After a two week long struggle of finding an apartment in Tokyo, I finally made it. I was able to move into my fabulous 88 square foot apartment, and the world couldn’t stop me!
Except for water, gas, and electricity.
Utilities in Tokyo
In the USA, you typically pay the city for utilities such as garbage, gas, electricity, and water when you move into a house. Apartment managers normally take care of the utilities and bill you for it. Not in Japan, at least in my experience. When I got into my empty apartment, I was so happy, but I noticed a small packet with some notices in it.
Bam.
Form after form after form. If you have limited Japanese ability, please don’t try to fill these out on your own. It was difficult enough for me as it is. I was told by my agency to call a phone number to start my utilities, but I was scared (talking on the phone in a different language is one of the most difficult things ever), and decided to look online for some online solutions. I found a potentially good solution which I thought would register me for utilities. All it did was send a copy of the same forms to me. Websites like Hikkoshi renraku cho are useful for if you want to move, so I suggest getting an account with them.
Registration
Registering for Utilities is quite simple, if you’re used to the system. Otherwise it’s like chewing your hand off. It took me a long time to read the Kanji and figure out everything, but in the end was able to figure it all out.
I first encountered a sheet like this:
In Tokyo, if you do not call via phone, you need to set up utilities using this application form (申し込み用紙）, and it really is a pain. You need to use pen, and press down hard. Make sure you don’t make a mistake, because if you do you need to ask for a new form.
Electricity Meter
When you fill out the form for electricity, they may ask you what your initial meter reads. It took me forever to find my electricity meter, which turned out to be a little bit above the door of my apartment room and looked like this:
Water
There was a section on my water application form asking me for an ID number. I didn’t find it until after I turned in my form, but it can make the process easier for you if you write it in initially. The Customer ID number for your water is written on a blue plaque, a 6 digit number between the kanji 水道. Mine happened to be fixed to the top left corner of my doorframe:
There is a section for you to put in your bank information (either the postal bank or another bank) if you want to pay via bank transfer. If you don’t, then do not fill out this part. If you do, you will need a hanko. Make sure you don’t accidentally fill out both sections, like I almost did. One section is for a non-postal bank accounts, and the other is for a postal bank account. Just look for ゆうちょ銀行／郵貯銀行 and the automatically filled in bank code section with “166.” That’s a postal bank account. If you signed up with a bank like Mizuho, Sumitomo Mitsui, etc, you did not get a postal bank account.
One thing I noticed on the form, was that there were about 3 carbon copy sheets attached, so when you filled out the form, your marks transferred to another three sheets of paper, making 4 copies of your information. I can understand one for you and for the company, but what about the other two? I looked closely, because the Japanese was too complicated at first, and I found this:
The purpose of each sheet will differ, but you can look at this for an example and maybe remember the Kanji if you can. Sheet #2 is for the direct deposit, post office use. #3 is for the utility company branch. #4, which says お客さま, is for you, the customer (or 客さま). You can rip off the final sheet, which belongs to you, for your records. Be sure to not separate the other three.
When you are done filling out the form, you can put the remaining three sheets in the accompanying envelope (make sure it’s the right company, if you receive more than one at a time like I did! Don’t send your water app form to the electric company!), and put it in the nearest mailbox (thankfully, I live really close to the post office).
Paying Utilities
The great news is that, because you register for utilities separately, you will get billed separately. Every month you will receive a bill in your mailbox telling you the amount that you owe, and you have three ways to pay for it:
1. At the Branch Office
You can go to the utilities office and pay in person (but seriously, who wants to do that)?
2. At a convenience store
Convenience Stores in Japan are actually convenient. Not only can you buy food and beer for a late night binge, but you can also pay for things like your phone and your utilities (more on that in a future blog post).
3. Direct Bank Transfer
If you have a bank account, this may be the best method for you. There is a separate section to fill out if you want to register for bank transfer (you will need a hanko), but it saves you the hassle of having to manually pay on time every month.
There’s also a detailed booklet about all sorts of information related to water, gas, and electricity, but I didn’t ready any of it, because I was lazy. If you read it, please tell me what it says.
tiredoframen 