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I was a professional mover for a number of years in a wealthy area in the US (Fairfield County, CT), so moving people from McMansion to McMansion, back and forth between Manhattan, etc. People movin' on up, and sometimes way way down. All their "priceless" stuff.
Best job I ever had, lots of skill involved. I ponder starting my own company sometimes. Great tips, lots of free stuff, new faces everyday, great workout. I could write a sitcom from all the crazy stories. You get a deep glimpse into people's lives. Imagine rooting around people's attics, digging into forgotten closets. Very stressful and emotional for lots of people as well, leaving houses they've been in for 40 years, divorces, foreclosures, you name it. I started as a grunt and eventually helped pack trucks here and there after a few years. A more strategic, infinitely variable form of 3d Tetris. Furniture moving is one of those unexpectedly "deep" jobs that can be done passably by some college kids and a truck when you're moving out of your first crappy rental, but has a true logistical slant to it when grand pianos and sculptures are involved.
Anyway I have no cultural Japanese basis to look at this from, but they used a ton of disposable packaging. Looks like a lot of unnecessary flash and sizzle in general, e.g. using tablets when a notepad and shorthand is plenty enough to do such estimates. "Protecting" the walls it looks like? Not necessary and would only prevent the most superficial dings, which we would have patched up in the rare event we dinged a wall anyway. That looked like a 2-3 person one day job as well (packing, loading, delivering, and home early) and they looked to have 5-6 people working there. I thought our approaches were pretty wasteful but in comparison it was mostly the bare minimum tape and boxes and wrapping paper. We used furniture blankets/pads much more liberally. All kinds of "origami"-type wrapping techniques (ironically?).
Not to hate! Just noting some cultural differences perhaps.
I've read that the disposable packaging is actually reused/recycled so it may not be so wasteful. Tablets can be a pain to use, I agree. If the software is stable and with good/simple UI, I'd say the benefits (syncing/automatic plan generation/auditing/inventory) outweigh the inconveniences. As for the wall protectors, I'd say those are also filling the role of giving homeowners peace of mind. Sure I'd appreciate the ding in the wall getting patched (are you going to match the paint exactly as well?), but I'd prefer avoiding any scratch or ding all-together. Can't say too much about the number of people they have, perhaps their methodology is to do more work in parallel to increase their throughput.
I used to work as a stagehand for one of the major event companies (mostly big name concerts) before I started my professional career. Not the same as moving obviously, but can definitely relate to your description of an infinitely variable 3D Tetris. It was also great fun, you got to see lots of great concerts for free, meet a lot of cool people (sorry Lenny Kravitz for that time I ran into you with my bike!) and a fair bit of running around and lifting meant a decent workout as well. It was dirty, sweaty, didn't pay much, and the hours were terrible at times. I think my worst (in terms of hours) weekend was coming in on Friday early afternoon, and leaving again right around midnight Saturday. We did get breaks of course but I had a two hour commute at the time so if I'd gone home in between packing up one show and unpacking another I would've slept for only four hours or so. I ended up sleeping on some old carpet rolls in the catacombs under the arena. It wasn't comfortable and I wouldn't do it today, but man I had fun doing that stuff back then. Only did it for about a year and it was hard work, but still kinda miss it.
That was a super neat read, thanks.
It also reminded me of a weird life moment for me. I was moving once, and I was watching the senior moving guy dictating how the boxes should be arranged in the truck, and I said "wow, you must be amazing at Tetris," and he replied, "you know, everyone tells me that. What the hell is Tetris?"
Funny, I moved furniture at a warehouse for about 3 years from 2001-2003 and it was by far the worst job I've ever had (by an order of magnitude) but, it made me who I am today. This is basically what I did (step 6 is comedy gold):
https://www.wikihow.com/Become-a-Lumper
The sheer brutality of doing something you don't really want to do, for up to 9 or 10 hours a day, sometimes 6 or 7 days a week, causes physiological changes in the body. For example, by the end of it (something like 500 moves) I was completely flat-footed (my arches fully recovered eventually) and no longer distinguished between hot or cold weather. A 110 degree day didn't really feel any different than a 10 degree day, I just wore different layers. I could pick up an overstuffed chair and haul it up several flights of stairs, but felt a tremendous indignation if I had to bend over to pick up a stuffed animal.
For a while I came up with what felt like one new invention a day that would alleviate much of the physical labor and danger from the job. Pretty much everyone just scoffed at them though, because moving furniture is generally a job you walk on to, not a job that you improve or automate.
So this video was very refreshing to me, to see some of the most basic techniques, like padding the entryway to prevent damage, actually being applied.
Japanese apartments are a tighter fit than you'd find in most US homes and apartments. The guys are careful, but that wall protection is there often to allow for intentional rubbing on the way in and out. I really appreciated that attention to detail.
