Japanese moving company
February 24, 2019 7:32 AM Subscribe
As an American who has used moving companies many times, the contrast between the countries is amazing. Stereotypical, even.
Here's the video on Youtube.
I'm going to take this opportunity to say that I love Yamato Transport's logo.
posted by zamboni at 7:55 AM on February 24, 2019 [26 favorites]
I'm going to take this opportunity to say that I love Yamato Transport's logo.
posted by zamboni at 7:55 AM on February 24, 2019 [26 favorites]
So, three questions. First, is the experience always like that or only because it was filmed? Second, how many people in Japan can afford to move that way? Third, are there any U.S. moving companies that come close? My parents had movers that packed up the house a couple of times, but they weren't nearly as careful.
posted by postel's law at 8:01 AM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by postel's law at 8:01 AM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
Some US movers will come into your house and pack up every little item like this (but I don't think to quite this degree of thoughtfulness.) It helps if you work in tech and have been recruited to move across the country and your new company is footing the bill.
There are some clever tips in that video. It feels like that company has really got their kaizen on.
Boy howdy does this method of moving appear to create a lot of waste.
Furniture socks!
Given how immaculate Jun's kitchen appears in his videos, I kind of expected the rest of the house to look like that, but no, thankfully it looks like everyone else's.
Nice to see the new apartment's cabinets come pre-filled with replacement cats.
posted by gwint at 8:11 AM on February 24, 2019 [14 favorites]
There are some clever tips in that video. It feels like that company has really got their kaizen on.
Boy howdy does this method of moving appear to create a lot of waste.
Furniture socks!
Given how immaculate Jun's kitchen appears in his videos, I kind of expected the rest of the house to look like that, but no, thankfully it looks like everyone else's.
Nice to see the new apartment's cabinets come pre-filled with replacement cats.
posted by gwint at 8:11 AM on February 24, 2019 [14 favorites]
Yeah, cost was my biggest question with this, knowing that there are moving companies in Canada (and presumably the States) that will also pack and unpack all your stuff for you for a much higher fee. Hearing that Rachel and Jun got their move for free conveniently allows everyone involved to sidestep the potential cost and just present it as "wow look at how marvelously efficient moving is in Japan!"
That said, I would also believe that there is more attention to detail in Japan. I don't think shielding your hallway walls with special plastic sheets is a thing in North America, or boxes that contain the right ceiling fixture mount to ensure your light doesn't get broken. Also, they take away your ceiling light? I'd understand if it was a chandelier or something ridiculous but that just looked like the light that comes with any old apartment.
For comparison's sake, here's a random video I found on YouTube when searching for "full service moving company" that shows one example of how this is done in a typical(ly enormous) North American home.
posted by chrominance at 8:26 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
That said, I would also believe that there is more attention to detail in Japan. I don't think shielding your hallway walls with special plastic sheets is a thing in North America, or boxes that contain the right ceiling fixture mount to ensure your light doesn't get broken. Also, they take away your ceiling light? I'd understand if it was a chandelier or something ridiculous but that just looked like the light that comes with any old apartment.
For comparison's sake, here's a random video I found on YouTube when searching for "full service moving company" that shows one example of how this is done in a typical(ly enormous) North American home.
posted by chrominance at 8:26 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Also, they take away your ceiling light? I'd understand if it was a chandelier or something ridiculous but that just looked like the light that comes with any old apartment.
In US apartments the kitchen lighting is usually a permanent built-in fixture, while in Japan the ceiling fixture for the kitchen is usually supplied by the renter. Japan uses a standardized connector for these fixtures.
posted by RichardP at 8:38 AM on February 24, 2019 [25 favorites]
In US apartments the kitchen lighting is usually a permanent built-in fixture, while in Japan the ceiling fixture for the kitchen is usually supplied by the renter. Japan uses a standardized connector for these fixtures.
posted by RichardP at 8:38 AM on February 24, 2019 [25 favorites]
> First, is the experience always like that or only because it was filmed?
This is the kind of thing spoken by people who have never seen Japanese service companies in action before. While there may be a bit more care to ensure every word/action is camera-safe, in general no, it's not just because it was being filmed. Attention to detail and pride in the quality of work are hallmarks of the Japanese service industry; it's simply the expected default (which is also part of why tipping for good service is often deemed offensive - in their minds, service should always be good).
> Second, how many people in Japan can afford to move that way?
First, keep in mind that ART Hikkoshi Center (the one used in the video) is a well-known and very reputable brand. That means it's a bit more expensive than normal, because you're paying for a reputation (and in turn, they need to keep the reputation intact, which means they expend more to do the work up to such a high standard).
Second, realize that many more Japanese people live in apartments, and that they would often be considered tiny by western standards. That means there's usually far less accumulated that needs moving.
So, it's probably a small fraction going to that specific level, but in conjunction with the answer to the first question, there's not much further below that level that Japanese society will accept. Using a "does everything for you" service is much closer to a default course of action, and the moving costs, while not cheap, are generally not as expensive as they would be in the U.S.
> Third, are there any U.S. moving companies that come close?
I used a military moving company that was really good on packing/moving, including putting floor mats down and coverings on critical wall areas of transit zones (not all walls, and even some ceilings, like in the video), but I've never used one that did the unpacking for me too beyond carrying in the bulky items. They also have a significantly higher amount of custom boxes and packaging gear than any American company I've ever seen. But I personally have never heard of any U.S. companies at that level. (I also used a military moving company that broke a staggering amount of stuff and lost several items too, something that would be unfathomable there.)
posted by mystyk at 8:41 AM on February 24, 2019 [18 favorites]
This is the kind of thing spoken by people who have never seen Japanese service companies in action before. While there may be a bit more care to ensure every word/action is camera-safe, in general no, it's not just because it was being filmed. Attention to detail and pride in the quality of work are hallmarks of the Japanese service industry; it's simply the expected default (which is also part of why tipping for good service is often deemed offensive - in their minds, service should always be good).
> Second, how many people in Japan can afford to move that way?
First, keep in mind that ART Hikkoshi Center (the one used in the video) is a well-known and very reputable brand. That means it's a bit more expensive than normal, because you're paying for a reputation (and in turn, they need to keep the reputation intact, which means they expend more to do the work up to such a high standard).
Second, realize that many more Japanese people live in apartments, and that they would often be considered tiny by western standards. That means there's usually far less accumulated that needs moving.
