Considering a Move Abroad to Japan?

Moving to Japan from the UK

Abels Moving Services has provided discreet export packing and shipping for over 50 years. We work with discerning families and professionals moving to Japan. Japan has the world’s third-largest economy, so it’s often associated with job opportunities across a wide range of industries.

Japan: Geography and the Islands

Japan is an archipelago nation in the Pacific Ocean. It sits east of China and the Korean Peninsula, and north of Taiwan. For decades, Japan’s official island count stood at 6,852. In 2023, the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan completed a full digital remapping survey. It revised the figure to 14,125 islands, more than double the previous count.

Japan’s population has been declining for several years now, currently by around 0.5% annually. It stands at approximately 122.4 million people today.

Cities

Tokyo is the capital, a lively city with excellent connections across the country. Other major cities worth knowing include Yokohama, Osaka, Nagoya, Sapporo, Kobe, Kyoto, and Fukuoka.

The Japanese Economy

As an international removal company, we have plenty of experience planning moves to Japan. More importantly, we’re here to make sure your relocation goes as smoothly as possible. That way, you can settle into your new life with ease.

Planning Your Move to Japan

Talk to a specialist international removal company before you move to Japan. The process has its own pitfalls, and a domestic mover won’t be familiar with them.

To speak with an advisor, call or email us today. Our expert team will be in touch shortly to help.

When you contact us directly, we’ll give you the resources to make a formal enquiry. We’ll also give you a precise overview of the regulations involved, so your move to Japan goes as smoothly as possible. This also covers the approach we take to a thorough, premium, end-to-end moving service.

When you enquire about moving from the UK to Japan, please tell us your volume and access. Also include your packing requirements and shipping method. This helps us provide the most useful resources for your specific move.

Once you book with Abels, you’ll meet your Customer Liaison Move Coordinator. They manage the booking, organisation and day-to-day details of your move to Japan.

Export Packing For Moving To Japan

Export packing is essential for your belongings when moving to Japan. It protects your items in transit, using materials designed to keep them in great condition on arrival.

Certain items need an extra layer of card, cartoning, or wrap for additional protection. This includes polished furniture, antiques, delicate legs, and mirrored or glass-fronted units.

A domestic move by road needs less protection. A journey of thousands of miles in a 20ft or 40ft container needs far more. Your items get handled multiple times on that journey. They’re wrapped, loaded, and driven to port. They’re then lifted on and off the stack, and loaded onto the vessel. The same happens again in reverse at the other end. Robust export packing matters throughout, since the protection is what keeps your belongings in good condition for the whole journey.

Fine Art & Specialist Packing Services

Moving fine art needs great care. It also involves enhanced export packing when shipping to Japan. This includes paintings, valuable furniture, grandfather clocks, barometers, and chandeliers. All of these need careful handling and a specific packing approach. In many cases, we build bespoke cases specifically for the item, to give the highest level of protection.

Our team trains specifically to handle specialist goods abroad, with the care and precision items like these need. With years of expertise behind us, we also have plenty of moving advice to help put your mind at ease.

Airfreight

Japan has five main international airports. These are Kansai (KIX), Narita (NRT), and Chubu (NGO), plus Tokyo International (HND) and Osaka International (ITM). Tokyo International Airport is also known as Haneda Airport, and Osaka International Airport is also called Itami Airport.

Narita is Japan’s busiest cargo hub by some distance, handling around 1.95 million tonnes of freight a year. Haneda handles around 705,000 tonnes, and Kansai around 757,000 tonnes.

Sea transit typically takes 8 to 10 weeks door to door, so consider airfreight for anything you need sooner. Security restrictions mean airfreighted goods need professional packing rather than owner-packed cartons. We load them into heat-treated modules of various sizes, with waterproof covering for extra protection. Allow around 2 weeks door to door for airfreight. This accounts for UK and Japanese security and customs checks before delivery.

See more on airfreight shipments.

Customs Information

Import and export rules govern personal items and household goods entering Japan. Your Abels Move Manager will give you tailored guidance through this part of the process.

You’ll need specific documentation for customs clearance. The exact requirements depend on your personal circumstances, and our team will talk you through these ahead of your move. Explore the FIDI Customs Guide for Japan for further background before your move consultation with the Abels team.

Destination Services

We choose our destination partners for their accreditations. Most hold the FIDI-FAIM quality award. That means the standard you experience with Abels continues right through customs clearance and delivery in Japan.

We notify our destination partner as soon as your container departs the UK. They’ll contact you as delivery approaches and manage customs clearance on your behalf. Once cleared, they’ll arrange your delivery date. This normally includes delivery, unpacking, and set-up of standard furniture (excluding flat-pack items unless agreed). It also covers removal of packaging waste and return of the container to the wharf. Talk to your Abels Customer Service Manager or Customer Liaison if you’d like additional services. This includes a put-away service, cleaning, or settling-in support.

Our destination agents bring local knowledge of import documents, customs clearance and delivery. This keeps your arrival in Japan as smooth as possible.

Wherever your move takes you, we’d like to be the removal company you think of. That means this move, and the next one. If you’re moving to Japan, or anywhere else in the world, get in touch for a removal quotation.