Edit: also remembered, some of the protection is also noise abatement for the neighbors. Soft padding to absorb the noise.
Edit edit: also notice the moving guys aren't wearing their shoes inside. They are taking them off upon entry, carrying stuff (sometimes really heavy stuff) and putting their shoes back on when removing stuff. That's the part that shocked me.
Nice. I love the contrast you provide. Both approaches are optimizing for two different things - the way the methodology evolves around those ideals is interesting!
All their "priceless" stuff
Lovely attitude for someone handling other peoples' belongings.
>Best job I ever had, lots of skill involved.
The neighbor across the street from my wife's parents was a mover. That job requires a mastery of physics and geometry, the strength of a weightlifter, and the endurance of a marathoner.
Having moved in the US several times, this looks like more like the difference between good movers and bad, regardless of country.
I've used the pack and move services in the US, and they came a week or two before to review and get an idea of the work then book a date. This meant they arrived with the correct number of men, trucks, and packing equipment. Specialist boxes for TVs, crockery, wardrobes, etc.
They packed everything (including everything in the fridge, bathrooms, etc). Even the years-old pickle jars at the back of the fridge, old bars of soap by the guest sinks, etc were carefully wrapped and packed.
The guys doing the job were incredible about moving heavy, complex furniture quickly, and efficiently. This included a couple of large (>100g) saltwater fishtanks. They broke it all down and put it back together with minimal oversight.
I've found movers typically offer a range of services - the full (pack, move, unpack), or just pack and move, or just move.
My employer sponsored our last move, including packing and unpacking. The staff was really great, careful and we had hardly things that broke. A few plants lost leaves (but basically these were excluded from the contract by my employer, so the company kindly offered to move the plants without any guarantees, I guess packing them better would have been time consuming and thats what my employer didn't want to pay for).
A colleague hired the very same company for their move (they had bought a house, so it was not part of an agreement for starting a new work contract).
They sent a team of workers, no one spoke more than a few words of German (my coworker is a kind and open-minded person, he was surely not exaggerating). A lot of things didn't make the trip as a whole. All losses were covered by the companies insurance, but it was a pain making all the claims.
Can you name some companies you've had good experiences with? I'd like to do this for my next move but all I read is horror stories of people's stuff getting held hostage or just lost in the desert.
Can I ask how much you paid for services like this? I absolutely hate moving and have a few years to save up before I’ll need to move again and would love to pay someone to just handle all of it.
Ah Japan ... and excess packaging.
I was just there and I managed to get an item which was triple wrapped: It was a small tray which came wrapped in cellophane already, which the shopkeeper (very beautifully) wrapped in a paper bag and then put the whole thing in a plastic bag before handing it to me.
I didn't beat triple wrapped anywhere else, but 7-11 did sell me an "eco bag" which they wrapped in a plastic bag for me, before I had time and the presence of mind to tell them I didn't need the "fukuro" (plastic bag).
I noticed the same thing. Japanese items are among the most beautifully packaged in the world I find, though the waste always troubles me.
> This isn't a sponsored video... but we are getting our move for free
I imagine the expectation here is that the youtubers are not under any obligation to provide a positive review, or perhaps any review at all. The company is so sure of the quality of their service that they know they will get positive PR from the video.
From an earlier video [0]:
"We asked our agency if they could find a moving company that would give us permission to film. They did one better and found a moving company we have permission to film AND they're moving our stuff for free. They're the most famous/popular moving company in Japan."
[0]: https://youtu.be/90ujbJdRKXI?t=20m (20 minutes in)
I understood that as the company offered to do the move for free after they requested to film, whereas a sponsored video would usually involve the company approaching them.
This invalidates the entire video IMO. Of course companies will go the extra mile (with extra smiles) for a PR stunt.
Just wanted to mention that the creators of this channel, Rachel & Jun, have one of the most beautifully filmed cooking channels on Youtube, Jun's Kitchen.
I knew the cats looked familiar..
Thank you for mentioning this, I just watched a few videos and they are quite fantastic. Was not expecting to find quality entertainment like this from a moving article.
Unrelated, but I really enjoy this trend of people disclosing potential conflicts of interest relating to sponsoring at the beginning of a show or video like they did here. It’s so refreshingly honest and respectful of my natural distaste for being shown propaganda.
AFAIK many times it's a requirement of the platform/sponsor/etc that it must be disclosed. I appreciate it as well.
I worked in a family moving business growing up (and continue to pick up the odd job when I'm home). I've worked with various other moving companies as well.
I have to say that the quality of this move was unreal by American standards.
I was extremely impressed that they are able to employ staff solely dedicated to arranging the home. I'm still trying to work out how they are able to use a crew that large and keep things economical.