So, it's probably a small fraction going to that specific level, but in conjunction with the answer to the first question, there's not much further below that level that Japanese society will accept. Using a "does everything for you" service is much closer to a default course of action, and the moving costs, while not cheap, are generally not as expensive as they would be in the U.S.
> Third, are there any U.S. moving companies that come close?
I used a military moving company that was really good on packing/moving, including putting floor mats down and coverings on critical wall areas of transit zones (not all walls, and even some ceilings, like in the video), but I've never used one that did the unpacking for me too beyond carrying in the bulky items. They also have a significantly higher amount of custom boxes and packaging gear than any American company I've ever seen. But I personally have never heard of any U.S. companies at that level. (I also used a military moving company that broke a staggering amount of stuff and lost several items too, something that would be unfathomable there.)
posted by mystyk at 8:41 AM on February 24, 2019 [18 favorites]
> I'm going to take this opportunity to say that I love Yamato Transport's logo.
Agreed - KuroNeko is such a great logo. I love the imagery of the mama cat carrying their baby by the scruff of the neck, and through that the symbolism of the care that they will take in transporting things.
posted by mystyk at 8:47 AM on February 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
Agreed - KuroNeko is such a great logo. I love the imagery of the mama cat carrying their baby by the scruff of the neck, and through that the symbolism of the care that they will take in transporting things.
posted by mystyk at 8:47 AM on February 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
I've worked as a furniture mover in Canada, and I've also used a furniture move in Japan. The main difference between Japan and Canada is that, in Japan, furniture movers are quite often university students doing it as a part-time job.
However, Japan has a very large and complicated logistics sector with a variety of experiences. When we moved back to Canada from Japan we paid a freight company to come and pack our container. That was a nice experience. But whenever we need to send our luggage to the airport (lugging around suitcases on the train is not fun, especially with kids) we also use movers, and it's not as nice. Pretty rude and unhelpful, mostly because they're busy.
One other thing to consider is that adults don't really move households all that much in Japan, unlike in North America. If your kid graduates and goes to university, you hire a mover like this to take your kids to their dorm or apartment. When your kid graduates from university, you hire a mover to bring their stuff back home. You hire another mover to get their stuff to their apartment when they get a job.
You have your job. Next, you have to get married. You'll probably get married only after you've saved up money for a house (yes, Japanese people live in houses; Japan is quite affordable compared to Canada) or a condo. You might ship some of the crap you accumulated from your wretched student and junior hire days, but likely you'll just want to get rid of it and start fresh in your new married life.
If you're transferred to a different company location, you either move to company housing (a dormitory or company apartments), or you use a moving/courier service to ship a futon, a TV and a rice cooker etc to your temporary one-room apartment. Your family remains behind at your house.
When I worked as a mover in Canada twenty years ago, many of the people I worked with were ex-cons. Moving was their last chance to earn a living, and so they worked incredibly hard.
The more dependable and intelligent members of the crew were assigned as "packers", who went into a house to pack things up properly. In fact, as a mover, I don't think I ever moved a house that was self-packed. It's a nightmare because people tend to use wine boxes or produce boxes, which don't stack properly in the truck. Most of the people we were moving had an employer such as the military pay for the moves.
There were a lot of rules about what not to do as a mover (never leave furniture uncovered outside; never push anything along the floor).
I think I worked for an Atlas or Allied affiliate, but I suspect the local chains or independent operators are different.
posted by JamesBay at 8:50 AM on February 24, 2019 [13 favorites]
However, Japan has a very large and complicated logistics sector with a variety of experiences. When we moved back to Canada from Japan we paid a freight company to come and pack our container. That was a nice experience. But whenever we need to send our luggage to the airport (lugging around suitcases on the train is not fun, especially with kids) we also use movers, and it's not as nice. Pretty rude and unhelpful, mostly because they're busy.
One other thing to consider is that adults don't really move households all that much in Japan, unlike in North America. If your kid graduates and goes to university, you hire a mover like this to take your kids to their dorm or apartment. When your kid graduates from university, you hire a mover to bring their stuff back home. You hire another mover to get their stuff to their apartment when they get a job.
You have your job. Next, you have to get married. You'll probably get married only after you've saved up money for a house (yes, Japanese people live in houses; Japan is quite affordable compared to Canada) or a condo. You might ship some of the crap you accumulated from your wretched student and junior hire days, but likely you'll just want to get rid of it and start fresh in your new married life.
If you're transferred to a different company location, you either move to company housing (a dormitory or company apartments), or you use a moving/courier service to ship a futon, a TV and a rice cooker etc to your temporary one-room apartment. Your family remains behind at your house.
When I worked as a mover in Canada twenty years ago, many of the people I worked with were ex-cons. Moving was their last chance to earn a living, and so they worked incredibly hard.
The more dependable and intelligent members of the crew were assigned as "packers", who went into a house to pack things up properly. In fact, as a mover, I don't think I ever moved a house that was self-packed. It's a nightmare because people tend to use wine boxes or produce boxes, which don't stack properly in the truck. Most of the people we were moving had an employer such as the military pay for the moves.
There were a lot of rules about what not to do as a mover (never leave furniture uncovered outside; never push anything along the floor).
I think I worked for an Atlas or Allied affiliate, but I suspect the local chains or independent operators are different.
posted by JamesBay at 8:50 AM on February 24, 2019 [13 favorites]
One thing Japanese movers are masters at is switching their indoor/outdoor footwear at the threshold/genkan while carrying stuff to/from the truck.
Japanese service sector efficiency is the human capital that is mainly a product of their k-12 educational system I guess . . . Manners maketh man, and Japanese schools focus a lot on inculcating these manners.
N.b. If you want to visit Heisei-Era Japan, better hurry as it’s ending soon!
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 8:59 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Japanese service sector efficiency is the human capital that is mainly a product of their k-12 educational system I guess . . . Manners maketh man, and Japanese schools focus a lot on inculcating these manners.
N.b. If you want to visit Heisei-Era Japan, better hurry as it’s ending soon!
posted by Heywood Mogroot III at 8:59 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
If you want to visit Heisei-Era Japan, better hurry as it’s ending soon!
The Emperor's planned abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne is such a fascinating thing to me, and now that it's right around the corner I suspect lots of others will be discussing it too.
