AIC LIFE GUIDE
When you move into or leave a home in Japan, the household systems are not managed by one national office. Electricity and gas arrangements can be provider-specific. Water and waste instructions are commonly local. A building or management company can also add operational rules.
Use this guide to identify who to check with. It does not compare prices, recommend providers, promote switching, or replace your contract and local instructions.
Start with responsibility, not assumptions
Before arranging a service, check these four places:
- Your lease and move-in instructions.
- The management company or landlord’s written building guidance.
- The responsible provider’s official account/service information.
- Your municipality’s official water and waste information.
VERIFY LOCALLY: Water, waste categories, collection days, designated bags and bulky-waste procedures can vary by municipality. CHECK WITH THE PROVIDER: Electricity and gas account steps, dates, payment methods and contract conditions can vary by provider. PROPERTY/MANAGEMENT-SPECIFIC: A building can have additional practical rules for meters, access, shared areas and rubbish storage.
Household setup: a short orientation checklist
At a new home, confirm:
- which electricity provider/account is responsible;
- whether the home uses city gas, LP gas or another stated arrangement, and who handles it;
- which water/sewerage authority or operator applies to the address;
- the municipality’s official waste guidance for the address; and
- any management-company instructions that add to local rules.
Do not assume utilities are included, that one provider serves every home, or that a rule from a previous city applies to the new address.
Electricity: check the actual provider and contract
Electricity retail has a national regulatory framework, but the responsible company and the contract conditions for a household are PROVIDER-SPECIFIC. Before starting, stopping or changing an account, identify the responsible provider from the move-in papers, current bill, management guidance or official provider contact.
When you contact the provider, confirm the address, requested service date, account holder details required by that provider, billing method, any contract period and any stated termination condition. Keep the confirmation and final bill.
The Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission advises consumers to check the identity of a company and the contract conditions. AIC Japan does not rank providers, recommend a tariff, or promise that a particular plan will cost less.
Gas: identify the service type and responsible operator
Homes can use city gas or LP gas, and the property’s arrangement matters. Do not assume a gas procedure from another home will apply to yours.
Check your lease, move-in information and the property/management contact to identify the gas type and the responsible operator. Then use that operator’s current official instructions for opening, stopping, attendance, equipment and emergency guidance.
Gas-account steps, required attendance and timing are PROVIDER- AND PROPERTY-SPECIFIC. AIC Japan does not provide a gas-emergency decision tool. If you suspect an urgent gas problem, follow the responsible operator’s current emergency instructions and use emergency services when appropriate.
Water and sewerage: verify with the local authority or operator
Water administration is MUNICIPALITY-SPECIFIC. The responsible water/sewerage bureau or local operator, its start/stop process, billing route and contact method can differ by address.
For a new or departing home, find the official local water/sewerage page for the municipality where the property is located. Confirm how to start, stop or transfer service, the relevant date, how bills are issued, and whom to contact for a local problem.
Do not use a national checklist as proof that a local water application is complete.
Moving utilities: household-service steps only
Task 37’s Moving and Change of Address guide owns the wider moving and municipal journey. This guide covers the household-service part.
Before moving out
- Check the lease and management instructions.
- Confirm electricity stop/transfer with the actual provider.
- Confirm gas stop with the actual operator.
- Confirm water stop with the actual local authority/operator.
- Keep final-bill and account records.
At the new home
- Identify the electricity provider.
- Identify the gas type and responsible operator.
- Find the municipality’s official water/sewerage contact.
- Read the municipality’s official waste guidance and the building’s additional instructions.
Dates, forms, fees and notice requirements are not universal. Check the responsible owner’s current instructions.
Waste and recycling: local rules are the rule
There is no single Japan-wide household garbage schedule or sorting system that a resident can safely apply everywhere. Municipalities determine local waste and recycling systems, while a building may set further operating instructions.
For the actual address, use the municipality’s official information to confirm:
- categories and sorting guidance;
- collection days and locations;
- designated bags, if the municipality requires them;
- recycling arrangements;
- prohibited or special items; and
- bulky-waste booking, fees and disposal instructions.
VERIFY LOCALLY: Do not copy bag colours, collection days or categories from another city, ward, town, village, social-media post or neighbour’s recollection.
Bulky waste and special items
Bulky-waste procedures can vary by municipality: the relevant items, booking system, fee, payment method, collection location and timing are not national defaults. Some items may need another official or retailer/manufacturer route.
Use the municipality’s official bulky-waste instructions for the property’s address. If the building has collection-point rules, check those with the management company as well.
Building and household rules
Municipal waste rules are not always the complete set of instructions for an apartment, condominium, dormitory or managed building. The management company or owner may set operational instructions about shared areas, rubbish-storage location, disposal times, bicycles, parking, noise or building access.
These instructions are PROPERTY/MANAGEMENT-SPECIFIC. Follow the written building guidance and ask the responsible management contact when it is unclear. Do not treat a building rule as a nationwide law, or a municipal rule as an answer to a private-building question.
If something goes wrong: find the right first contact
| Situation | First route to verify | Important limit |
|---|---|---|
| Utility account, bill or provider contract | Actual provider | Provider terms and account data apply. |
| Gas type, service opening/stopping or urgent operator guidance | Actual gas operator; management contact if the arrangement is unclear | Do not assume city gas/LP gas or a universal attendance rule. |
| Water/sewerage procedure or bill | Local water/sewerage authority or responsible operator | Municipality-specific. |
| Building equipment, shared area or property rule | Management company or landlord | Contract/property/cause can matter. |
| Waste sorting, collection day or bulky waste | Municipality official source; management contact for building logistics | Local and building instructions can both apply. |
| Consumer contract concern | Provider/contract party first, then an appropriate official consumer route | Consumer consultation is not guaranteed resolution. |
If a consumer issue remains unresolved, the Consumer Affairs Agency’s Consumer Hotline 188 can route callers to local consumer consultation. Check its current access information before use.
Your next action
VERIFY YOUR PROVIDER, MUNICIPALITY AND PROPERTY RULES. Begin with the written instructions for the actual home. That is safer than relying on a generic nationwide checklist.
Official sources and verification
- Electricity and Gas Market Surveillance Commission — current consumer guidance and Q&A for electricity/gas contracts.
- Ministry of the Environment — official route to local waste and recycling information.
- Relevant municipality/water-sewerage authority — address-specific water, waste and bulky-waste instructions.
- Consumer Affairs Agency — Consumer Hotline 188 for appropriate consumer consultation routing.
Last verified: 27 August 2026. Review trigger: provider-contract guidance, municipality water/waste rules, CAA service information or energy-regulatory guidance changes.
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