The 7 Best International Moving Companies Japan Has

Whether you are moving to Japan or back to your home country, packing, finding a moving company, and unpacking is a struggle.

Plus, with the process of going through customs, that adds an extra layer of stress.

When that problem arises, international moving companies are there for you. But which one is the best? To help you out, here are the 7 best international moving companies Japan has to offer.

7 international moving company to check out

All these companies are part of IAM or the International Association of Movers, a global moving and forwarding group that ensures that its members adhere to the standards of moving and shipping items internationally.

By choosing an IAM company, their international movers will ensure you will have a more seamless and stress-free international move.

1.  Yamato (Kuroneko)

Kuroneko is your friend when sending packages within Japan or parcels internationally, but did you know they can also help with your international move?

Despite being a Japanese company, they have a comprehensive English guide to help your international move.

They offer 5 different types of plans depending on your situation:

• Basic Plan: for those who want to keep costs low by self-packing.

• Standard Plan: for those who don't have time to prepare for moving.

• Standard Plus Plan: for those who don't have time to prepare to move with young children.

• Tanshin Plan: when there are Yamato branches within a 100 km radius of your destination.

• Ryugaku TAQBIN: for those who only need to ship a few parcels.

Kuroneko will guide you through the process from preparations, packing, pick-up, customs clearance, transportation, delivery, unpacking, and cleanup.

And even if you don’t choose their additional services, your items will arrive where they need to be. 

They can even do weekend and holiday pickup and dropoff.

2. Allied

Also known as Allied Pickfords and Allied Moving, it is an international moving company that is one of the largest in the world. 

They offer great English support and will create a detailed moving guide tailored to your moving situation based on the number of items you are moving with and how time-sensitive the move is. So, they can do Sea Freight, Full container Load (FCL), Less than Container Load (LCL), Groupage, Airfreight, or Road Transport for your international move.

Allied will facilitate international moves from any place in the world.

If you haven’t secured a new home abroad yet, they offer temporary and long-term storage solutions for your belongings. 

Their additional services include vehicle moving service, home search assistance, and visa and immigration services.

3. Japan Move

If you're fluent in Japanese, then Japan Move is one of the best and cheapest international moving companies.

Japan Move is a domestic and international moving company that helps office relocations for businesses and individuals with their international moves. 

They will do a preliminary inspection of your materials to determine the best boxes to protect your items. You don’t have to worry about dismantling, packing, and reassembling furniture as Japan Move will do that for you.

Plus, you can temporarily store things at their warehouses.

4. Fukuoka Soko

Fukuoka Soko is a domestic moving company in Japan that also operates as an international moving company.

Their team will assist you by assessing your items, packing them, transporting them by road, air, or sea, and having the necessary documents for customs clearance.

Fukuoka Soko has optional services like air conditioner reveal, furniture and document disposal, storage and packing, and furniture assembly.

Additionally, Fukuoka Soko can even help your business move.

With them as your international moving company to and from Japan, you, your family, or your business will have a smooth process.

5. Asian Tigers Mobility

Asian Tigers Mobility is a renowned moving and relocation company that can help with your international move.

Not only Asian Tigers Mobility is part of IAM, but they are also part of OMNI (Overseas Moving Network International), allowing them to have global partnerships to assist with your relocation from anywhere.

From the beginning to the end of your international move, you will have expert advice: 

• Plan your packing to keep your items safe and secure

• manage your move

• Explain any insurance and risk coverage for local, domestic, and international moves

• Offer additional services such as home cleaning, car shipping, and storage

They provide services in English, Japanese, French, German, Italian, and Dutch.

6. Nippon Express

If you are moving to Japan, Nippon Express is your go-to company. Their relocation service is to help employees and their families coming to Japan.

Their customers benefit from their personalized assistance when it comes to relocation including home searches, departure services, and even local school searches for your kids.

7. Kokusai Express

If you are looking to move from Japan, then take a look at Kokusai Express. With 20 years of moving experience, they will help with domestic and international moves with offices in Tokyo, Yokohama, Osaka, and Kobe. 

One of the unique things about Kokusai Express is that instead of a person coming to your residence, you can have a video call with their agent to show your belongings you would like to move.

With a finalized pricing, the agent will help you prepare for relocation from the beginning to the end.

Their additional overseas moving services include:

• Car transportation

• Office relocation

• Warehouse services

• Heavy lift cargo transportation service

• Cargo delivery services

Customs regulations: declaring items from an international move

You need to fill out two copies of the 'Declaration of Accompanied Personal Effects and Unaccompanied Articles' form on the plane or at the airport when you have separately shipped items.

The purpose of this form is to notify customs that you have unaccompanied baggage and items that are not with you, which must be declared when you arrive.

Give both copies to the customs officer when you arrive in Japan. You will need at least one copy to give to the movers to help clear your items.

If there’s any payment or taxes, you will need to pay for that.

Most, if not all, international moving companies will provide you with a guide and explain how to complete this process.

International company additional services

While you can self-pack and unpack, many international companies offer additional services:

• Item elevation to determine the number of boxes

• Furniture assemble and reassemble

• Insurance coverage

• Packing and unpacking 

• Pickup and delivery

• Long and short-term storage

• Vehicle shipping

• House cleaning

These services might come at an additional cost, but that varies between international companies.

How much does it cost to move abroad?

Many international companies will not state an exact price as it varies between countries and the type of shipment.

For example, a long-distance relocation with very few items may be priced similarly to a short-distance relocation with many items.

Additionally, the type of shipment heavily affects the total move of your international move, such as Full Container Load (FCL) for a large volume of household goods vs. Less than Container Load (LCL) for ships that do not fill the container.

Many international company’s websites have a quotation calculator or request form for you to send.

Additionally, you can negotiate the moving price after the estimated cost with the move coordinator.

Licensing and insurance from the international moving company

As part of IAM, International Association of Movers, international moving companies are qualified to provide you with everything for a smooth moving process anywhere in the world.

Additionally, many international moving companies will provide insurance for your belongings to protect them against any loss, damage, or theft.

In closing

When it comes to international moving to or from Japan, all these companies will ensure your move will go as smoothly as possible. You can entrust your belongings and your various needs to all these professionals, whether leaving Japan or embarking on a new adventure.