One curious note is that the rise of ubiquitous computers happened entirely during the Heisei era, and a significant amount of software was never written to account for a change in eras. While it's not going to be a Y2K type of bug (since underlying dates still use basic, well-defined standards, many of which were put in place as part of the successful Y2K patching), there will likely be a decent amount of weird and silly glitches from software either incorrectly listing the Heisei era as still going or restarting the clock but calling the new, as-yet unnamed era Heisei by accident.
posted by mystyk at 9:09 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
The Emperor's planned abdication of the Chrysanthemum Throne is such a fascinating thing to me, and now that it's right around the corner I suspect lots of others will be discussing it too.
One curious note is that the rise of ubiquitous computers happened entirely during the Heisei era, and a significant amount of software was never written to account for a change in eras. While it's not going to be a Y2K type of bug (since underlying dates still use basic, well-defined standards, many of which were put in place as part of the successful Y2K patching), there will likely be a decent amount of weird and silly glitches from software either incorrectly listing the Heisei era as still going or restarting the clock but calling the new, as-yet unnamed era Heisei by accident.
posted by mystyk at 9:09 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Seems like a question of priorities to me: do you pack more quickly and efficiently, under the assumption that 99% of the time that will be good enough, and you can insure the 1% replacement; or do you aim for 100%, nothing ever broken or scratched ever, despite having to spend an order of magnitude more work for it?
posted by rikschell at 9:23 AM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by rikschell at 9:23 AM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
Oh Christ. We moved Boston to Cali in 17. First time I used a moving company. Obviously it was not like this. It was a little more like: I'm sure glad we sold off most of our furniture, because what we didn't arrived smashed.
(of course, US is 26 times larger than Japan. It may be apples and oranges)
posted by es_de_bah at 9:27 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
(of course, US is 26 times larger than Japan. It may be apples and oranges)
posted by es_de_bah at 9:27 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
conveniently allows everyone involved to sidestep the potential cost and just present it as "wow look at how marvelously efficient moving is in Japan!"
What's wrong with that? Why would you even want to inject your politics into a clip about moving company in Japan?
posted by Foci for Analysis at 9:37 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
What's wrong with that? Why would you even want to inject your politics into a clip about moving company in Japan?
posted by Foci for Analysis at 9:37 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Agreed - KuroNeko is such a great logo. I love the imagery of the mama cat carrying their baby by the scruff of the neck, and through that the symbolism of the care that they will take in transporting things.
I'd never seen this logo before, but it's conceptually identical to that of Victor Ek, an old and reputable Finnish moving company. I'll soon have a need to move a quantity of items into the country, and while their reputation is largely responsible for my most likely choosing them, in all honesty that logo clinched the deal.
posted by myotahapea at 9:38 AM on February 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
I'd never seen this logo before, but it's conceptually identical to that of Victor Ek, an old and reputable Finnish moving company. I'll soon have a need to move a quantity of items into the country, and while their reputation is largely responsible for my most likely choosing them, in all honesty that logo clinched the deal.
posted by myotahapea at 9:38 AM on February 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
My neighbor here in Brooklyn hired a moving company from somewhere in the South ( NC or SC or something?) and the difference was noticeable. They were polite and easy to deal with unlike the NYC companies who can be surly, unreliable, often trying to rip you off, and have no worth ethic. Having this step of the moving process go smoothly is worth the price.
posted by Liquidwolf at 9:39 AM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by Liquidwolf at 9:39 AM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
I'm going to take this opportunity to say that I love Yamato Transport's logo
I clicked and must admit I spent about half a second being disappointed by the lack of space battleships before I felt the cuteness.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:46 AM on February 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
I clicked and must admit I spent about half a second being disappointed by the lack of space battleships before I felt the cuteness.
posted by GCU Sweet and Full of Grace at 9:46 AM on February 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
I could watch this video all day! Socks for the cabinets! A special box with slots for packing the dishes! A special box to keep clothes on hangers! It is incredibly soothing to watch people who are just great and efficient and thoughtful at doing what they do.
I thought maybe they'd have a special box for the cats but they didn't quite take it that far.
posted by mai at 9:48 AM on February 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
I thought maybe they'd have a special box for the cats but they didn't quite take it that far.
posted by mai at 9:48 AM on February 24, 2019 [6 favorites]
I have always wondered if the perception that Japanese workers care more about their work has to do with the general respect of work in the first place. In north America many types of work are denigrated as menial or stupid, and the low pay only reinforces the worthlessness of the employees. You end up with jobs being filled by society's most unwanted per JamesBay above.
It's that a real distinction or just my perception?
posted by klanawa at 9:59 AM on February 24, 2019 [10 favorites]
It's that a real distinction or just my perception?
posted by klanawa at 9:59 AM on February 24, 2019 [10 favorites]
"This isn't a sponsored video but we got our move for free"
I mean I think its all fine or whatever but why dissemble?
posted by Pembquist at 10:10 AM on February 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
I mean I think its all fine or whatever but why dissemble?
posted by Pembquist at 10:10 AM on February 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
conveniently allows everyone involved to sidestep the potential cost and just present it as "wow look at how marvelously efficient moving is in Japan!"
What's wrong with that? Why would you even want to inject your politics into a clip about moving company in Japan?
Because if most people can afford this level of service, that's super awesome and worth mentioning!
If most cannot, then acknowledging that is fine. If anything, failing to acknowledge that some people can afford things that others cannot is the political statement, not vice versa.
posted by thegears at 10:12 AM on February 24, 2019 [14 favorites]
What's wrong with that? Why would you even want to inject your politics into a clip about moving company in Japan?
Because if most people can afford this level of service, that's super awesome and worth mentioning!
If most cannot, then acknowledging that is fine. If anything, failing to acknowledge that some people can afford things that others cannot is the political statement, not vice versa.
posted by thegears at 10:12 AM on February 24, 2019 [14 favorites]
I also wondered what this would cost, but of course the Art Moving Center website doesn't actually give any prices, since it's all based on personalized quotes.
But I did find some other websites giving average prices for individual and family moving services. For a 2 person family, the latter website gives a range of average prices between $488 and $1716 USD depending on the distance of the move, assuming they move isn't during the busy season.
Someone has also uploaded a similarly themed episode of Peter Barakan's Begin Japanology series, which is just over a decade old, but honestly seems like pretty much exactly the same high quality moving experience.
I think when my partner and I moved just down the road to a new place in the Netherlands, we paid around €300 for some movers who damaged the communal hallway and certainly didn't pack or unpack anything for us. Oh well, obviously not everywhere is Japan...
posted by wakannai at 10:27 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
But I did find some other websites giving average prices for individual and family moving services. For a 2 person family, the latter website gives a range of average prices between $488 and $1716 USD depending on the distance of the move, assuming they move isn't during the busy season.
