Turning On Electricity, Gas and Water in Your New Japan Apartment
Updated: 2026-08-23
Quick answer
Hi, I'm Miya. When you move into a Japanese apartment, three utilities need switching on: electricity, gas and water. Electricity and water can often start without anyone visiting — you tell the provider your address and move-in date, and they simply turn things on. Gas is the exception: it almost always needs an in-person appointment, because a technician has to open the valve and check your appliances for safety.
So the smart move is to sort all three about one to two weeks before you move in, and to book the gas visit first, since good time slots fill up fast around moving season. Have your new address, your move-in date and a contact phone number ready — every provider will ask for them. Get these lined up and you'll walk into a home with lights, hot water and a working stove from day one.
Who to contact, and when
Each utility has its own provider, so you'll usually make three separate contacts. For electricity and water, the relevant company or your local municipal water office covers your area — the details are often printed on a leaflet left in the apartment, or your real estate agent can tell you which company to call. For gas, you contact the gas company serving the building, which may be a city-gas or an LPG supplier depending on the property.
Timing matters more than people expect. Aim to reach out roughly one to two weeks before your move-in date. That's early enough to secure the appointment slot you want for gas, but not so early that you can't confirm your exact address. If you're moving during March or April, when the whole country seems to move at once, contact them even earlier, because appointment calendars fill quickly.
Electricity and water: often no visit needed
Electricity is usually the easiest. In many apartments the breaker is already installed, so you simply notify the provider of your address and start date, flip the main breaker on when you arrive, and the power is live. There's often a small card or form in the apartment to fill in and send, or you can register online or by phone. No one needs to come to your door.
Water works similarly and is typically handled by the local city or ward water authority. You submit a start-of-use notice with your address and move-in date, and the supply is turned on — sometimes you just open the shutoff valve yourself. Because water is municipal, the exact steps vary by city, so check the leaflet in your apartment or your city's water office page for the local procedure.
Gas: the open-valve appointment
Gas is the one utility that almost always needs a person to come out, so treat it as the anchor of your schedule. When you contact the gas company, they'll book a time for a technician to visit, open the gas valve, and light-test your appliances. You — or someone you trust — must be home for this, because the technician needs access to your stove and water heater and will confirm everything runs safely.
The visit is usually short, often under half an hour, but it can only happen when both you and a slot are available. That's why I always say book gas first: if you leave it until moving day, you may face a few evenings without hot water. Have your appliance situation in mind too — if your stove connects to a different gas type than the building supplies, the technician will flag it during the visit.
Online, phone, or paper — which to use
Many providers now let you sign up online, which is wonderful if you're still getting comfortable with spoken Japanese — you can read each field at your own pace and translate as you go. Web forms usually ask for your name, new address, move-in date, a contact phone number, and how you'd like to pay. For gas, the online form typically ends by letting you pick an appointment slot from a calendar.
Phone sign-up is still common and can be faster for questions, but it does mean a Japanese-language conversation, so have your address written out and your move-in date fixed before you dial. Paper forms left in the apartment are a third route — fill one in and drop it in the post. Whichever you choose, keep a note of any confirmation or reference number you're given, in case you need to follow up.
The thread running through all of it
Here's something you'll notice as you set up each utility: every single form asks for a contact phone number and your address. Without a Japanese number, you'll be leaning on a foreign line or a hotel front desk for callbacks, and some online forms won't even accept an overseas format. Getting your own Japanese line early quietly removes a blocker that sits underneath the whole move-in process.
You can't contract a Japanese SIM before you arrive — a domestic number is tied to the residence card you receive on landing — but you can get connected very soon after. Rakuten Mobile, for example, can be applied for online with just your residence card, and an eSIM can be issued the same day in about five to ten minutes, with no store visit. Land, get your card, get your number, and then every utility sign-up has the contact detail it needs. — Miya
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