Written by Alice Bonamy
Edited by Melinda Antaramian
If you’re like me, which is to say a new JET in a new apartment with absolutely nothing in it, (Yes, no furniture, nothing!) you might be interested in this article.
There are some good options to buy cheap furniture directly in stores like Ikea in Osaka, or Nitori, its Japanese equivalent, but you might also want to seize this opportunity and do things well, especially if you intend to stay for a few years in your apartment . . . Maybe you want a room with some personality, or maybe you want to spice up your current apartment.
Anyway, here are two websites that I’m using to furnish my room. Both are in Japanese only, but they accept international credit cards (Visa and MasterCard).
Nissen
My favorite one! They sell everything from big furniture to small decorations, but the main reason that I love them is because they have a lot of very practical furniture aimed at small rooms in order to gain space and to store your stuff in a fun way.
Prices: There is a wide price range from being quite cheap to being expensive, but I would say it’s very affordable for new goods.
Quality: The quality is very good. I’ve never had a problem, and the furniture does not look cheap.
Customer Service: Excellent. They respond very fast to inquiries (between 1 and 3 days) and are very helpful. If you buy big furniture, you can choose to pay a little bit more and have them build the furniture for you, so you don’t have to worry about deciphering the Japanese instructions.
Shipping: The shipping is kind of slow. Even if the furniture is in stock, it takes more than one week to be shipped to your place or even longer for big furniture. For some items, you can ask for a specific day of delivery. For the building service, the delivery man will call you to set a delivery day.
I ordered my bed and mattress from them. It’s a loft bed, so I was kind of worried about the quality at first, (What if it breaks while I sleep?) but it turned out to be quite sturdy in the end, and it does not even make any noise when I climb up and down the ladder.
Here is their “One Room Series” furniture:
http://www.nissen.co.jp/cate009/special/oneroom/index.htm
Some room coordinates:
http://www.nissen.co.jp/all/special/room/index.htm?2nd=cate009_004_001
Seikatsu Zakka
This is a more girly website with cute designs. However, you can also find furniture aimed at a more general audience. Their designs are usually more elaborate than Nissen.
Prices: It’s more expensive than Nissen, and it’s sometimes a bit unreasonable for the kind of furniture that you’re looking for. You have to be careful about the price indicated on the main page and the real price on what you’re ordering. (It may change according to the size or the type.)
Quality: The quality is very good as well. I ordered a storage unit with trays for my very small bathroom (bath unit), and it hasn’t collapsed.
Customer Service: They will answer your questions as well, but they take a lot of time to do it (one week or more). They also offer the service to build your furniture, but only for big furniture. (If it’s a small or medium item, you will have to do your best with the pictures in the Japanese instructions.)
Shipping: The shipping is faster than Nissen. They will properly send you an email once they’ve shipped your product. It usually arrives within one week to one week and a half, depending on the size of your order. You can also ask for a special day or time of delivery.
Here is their “One Room Series” page:
http://www.seikatsuzacca.com/singlelife/
And some room coordinates:
http://www.seikatsuzacca.com/interior_coordinate/
Have fun decorating your room!
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