Someone has also uploaded a similarly themed episode of Peter Barakan's Begin Japanology series, which is just over a decade old, but honestly seems like pretty much exactly the same high quality moving experience.
I think when my partner and I moved just down the road to a new place in the Netherlands, we paid around €300 for some movers who damaged the communal hallway and certainly didn't pack or unpack anything for us. Oh well, obviously not everywhere is Japan...
posted by wakannai at 10:27 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Oh my word — after over a dozen moves, two international, this was remarkably soothing. I unexpectedly received something on this level of service when I last moved houses. Packing up the old house was quick and efficient, but since renovation was scheduled, I wasn’t fussed about floors or walls. But when the movers saw my new house, the lead asked: is this all new renovation? when I said ‘yes’, he and the crew grabbed all our leftover carpet from the install — he had seen the rolls in the garage — sat down and started cutting squares. They put squares under every, single chair and table leg that was on the new bamboo floors. They had big rolls of cloth they laid everywhere, then covered with cardboard — you couldn’t see the floors at all. It was the best and easiest move I’ve ever had in Wellington.
posted by lemon_icing at 10:42 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by lemon_icing at 10:42 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I moved from the US to Amsterdam and moved house a couple times there. I’d you’ve been to Amsterdam you know how narrow and steep the stairs are so every house is required to have a joist jutting out from the building. The moving company has this big ancient looking wood and steel pulley. The packing was what you’d expect but the way they would just toss something out of the window and let it rip and then stop it right before it hit the ground was fascinating. Those were the quickest moves I’ve ever seen.
posted by misterpatrick at 10:58 AM on February 24, 2019 [8 favorites]
posted by misterpatrick at 10:58 AM on February 24, 2019 [8 favorites]
I used a military moving company that was really good on packing/moving, including putting floor mats down and coverings on critical wall areas of transit zones (not all walls, and even some ceilings, like in the video), but I've never used one that did the unpacking for me too beyond carrying in the bulky items. They also have a significantly higher amount of custom boxes and packaging gear than any American company I've ever seen. But I personally have never heard of any U.S. companies at that level.
I recently used a veteran moving company in the US that did a great job. They didn't have most of the cool custom boxes in this video, but I would say were equally efficient, detail-oriented and polite. It was a small company that they all seemed to love working for so they took a lot of pride in doing great work. They did offer an unpacking service (just the same guys, though, not a team of mums) but I didn't use it.
They did, however, have a couple of ring-ins (more your standard kids who need some extra cash), and the difference in skill and effort was pretty stark. Fortunately they were assigned to fairly menial tasks like packing books.
posted by retrograde at 11:09 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
I recently used a veteran moving company in the US that did a great job. They didn't have most of the cool custom boxes in this video, but I would say were equally efficient, detail-oriented and polite. It was a small company that they all seemed to love working for so they took a lot of pride in doing great work. They did offer an unpacking service (just the same guys, though, not a team of mums) but I didn't use it.
They did, however, have a couple of ring-ins (more your standard kids who need some extra cash), and the difference in skill and effort was pretty stark. Fortunately they were assigned to fairly menial tasks like packing books.
posted by retrograde at 11:09 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
I was wondering whether Japanese moving companies could expand into the US. My answer is maybe-- not just the cost for the amount of labor (it seemed like a lot of people to move a small apartment) but whether the property to be moved would have to be in fairly good order to start with, and there would be no polite way to for the moving company to address that.
Offering to dispose of the appliances which are in poor condition and replace them at a discount seems like something American moving companies could do, or at least American companies which have reputations to protect.
There's a lot of packing material (and all of it with the company logo!), but it wouldn't surprise me if it's used for several moves.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 11:14 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Offering to dispose of the appliances which are in poor condition and replace them at a discount seems like something American moving companies could do, or at least American companies which have reputations to protect.
There's a lot of packing material (and all of it with the company logo!), but it wouldn't surprise me if it's used for several moves.
posted by Nancy Lebovitz at 11:14 AM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I'm pretty sure I saw the Begin Japanology video wakannai linked above long ago. Or some other instance of watching Japanese moving companies do their thing so all of this just seemed normal and as expected. You should also check out Rachel and Jun's air-conditioner cleaning service guy video for the same amount of just prepared and good expected service.
I'll leave these here because *black cat*.
PACKING CAT / YAMATO TRANSPORT
VENDER CAT / YAMATO TRANSPORT
いいなCM ヤマト運輸 「宅配は、ネコである。」篇
posted by zengargoyle at 11:45 AM on February 24, 2019 [9 favorites]
I'll leave these here because *black cat*.
PACKING CAT / YAMATO TRANSPORT
VENDER CAT / YAMATO TRANSPORT
いいなCM ヤマト運輸 「宅配は、ネコである。」篇
posted by zengargoyle at 11:45 AM on February 24, 2019 [9 favorites]
A special box with slots for packing the dishes! A special box to keep clothes on hangers!
The level of service was amazing, but specialty packing materials are available all over the US. wardrobe box, dish packing kit
posted by bradf at 11:50 AM on February 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
The level of service was amazing, but specialty packing materials are available all over the US. wardrobe box, dish packing kit
posted by bradf at 11:50 AM on February 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
To me the most important thing in this video is that the packers all seemed to be young men (and the occasional woman) and the un-packers were all, shall we say, Women of A Certain Age. The job of unpacking appears to basically be "cleaning lady" work.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:18 PM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:18 PM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
In Korea, they move people in and out of apartments through the window, using a skylift. First time I saw this I was boggled, but also impressed because, basically: Why the hell not? Well, it helps that there are only a few chaebol building all the highrises, so it's relatively easy to ensure new buildings are designed for the service.
posted by ardgedee at 12:21 PM on February 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
posted by ardgedee at 12:21 PM on February 24, 2019 [4 favorites]
We moved from Oakland to London well over a decade ago, and I was in charge of the move. I looked into moving companies to help us do it, and found that nobody would take my money.
Why? Well, I was small fish. International Movers assume you're the housewife of a Texas Oil Man who is moving abroad. The Oil Company sends them over and you just point at everything that's not nailed down and they ship it to Hong Kong and you have to fit it in your new tiny high-rise flat. A friend of mine used to visit US apartments in Hong Kong where the family heirloom dining table fit into the dining room, but there was no room for any chairs, so they were in storage.
