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Buying furniture and appliances in Japan: a practical guide

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Big items are hard to return in Japan, and apartments, doors and appliance spaces are often smaller than people expect. This page collects what to measure and check before you order. Figures come from government, manufacturer and industry sources unless marked as approximate. Each section links to the matching products, which you can check in 3D against your own measurements.

Measuring your space and delivery route

Sizes in Japan are written as width × depth × height (W × D × H), usually in mm or cm. This site shows them in cm.

  1. The spot itself. Measure the width, depth and height where the item will stand. For fridges and washers, add the clearance the manufacturer requires (see below).
  2. The way in. Measure the front door, hallway, any corners, stairs and the elevator (door width, depth and height). For a fridge, Hitachi suggests allowing about 10 cm on each side of the body for carrying it in.
  3. The box. The delivered box can be larger than the product. When a product page lists the box size, use it for the delivery route.
  4. If you live in an apartment building and are unsure about the route, ask the management company.

On every product page you can enter these measurements: “Will it fit here?” checks the spot, and “Delivery route check” checks doors, hallways and elevators.

Room sizes: tatami and m²

Room sizes are often given in jō (畳, tatami mats), as in “6 jō” or “6-tatami room”. A mat is not a fixed size: Kyoto-style mats are larger than Tokyo-style or public-housing mats, so two “6-tatami” rooms can differ by more than 1 m². (Regional mat sizes are approximate, from secondary sources: roughly 1.8 m² for Kyoto-style down to roughly 1.4 m² for public-housing mats.)

For property listings, Japan’s real-estate advertising rules say that when a size is given in jō, one jō must be at least 1.62 m² (measured to the centers of the walls). So a 6-jō room in a listing is at least 9.72 m². The floor area in m² on the listing is the more reliable number.

On this site, rooms are measured to the inside of the walls with 1 tatami ≈ 1.55 m². Our “6-tatami studio” is 2.6 × 3.5 m, about 9.1 m².

Floor plans (1K, 1DK, 1LDK)

Japanese listings describe the layout with a number and letters. The number is how many rooms you can close off; the letters describe the kitchen area.

Many rentals do not come with a fridge, washing machine or ceiling lights, so check what is included before you move in.

Electricity: 100 V and 50/60 Hz

Fridges

Washing machines

Most Japanese apartments have a waterproof pan (防水パン) for the washer, often in the washroom. Before you buy, measure:

  1. the inside of the waterproof pan,
  2. the height of the faucet from the floor,
  3. where the drain is (at the back, at a corner, or directly underneath).

Then compare them with the model’s installation diagram. A washer that looks the right width can still fail on the position of the feet or the drain hose, and many front-loaders are wider than 60 cm. The limits differ by model: for one Toshiba front-loader, the pan must be at least 58 × 52 cm inside, and a faucet 122 cm or more above the floor needs no special fitting, while a lower one may need a wall faucet. If there is no pan, the drain hose goes into a drain outlet and needs a downward slope, which can require a stand (UR housing guidance).

In this site’s catalog the median washer is about 59.5 cm wide, 60 cm deep and 99 cm tall.

Bed sizes (Japan vs US)

Japanese bed names don’t match US or UK sizes. The figures below are approximate (width × length of the mattress) and vary a little by maker; the comparison comes from retailer and industry guides rather than an official standard, so always check the dimensions of the actual product.

Japanese nameJapan (cm)Closest US sizeUS (cm)
Semi-single (セミシングル)about 80 × 195none—
Single (シングル)about 97 × 195Twinabout 96.5 × 190.5
Semi-double (セミダブル)about 120 × 195none (between Twin and Full)—
Double (ダブル)about 140 × 195Full / Doubleabout 137 × 190.5
Queen (クイーン)about 152–160 × 195Queenabout 152 × 203
King (キング)about 180 × 195Kingabout 193 × 203

Japanese beds are usually a few centimeters longer than US Twin and Full beds but shorter than US Queen and King beds. Sheets and covers bought abroad may not fit. The frame is larger than the mattress, so check the frame’s outer size, and check that the boxed parts get through your door.

Disposal and recycling

Shopping on Amazon.co.jp and Rakuten in English

Sources

Checked on 2026-10-16. A = government, manufacturer or public body; B = major media, industry body or local government guidance; C = secondary sources such as company blogs (used only for figures marked “approximately”).

This guide is general information, not professional advice. Rules differ by city, building and model; check with your landlord, the shop or the manufacturer before you buy.