There were also several pieces of packing material I hadn't seen before. Some of which looked reusable, which is a good thing to see. There is a fair amount of waste in the profession.
They use economy of scale. They have a large crew so that they can get more moves done in a single day. Keep in mind most people in Japan live within the same metro region, so there's a larger economy of scale.
So...does anyone have any tips to find a good mover like this in the US? I hear horror stories on how some movers will hold your stuff "hostage" until you tip them. I don't mind paying, but I just want a trustworthy mover.
I had one try to raise the price by about 10% after they had my items. It was an interstate move and the company I had contracted with and that was named for loading, transport, and unloading on the bill of lading sold the job to another mover. I guess this is pretty common, but it's also pretty illegal. Without a valid bill of lading they are in possession of stolen property. I told them so and asked if they wanted to involve the police and the DoT. They unloaded my things then.
It's one of the rare occasions I've stiffed someone on the tip. If attempted theft and extortion isn't a reason to reduce a tip, nothing is.
Uhaul and a local company to pack/unpack if needed. Nobody will be more careful with your stuff than you will.
edit: Why is this down-voted?
Didn't have time to watch all of it. But did they mention how much does it cost in Japan?
I really like the idea they could help you buy Appliance through them along with delivery and installation. Assuming you are not picky with Appliances ( Japanese Home Appliance are one of the best in the world. ) and they have a wide selection, if saves you tons of hassle. Not only that they help you throw away your old stuff, knowing the Japanese, those will likely get recycles or properly disposed instead of being dumped somewhere.
The wardrobe cartoons at 9m32s are pretty common in the UK, or at least were when I had a student job as a removal man nearly 30 years ago.
Here in the US too [0]. There's a lot of specialized boxes available for packing and moving many people don't bother with either because of price or they don't know about it.
[0] https://www.uhaul.com/MovingSupplies/Boxes/Clothing-Moving-B...
I also know them. A mover told me that he once had a client who filled them with books!
I was anxious to know what kind of subgenre of anime (cartoons) I was going to see!
The decision to hire a (non-Japanese) moving company for moving our 4 person household has been the best service investment I ever did. Included tearing down and rebuilding every piece of large furniture and the kitchen including appliances and plumbing. I would have been busy for at least two weeks. 2000 EUR. Unbelievable to watch.
My wife and I recently moved to the next block in our neighborhood and reluctantly decided to hire a moving company, even though we could walk the distance in 5 minutes.
It was more expensive and time-consuming that we initially expected, but in the end we were very glad we did it. Even packing 90% of it ourselves, the movers still packed a ton and did a great job moving it... Especially up the interior stairs at the new location.
I don't think I'll ever even consider moving my stuff myself again.
Like the people in this video, there were some things we moved ourselves, such as the TV and computer. I doubt I'll ever change that.
I agree. Never again will I move myself. What most people don't realize (and I include myself at the time) is that they really are pros at getting stuff in and out of places. They know how to rotate couches around tight corners and are very good at assembling furniture, because they do it so much. They also have the right tools to lift things which the average person does not. It's completely worth the investment.
huh... I've done a fair amount of home buying and selling, and I've never heard of taking the appliances with you. By plumbing, do you mean toilet? Does the buyer just expect to bring their own toilet from the last house? What a lot of effort.
> the kitchen including ... plumbing
Plumbing? Doesn't that usually stay with the house?
I wonder how much such a service costs. It's really impressive how much attention they put into everything.
Reminds me of this great article posted ~18 months ago about high end professional movers:
https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=15310849
(https://longreads.com/2017/09/21/a-high-end-mover-dishes-on-...)
Wow. I moved within Japan couple of times but never had a chance to use such excellent service. I'd always go with cheap option that required me to pack everything beforehand so workers just come pick up and carry them to the new place. Packing/Unpacking service seems very convenient.
After watching the video, I came to ask how is it related to HN? But, look at the comments! I guess there are some interests!
Are these socket in the ceiling some universal/standard for all lamps in Japanese? If so this is simply ingenious.
I can't say if they're universal, but they are definately standard. In my apartment the main rooms have them, basically anywhere a central ceiling light would be placed. Areas like kitchen,bathroom and entrance have recessed lighting with Edison screw bases for the lightbulbs.
It was fairly dark in the first few days in my unfurnished apartment until my light fixtures arrived.
I've noticed the same type lighting in four 'furnished' apartments I previously stayed in.
people here complaining about the wasted packaging. EOD accounting probably will still show it is net waste, but remember that Japanese people will reuse and repair everything.
They will actually consider the first 2 R's much more than Americans do.
As someone that recently moved a couple thousand miles... This is... perfection.