Just to get an estimate I had to fill out forms that were like:
PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY:
[ ] BAND SAW [ ] COMMERCIAL DRYER [ ] JUNGLE GYM [ ] FLAGPOLE [ ] DRYCLEANING GEAR [ ] SWING SET
[ ] GARAGE DOOR [ ] BED (4-POSTER) [ ] SWIMMING POOL [ ] BRICK (TON) [ ] CHANDELIER [ ] CAMARO + CINDERBLOCKS
These people run 110V heavy appliances like washing machines and refrigerators from 220V mains, just using a converter. What, they don't have refrigerators where you're going? Is your dishwasher really that precious to you?
Fortunately I was able to do it via cheap shipping. It turned out at the time that UPS plus 50¢ of insurance was the fastest way. Friends who also moved overseas tried things like shipping containers, and found themselves under the thumb of unscrupulous shipping companies who charged all kinds of fees for storage while preventing them from access to their possessions.
This topic still gives me reflex twitches.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:25 PM on February 24, 2019 [7 favorites]
Why? Well, I was small fish. International Movers assume you're the housewife of a Texas Oil Man who is moving abroad. The Oil Company sends them over and you just point at everything that's not nailed down and they ship it to Hong Kong and you have to fit it in your new tiny high-rise flat. A friend of mine used to visit US apartments in Hong Kong where the family heirloom dining table fit into the dining room, but there was no room for any chairs, so they were in storage.
Just to get an estimate I had to fill out forms that were like:
PLEASE CHECK ALL THAT APPLY:
[ ] BAND SAW [ ] COMMERCIAL DRYER [ ] JUNGLE GYM [ ] FLAGPOLE [ ] DRYCLEANING GEAR [ ] SWING SET
[ ] GARAGE DOOR [ ] BED (4-POSTER) [ ] SWIMMING POOL [ ] BRICK (TON) [ ] CHANDELIER [ ] CAMARO + CINDERBLOCKS
These people run 110V heavy appliances like washing machines and refrigerators from 220V mains, just using a converter. What, they don't have refrigerators where you're going? Is your dishwasher really that precious to you?
Fortunately I was able to do it via cheap shipping. It turned out at the time that UPS plus 50¢ of insurance was the fastest way. Friends who also moved overseas tried things like shipping containers, and found themselves under the thumb of unscrupulous shipping companies who charged all kinds of fees for storage while preventing them from access to their possessions.
This topic still gives me reflex twitches.
posted by rum-soaked space hobo at 12:25 PM on February 24, 2019 [7 favorites]
I have always wondered if the perception that Japanese workers care more about their work has to do with the general respect of work in the first place. [...]
It's that a real distinction or just my perception?
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. If we assume that there is this thing called "culture" and people's actions are informed and influenced in some way by it, then "fastidiousness" and "personal responsibility" are big parts of Japanese culture. People do their job because that's what they're supposed to do. Why wouldn't you?
On the other hand, I've had different experiences with "service" over the years. Some ramen shops are spotlessly clean. Others, I've seen cockroaches crawl out of the chopstick holders. Some shop clerks will provide helpful service, other behave as if they are robots that cannot deviate from the algorithms presented in the training manuals.
I think it all comes down to, not "Japanese culture", but company culture. A lot of companies in Japan spend a lot of time thinking about their own internal culture and approach to service, and making sure their employees are trained well.
Yamato Transport is one of these companies. The attention on service and detail likely has something to do with the fact that moving and logistics is a very competitive vertical with tight margins. Quality service and perceived trust will be differentiator when people are trying to make a decision when faced with multiple choices.
For example, in order to differentiate itself, Yamato Transport competitor The O123 sometimes uses Doraemon, an ultra-popular cartoon character, as a mascot.
In the past The O123 has also promoted its use of all-female moving crews for its female customer demographic. I am not sure why, though (but I could make a few guesses).
posted by JamesBay at 12:45 PM on February 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
It's that a real distinction or just my perception?
The truth lies somewhere in the middle. If we assume that there is this thing called "culture" and people's actions are informed and influenced in some way by it, then "fastidiousness" and "personal responsibility" are big parts of Japanese culture. People do their job because that's what they're supposed to do. Why wouldn't you?
On the other hand, I've had different experiences with "service" over the years. Some ramen shops are spotlessly clean. Others, I've seen cockroaches crawl out of the chopstick holders. Some shop clerks will provide helpful service, other behave as if they are robots that cannot deviate from the algorithms presented in the training manuals.
I think it all comes down to, not "Japanese culture", but company culture. A lot of companies in Japan spend a lot of time thinking about their own internal culture and approach to service, and making sure their employees are trained well.
Yamato Transport is one of these companies. The attention on service and detail likely has something to do with the fact that moving and logistics is a very competitive vertical with tight margins. Quality service and perceived trust will be differentiator when people are trying to make a decision when faced with multiple choices.
For example, in order to differentiate itself, Yamato Transport competitor The O123 sometimes uses Doraemon, an ultra-popular cartoon character, as a mascot.
In the past The O123 has also promoted its use of all-female moving crews for its female customer demographic. I am not sure why, though (but I could make a few guesses).
posted by JamesBay at 12:45 PM on February 24, 2019 [5 favorites]
What's wrong with that? Why would you even want to inject your politics into a clip about moving company in Japan?
I didn't mean it as an overt political statement or anything; I simply meant that I have no idea if this is the general expectation for moving in Japan, or if this is a luxury most people do without. Like, I can pay movers who pack and unpack all my stuff in Canada, but that's stupidly expensive and most people I know don't pay for that additional service. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask if the same is true in Japan or not.
It sounds that it is far closer to the norm than it would be here, according to others in the thread, so I think the original message is fine. It just seemed like such an obvious question to ask, especially since a lot of Rachel and Jun videos seem to be aimed at people who are curious about Japanese living but do not live in Japan and thus wouldn't know what the cultural norms are.
posted by chrominance at 1:51 PM on February 24, 2019
I didn't mean it as an overt political statement or anything; I simply meant that I have no idea if this is the general expectation for moving in Japan, or if this is a luxury most people do without. Like, I can pay movers who pack and unpack all my stuff in Canada, but that's stupidly expensive and most people I know don't pay for that additional service. I don't think it's unreasonable to ask if the same is true in Japan or not.
It sounds that it is far closer to the norm than it would be here, according to others in the thread, so I think the original message is fine. It just seemed like such an obvious question to ask, especially since a lot of Rachel and Jun videos seem to be aimed at people who are curious about Japanese living but do not live in Japan and thus wouldn't know what the cultural norms are.
posted by chrominance at 1:51 PM on February 24, 2019
Was that, like, an army of aunties that come and unpack your stuff? Do want.
