxes and still hadn't accumulated much, so the packing was easy. I had a Japanese friend who rented a truck from Nippon-rent-a-car, but I can't imagine a foreigner would be able to do this alone. For what would be a normal pick-up truck it was $110 for 2 hours!! Unbelievable! And just like in America, I you have to return it with a full tank. With Japan's many narrow, one-way streets, driving was slow and tedious. While this is rather convenient, it's not very practical for anything that might take longer than two hours to do.
4) Moving from Omiya, Saitama to Tokyo - This time I DIDN'T keep my boxes and accumulated much more...stuff. In Japan it costs money to get rid of large items and it was cheaper to move them with me than pay to get rid of them. Boxes were pretty easy to find. Most grocery stores have small boxes up front where you bag your groceries, though you generally have to buy something to take them (however, once you buy something no one seems to care how many you take). Mom and pop stores also have a ton of boxes off to the side. As for means of moving, I had too much stuff to ship and the drive to Tokyo alone is an hour...without traffic and knowing exactly where you're going. So hitting the internet, I found a couple of English speaking movers (Japanese movers are EXPENSIVE!). I ended up going with a mover called Tokyo Helping Hands (http://www.tokyohelpinghands.com/). They're located out of Shinjuku and move people around Saitama, Chiba, and Tokyo. The owner is extremely helpful! Having contacted many different movers, he was the fastest and cheapest. To do everything it would have been about 190 bucks, but I moved everything downstairs myself so basically I ended up renting a truck and driver for 98 bucks. The guy was extremely friendly and even helped me move stuff upstairs after my landlord made him parks a good 25 meters away.
Since I moved into a sharehouse this time, everything was already set-up and ready to go. I really wish I would have moved into a sharehouse when I first came to Japan. But everyone I talked to at the time had some real horror stories about places. I have to say I'm extremely happy with the house that I found. The owner's a bit nutty, but the manager is extremely friendly...though another guest recently told me he gives sweets to female residents...which makes me wonder if I'm confusing pervy with friendly. I guess time will only tell. I've gotten lucky and currently have a 2K in the center of Tokyo...all to myself!! Though as I type this I realize I can hear the people upstairs...guy...girl...umm.....wrestling?
Now I just have to devise a plan to try and keep it that way. So far I've decorated the bathroom in neon green with pink flowers and bear towels...hopefully that keeps away the men. As for the women, I'm thinking fish in the garbage can, dirty dishes, hair around the bathroom sink, and maybe fill up the getabako/shoe closet.
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