Honestly though when I move I tend to take the opportunity to purge while I'm doing it, so I'd need, like, the Marie Kondo moving company rather than just the people who transport your mess in its entirety to your new crib.
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:01 PM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Honestly though when I move I tend to take the opportunity to purge while I'm doing it, so I'd need, like, the Marie Kondo moving company rather than just the people who transport your mess in its entirety to your new crib.
posted by soren_lorensen at 2:01 PM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Oh, right, as for the specialized packing boxes and stuff, I’ve seen TV commercials in Japan that advertise a huge reduction in waste compared to self-packing from using those, because they are reused instead of just getting broken down and disposed of afterward.
So there’s that, at least.
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:10 PM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
So there’s that, at least.
posted by DoctorFedora at 2:10 PM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Well... I have moved around alot in my lifetime (Once every 1-2 years for 45 years) - and because I was raised poor and then became a cheap person, I only hire movers to do the heavy lifting. and typically from Craigslist, Kijiji or Gumtree.
Over the years, I have learned two key things; standardized boxes are extremely important (go U-Haul!) as well as having tape guns to build the boxes (at least 2). (And... after you just slice the tape, flatten the boxes and store them for your next move). Typically, I help - I lift things where I can, staying out of their way, but staging things closer to the truck, to make their "travel distance" shorter. (I just want the move to be quick, efficient and over as soon as possible)
The quality of individuals/companies hired directly has varied extremely dramatically, the worst was one whose name rhymes with "Two Small Men with Big Farts" who tried to extort more money for a move that was not supposed to happen overnight, after they locked the truck with all our possessions in their storage yard instead of proceeding to the destination and unloading. The best are often no-name crews of people who work together well - efficient, smart, know how to use lift-straps. The most amazing was a 1-man "removalist" in Brisbane, Australia who lifted a front-loading washing machine by himself, down and up 8 flights of stairs... in his bare feet... (that gave me safety nightmares). The ones that made me feel the most guilty were the one crew I once hired who were working during Ramadan - they never stopped and could only have water - but they were very good.
But, this... this was just amazing - true professionals at work. The pricing/quotes listed above seem very reasonable, but it makes me wonder how much each person is getting paid... On salary? By the hour? By the job?
posted by jkaczor at 2:34 PM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
Over the years, I have learned two key things; standardized boxes are extremely important (go U-Haul!) as well as having tape guns to build the boxes (at least 2). (And... after you just slice the tape, flatten the boxes and store them for your next move). Typically, I help - I lift things where I can, staying out of their way, but staging things closer to the truck, to make their "travel distance" shorter. (I just want the move to be quick, efficient and over as soon as possible)
The quality of individuals/companies hired directly has varied extremely dramatically, the worst was one whose name rhymes with "Two Small Men with Big Farts" who tried to extort more money for a move that was not supposed to happen overnight, after they locked the truck with all our possessions in their storage yard instead of proceeding to the destination and unloading. The best are often no-name crews of people who work together well - efficient, smart, know how to use lift-straps. The most amazing was a 1-man "removalist" in Brisbane, Australia who lifted a front-loading washing machine by himself, down and up 8 flights of stairs... in his bare feet... (that gave me safety nightmares). The ones that made me feel the most guilty were the one crew I once hired who were working during Ramadan - they never stopped and could only have water - but they were very good.
But, this... this was just amazing - true professionals at work. The pricing/quotes listed above seem very reasonable, but it makes me wonder how much each person is getting paid... On salary? By the hour? By the job?
posted by jkaczor at 2:34 PM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
I didn't mean it as an overt political statement or anything; I simply meant that I have no idea if this is the general expectation for moving in Japan, or if this is a luxury most people do without.
I've borrowed the Japanese version of a pickup truck to move house in Japan, and I suspect a lot of people with less money have a DIY attitude, too.
However, households with fewer financial resources are also going to have fewer things to move. If your family of 3 lives in a 3-room apartment (as opposed to a condo) you're not going to have much furniture to move anyway.
These companies are aimed at a more affluent, middle-class demographic anyway. Parents will save for years and years (we do) for an "education fund" which will cover moving expenses for their kids, for example. And, as in the US (but not so much Canada), if you are from a less affluent demographic your kids are not going to go to university. They may aim for the local community college instead.
One dumb thing it took me a long time to learn living in Japan is that the "foreigner narrative" is largely based on the assumptions and experiences of expats (not immigrants or migrants) with expense accounts. To me, based on the stories I read in, say, the Japan Times or elsewhere, it seemed natural to move around a lot, from country to country.
However, what took me a long time to realize was that, as mentioned upthread, expats have generous expense accounts that cover relocation. If you're working for Deloitte or Goldman Sachs or Boeing or the embassy in Japan, somebody else is paying your moving expenses.
I suspect it's the same in North America. It's going to cost at least $10,000 to move a family of four across the country.
Japanese companies will offer relocation allowances, but it's pretty rare for a mid-career professional to move to an entirely different city. You buy your house, have a family, and, if you are transferred, you live apart and come home on weekends.
Or, say you live in Nagoya and somehow get a better job in Tokyo, you can just commute to Tokyo by bullet train -- the company pays for transit costs, including the bullet train.
posted by JamesBay at 3:30 PM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
I've borrowed the Japanese version of a pickup truck to move house in Japan, and I suspect a lot of people with less money have a DIY attitude, too.
However, households with fewer financial resources are also going to have fewer things to move. If your family of 3 lives in a 3-room apartment (as opposed to a condo) you're not going to have much furniture to move anyway.
These companies are aimed at a more affluent, middle-class demographic anyway. Parents will save for years and years (we do) for an "education fund" which will cover moving expenses for their kids, for example. And, as in the US (but not so much Canada), if you are from a less affluent demographic your kids are not going to go to university. They may aim for the local community college instead.
One dumb thing it took me a long time to learn living in Japan is that the "foreigner narrative" is largely based on the assumptions and experiences of expats (not immigrants or migrants) with expense accounts. To me, based on the stories I read in, say, the Japan Times or elsewhere, it seemed natural to move around a lot, from country to country.
However, what took me a long time to realize was that, as mentioned upthread, expats have generous expense accounts that cover relocation. If you're working for Deloitte or Goldman Sachs or Boeing or the embassy in Japan, somebody else is paying your moving expenses.
I suspect it's the same in North America. It's going to cost at least $10,000 to move a family of four across the country.
Japanese companies will offer relocation allowances, but it's pretty rare for a mid-career professional to move to an entirely different city. You buy your house, have a family, and, if you are transferred, you live apart and come home on weekends.
Or, say you live in Nagoya and somehow get a better job in Tokyo, you can just commute to Tokyo by bullet train -- the company pays for transit costs, including the bullet train.
posted by JamesBay at 3:30 PM on February 24, 2019 [2 favorites]
I've had some really incredible moves in the US courtesy of my job paying for my moves. Including these guys who had figured out how to modify their standard mattress boxes to fit a pillowtop - specifically one of them had a "method" and they waited for him to come back from break so he could do his magic. Same company also had to take a door off its hinges to get a couch into the new space and did it, no problem, no questions asked, and remounted the door when they finished.
But the very best move ever, we paid for ourselves - it was a short distance, but we had a kind of anxious toddler and couldn't imagine she would deal well with having us take a week packing and moving, so we hired companies to do it while she was at daycare - and hired professional organizers to unpack for us. They put every dish in the kitchen. It was magnificent. We've lived here 4 years and have moved very few things around.
In short, you can get a pretty deluxe move in the US but it'll cost ya.
posted by potrzebie at 6:43 PM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
But the very best move ever, we paid for ourselves - it was a short distance, but we had a kind of anxious toddler and couldn't imagine she would deal well with having us take a week packing and moving, so we hired companies to do it while she was at daycare - and hired professional organizers to unpack for us. They put every dish in the kitchen. It was magnificent. We've lived here 4 years and have moved very few things around.
In short, you can get a pretty deluxe move in the US but it'll cost ya.
posted by potrzebie at 6:43 PM on February 24, 2019 [1 favorite]
The pricing/quotes listed above seem very reasonable, but it makes me wonder how much each person is getting paid... On salary? By the hour? By the job?
One of the transport companies mentioned several times in this thread, Yamato Transport, was found to be systematically cheating their workers out of overtime pay for years.
Once the dust settled on that, Yamato was found to be significantly overbilling their moving-service clients by padding their invoices, after which they suspended all their moving services.
(I used them for a move once, many years ago, and after it was complete they tried to charge me five times what they had estimated. After I refused to pay, they went to the company where I worked to try to get my boss to pay.)
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:26 PM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
One of the transport companies mentioned several times in this thread, Yamato Transport, was found to be systematically cheating their workers out of overtime pay for years.
Once the dust settled on that, Yamato was found to be significantly overbilling their moving-service clients by padding their invoices, after which they suspended all their moving services.
(I used them for a move once, many years ago, and after it was complete they tried to charge me five times what they had estimated. After I refused to pay, they went to the company where I worked to try to get my boss to pay.)
posted by Umami Dearest at 7:26 PM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
and through that the symbolism of the care that they will take in transporting things
I have watched a lot of streams and videos of mama cats and their kittens, and I love cats madly, but I find this hilarious.
Care. Yes. That's it. It's fine for kittens because kittens are basically made out of foam rubber. I would not want a mama cat to be packing up and moving my television.
posted by Sequence at 11:00 PM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
I have watched a lot of streams and videos of mama cats and their kittens, and I love cats madly, but I find this hilarious.
Care. Yes. That's it. It's fine for kittens because kittens are basically made out of foam rubber. I would not want a mama cat to be packing up and moving my television.
posted by Sequence at 11:00 PM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]
Because Black Cat...
Yamato Commercials.
You'll see this:
宅急便 [たっきゅうびん] /(n) express home delivery (by the Kuroneko Yamato company)/door-to-door parcel delivery/courier service/ - which to my understanding is a bit of UPS/Kleenex/Band-Aid/Fed-Ex/Xerox sort of trademark word/phrase that escaped into generic usage.
this is almost solely because my neighbor has a Black Cat and just recently got him a little friend who is also a little Black Cat. (much confusion). But who can not enjoy Black Cats?
posted by zengargoyle at 12:07 AM on February 25, 2019
Yamato Commercials.
You'll see this:
宅急便 [たっきゅうびん] /(n) express home delivery (by the Kuroneko Yamato company)/door-to-door parcel delivery/courier service/ - which to my understanding is a bit of UPS/Kleenex/Band-Aid/Fed-Ex/Xerox sort of trademark word/phrase that escaped into generic usage.
this is almost solely because my neighbor has a Black Cat and just recently got him a little friend who is also a little Black Cat. (much confusion). But who can not enjoy Black Cats?
posted by zengargoyle at 12:07 AM on February 25, 2019
One small anecdote on the service in Japan - one of the movers dropped a framed jigsaw puzzle as we were going down the stairs. On my next trip down the stairs I found him on the landing doing the part of the puzzle that had been disturbed.
posted by brappi at 2:29 AM on February 25, 2019 [5 favorites]
posted by brappi at 2:29 AM on February 25, 2019 [5 favorites]
The last time we moved, we hired movers to load and unload (we did our own packing). They were RIDICULOUSLY efficient and quick, showed up, swarmed around like ants, got paid, left. I also won't soon forget the dude who, when I cautioned him that the THREE BOX PILE he was about to lift was very heavy because they were all books, gave me the People's Eyebrow and just hoisted the WHOLE THING. Those guys and strong and they know how to lift.
posted by biscotti at 5:35 AM on February 25, 2019
posted by biscotti at 5:35 AM on February 25, 2019
Mrs. Ghidorah and I used a moving service to go from my old apartment, with eight years of my crap, to our new house about 10 years ago next month. I don't remember which company, though it might have been the Ari-something something company. They delivered boxes to us to use for packing our things, though there was actually an option (not cheap) to pay the company to pack our things for us. The came, picked up all of our things, and we took the train to meet them at our new home. They came in and covered the stairwell, each step, the walls, everything, with cushioned plastic sheeting to avoid any scratches. They had special socks to wear inside the house, not slippers. Our home, where the stairs are a switchback, presented us with the terrible realization that our bed frame had absolute no chance of reaching the second floor, yet suddenly, the guys said, eh, we've got a crane on the truck, it's supposed to be extra, but no worries. They were efficient, courteous, and very kind. When they finished, we gave them several cans of beer and chu-hai for their hard work, and they tried to turn it down, but I played the foreigner card and said it's what we would do in America, and they accepted (and were pretty clearly happy about being able to break a little rule and get free booze).
It cost us the equivalent of $500, and while it wasn't that far of a move (by car, probably half an hour), it was a mostly full moving truck, four guys, and most of a day of labor, and that wasn't far off other quotes we'd been given. At the time, I thought it was great but now, yeah, no way in hell do those guys get paid enough.
Also, Kuroneko Yamato, in addition to having had to completely revamp how employees work (recently, the choice to have things delivered between noon and two pm has been eliminated in a lot of areas, simply because things had become so busy drivers couldn't stop to eat lunch) and also resorting to *gasp* increasing wages to attract more staff because there is such a labor shortage that the LDP is pushing a law that will allow more (exploitable) foreign laborers to get (temporary, exploitative) visas, in addition to all of that, they sell shipping boxes that look like this. And there are instructions online for how to cut out the windows and doors to turn it into a box for cats to play in. Every time our youngest cat goes in the box, Mrs. Ghidorah points out that she is going to work, and tells her to have a good day.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:13 AM on February 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
It cost us the equivalent of $500, and while it wasn't that far of a move (by car, probably half an hour), it was a mostly full moving truck, four guys, and most of a day of labor, and that wasn't far off other quotes we'd been given. At the time, I thought it was great but now, yeah, no way in hell do those guys get paid enough.
Also, Kuroneko Yamato, in addition to having had to completely revamp how employees work (recently, the choice to have things delivered between noon and two pm has been eliminated in a lot of areas, simply because things had become so busy drivers couldn't stop to eat lunch) and also resorting to *gasp* increasing wages to attract more staff because there is such a labor shortage that the LDP is pushing a law that will allow more (exploitable) foreign laborers to get (temporary, exploitative) visas, in addition to all of that, they sell shipping boxes that look like this. And there are instructions online for how to cut out the windows and doors to turn it into a box for cats to play in. Every time our youngest cat goes in the box, Mrs. Ghidorah points out that she is going to work, and tells her to have a good day.
posted by Ghidorah at 9:13 AM on February 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
I've moved internally in both the USA and Japan.
I am not a rich person.
In the USA, under these sorts of conditions, one moves on the mercy and love of someone with a large vehicle. I hefted my own furniture, and never bought anything I couldn't lift with a maximum of one other amateur person, preferably without overly inconveniencing that one other person. The ability to afford any moving company was far beyond my means, to the point that I always thought of using a moving company as "something rich people do." Moving would generally be a several-hour affair and the aftermath was exhaustion and pain.
I moved last year, internally in Japan. I thought I'd need a truck-friend, and wrung my hands over not having one, so my realtor recommended a few moving companies and gave me negotiation strategies. In the end it wasn't super cheap but it wasn't all that expensive either. A few hundred dollars.
Did they pack for me? No, I chose not to have them pack for me, since that comes with an extra charge, though I did have a few unpacked things at the end and they did pack those up without charging me extra for it.
Was it mostly like this? Yes. They were skilled, polite, friendly, careful, and efficient. I negotiated with all of them and picked the lowest bidder, so I wasn't really expecting the level of service I actually got, which was excellent.
The best part was waking up the next morning not in pain.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 9:51 PM on February 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
I am not a rich person.
In the USA, under these sorts of conditions, one moves on the mercy and love of someone with a large vehicle. I hefted my own furniture, and never bought anything I couldn't lift with a maximum of one other amateur person, preferably without overly inconveniencing that one other person. The ability to afford any moving company was far beyond my means, to the point that I always thought of using a moving company as "something rich people do." Moving would generally be a several-hour affair and the aftermath was exhaustion and pain.
I moved last year, internally in Japan. I thought I'd need a truck-friend, and wrung my hands over not having one, so my realtor recommended a few moving companies and gave me negotiation strategies. In the end it wasn't super cheap but it wasn't all that expensive either. A few hundred dollars.
Did they pack for me? No, I chose not to have them pack for me, since that comes with an extra charge, though I did have a few unpacked things at the end and they did pack those up without charging me extra for it.
Was it mostly like this? Yes. They were skilled, polite, friendly, careful, and efficient. I negotiated with all of them and picked the lowest bidder, so I wasn't really expecting the level of service I actually got, which was excellent.
The best part was waking up the next morning not in pain.
posted by gloriouslyincandescent at 9:51 PM on February 25, 2019 [2 favorites]
Oh, this is highly relevant to my interests, thanks for posting it!
It's good to see how international certain things are - the way heavier furniture is lifted (the straps) the packaging paper for fragile items, the 3d geometry involved in moving out big furniture via a small door - saw them all, while working as a mover.
The only thing I missed was seeing how they packed the truck. Here we usually have big wardrobes and we just use a strap to fix the doors until we bring it to the truck then open the doors and put the boxes inside the wardrobe and only fix it after, to save space. If you cover all furniture, then there's valuable space wasted inside. When you do a move from small streets, a big truck cannot fit in and every cubic centimeter counts - otherwise it could take like 4-5 rounds.
posted by kmt at 2:14 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
It's good to see how international certain things are - the way heavier furniture is lifted (the straps) the packaging paper for fragile items, the 3d geometry involved in moving out big furniture via a small door - saw them all, while working as a mover.
The only thing I missed was seeing how they packed the truck. Here we usually have big wardrobes and we just use a strap to fix the doors until we bring it to the truck then open the doors and put the boxes inside the wardrobe and only fix it after, to save space. If you cover all furniture, then there's valuable space wasted inside. When you do a move from small streets, a big truck cannot fit in and every cubic centimeter counts - otherwise it could take like 4-5 rounds.
posted by kmt at 2:14 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
kmt, regarding the large truck, small streets thing, that would be another excellent video. Streets here can be shockingly narrow, and I’ve turned my tiny little car away from streets I didn’t dare try, only to see a large truck zipping down. As good as their packing and moving skills, whoever’s driving the truck can get your stuff to the nice place you moved to off the tiny little goat path that passes for a two lane road here.
posted by Ghidorah at 3:59 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
posted by Ghidorah at 3:59 AM on February 26, 2019 [1 favorite]
Man, the special boxes, the clever folding to nest one over another as a lid, or around odd objects, the paper trick! Sod ASMR, just give me four hours of care and attention for inanimate objects and clever packaging techniques.
posted by lucidium at 1:36 PM on February 26, 2019
posted by lucidium at 1:36 PM on February 26, 2019
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posted by Foci for Analysis at 7:54 AM on February 24, 2019 [3 favorites]