Hoisting Furniture to the Balcony

[halfnip]

That is a really good point. Now that I'm sober (reasonably), I recall a sofa moving job several years ago.

If you flop that baby upside down, you can usual find that the back is attached with four bolts (usually). They normally have two on the side and two on the bottom frame. If you pop those off, the back comes off, you slip it through the door and put it together. Just like changing a tire.

Mine took a little longer, because I had to tell my wife how to use the rachets and wrenchs, but she got it in pretty fast. I'm not sure how long it took because I was out of beer and since she was busy, had to actually go get one out of the fridge me self!

I thought GJ's sofa was from IKEA? So this means it will be in a MILLION pieces inside the box with a 1 page "manual" on how to put it together. It should be a cinch getting it through the door, no?

[GuyJean]

I've debated spending the 7 to 13,000 USD it takes to move to a new apartment with wider doors in Japan.. But a 60,000 yen couch-puzzle seems like more fun.

Disassembling is also an option.. According to Ikea, the sofa comes 'assembled', so there aren't a bunch of little boxes which can pass easily through the door. Just two; one for the couch, the other for the cushions..

I ordered a huge three-section, entertainment/wall storage console from Nissen which comes in a millions little pieces. I've only assemble two sections, and each one takes me from 4 to 5 hours!..

Nissen is cheap, but if you have to build the shit from scratch is it really that cheap?

GJ

[Greji]

I've only assemble two sections, and each one takes me from 4 to 5 hours!..

Nissen is cheap, but if you have to build the shit from scratch is it really that cheap?

GJ

I think you're right there. If you compute what your time is worth on an hourly basis, it might be cheaper to sit at the bar in Paddy Foley's.

[American Oyaji]

Nissen is cheap, but if you have to build the shit from scratch is it really that cheap?

GJ

Audiobook on iTunes and plenty of beer.

[Blah Pete]

I thought GJ's sofa was from IKEA?

I think he got it here:

Because it is Sofa King cheap!!!!

[ttjereth]

I've debated spending the 7 to 13,000 USD it takes to move to a new apartment with wider doors in Japan.. But a 60,000 yen couch-puzzle seems like more fun. ]really[/I] that cheap?

GJ

If it took you 4 to 5 hours per section, I'm guessing you do a lot of what I always do. Put pieces on wrong/backwards/in the wrong place and not notice till much later in the process requiring you to take everything apart again and redo it all.

If not, I'd over advice counter to the rest of the board and say maybe a few less beers would be good when putting the furniture together

Nissen is great. When we build our house I figure 90% of our furniture will be Nissen. (the other 10% will be from recycle shops )

[GuyJean]

[quote="ttjereth"]If it took you 4 to 5 hours per section, I'm guessing you do a lot of what I always do. Put pieces on wrong/backwards/in the wrong place and not notice till much later in the process requiring you to take everything apart again and redo it all.

If not, I'd over advice counter to the rest of the board and say maybe a few less beers would be good when putting the furniture together ]Yeah, that time includes disconnecting/removing the computer table and TV stand which was there before.. But it does take some time; the first section I did all by hand - 145 screws, 90 dowels, and dozens of other screw-things later, I decided to get a power drill.. Some blisters as well.

But now that I have a power drill, I actually enjoy assembling them.. Oh, how I miss real tools.

But it seems like the Nissen stuff should be even cheaper than they are considering nothing is ready-made for you. I also noticed they don't give you extra screws or little pieces like they used to. So if you lose one, your cabinet has one less screw that it should..

Nissen is good, but it's basically chip-board cabinet living.. But it's ok. TIJ..

BTW, these are the consoles I'm assembling. They're over 2 meters tall, so it's like putting a huge puzzle together..

GJ

[ttjereth]

Yeah, that time includes disconnecting/removing the computer table and TV stand which was there before.. But it does take some time]nothing[/I] is ready-made for you. I also noticed they don't give you extra screws or little pieces like they used to. So if you lose one, your cabinet has one less screw that it should..

Nissen is good, but it's basically chip-board cabinet living.. But it's ok. TIJ..

BTW, these are the consoles I'm assembling. They're over 2 meters tall, so it's like putting a huge puzzle together..

GJ

I have an entire set of power tools here. I bought a drill and some other basic stuff my first year in Japan and then a guy I knew went back to the states and gave me a whole bunch of other stuff. I can't imagine putting in all the hundreds of screws and bolts that come with the stuff with a hand driver

Half the furniture in our apartment now is handmade just so that it fits the odd spaces we have available perfectly (it would be cheaper to buy the Nissen stuff than to buy the damn wood most of the time unfortunately).

I don't mind the chip board/press board stuff except that it's hard to modify, but I figure most people don't buy it unless they just want to slap it together as-is

[GuyJean]

An update on the saga..

I had to remove one of the doors inside my place, but the sofa made it in!.. Just barely. So no 'thrown back' stories from hoisting the thing over the balcony. I was actually looking forward to the experience..

A sub-story:
A 'recycle shop' crew came over to check out my old stuff. I was hoping they'd give me a little cash, or at least take it away for free.

They showed up, looked at the couch, dining table, and small dresser.. Scribbled some things in a notebook, then gave me a number of 27,000 yen.. No, not to buy it from me.. CHARGING me to take it away!

I mentioned that they would be selling the stuff and making money off it anyway, and asked why it was so expensive. They said they couldn't sell any of it. Total bullshit; I see more run-down shit than mine in 'recycle shops' all the time..

I said forget it, I'll sodai-gomi the stuff. They said it would cost that much for sodai to take it as well.. 'I'll take my chances'..

Sodai-gomi is charging me 2,800 yen for everything..

Or, anyone who needs it, can have it for free.. Details here..

Gaijin don't know the meaning of 'mottainai'?.. Yeah, I do. It's Japan!

GJ

[Taro Toporific]

An update on the saga..
...A sub-story:
A 'recycle shop' crew came over to check out my old stuff. I was hoping they'd give me a little cash, or at least take it away for free.
They showed up, looked at the couch, dining table, and small dresser.. Scribbled some things in a notebook, then gave me a number of 27,000 yen.. No, not to buy it from me.. CHARGING me to take it away!

Yep. This is a typical scam in Tokyo. You get a "recycling" flyer in your mailbox offering to pay for your bigscreen TV or furniture that is in good condition. Then the recyling guys show up on the day before moving day and offer to haul it away for a wildly inflated fee knowing that they have you over a barrel.
A variation on this, are the recycling guys using loudspeaker trucks who are working off debts to gangs and they intimidate older people in paying high fees just to make them (and the sodai-gomi) go away.

[American Oyaji]

Wait. You're telling me you actually PAY sodai gomi to take stuff away?

We always just put stuff on the corner. Certain days are sodai and other days are other stuff. We never PAYED! EVER!

Canman, can you recall paying for sodai gomi in Hachinohe?

[GomiGirl]

Well that used to be the case in Tokyo too but not anymore. It has been a while since you lived here AO.

[American Oyaji]

When was the last time you did not have to pay for sodai GG?

And is that a national or regional thing?

[omae mona]

It may vary from ward to ward in Tokyo, but in my neck of the woods there are usually a few designated days a year where they lug away sodai gomi for free. But at all other times, you gotta pay for pickup.

I have often seen sequences of signs posted in the garbage rooms of buildings I lived in, as follows (translated into English for your convenience)

Day 1: Kindly remove this bookshelf from the garbage room. You need to make arrangements with the ward for them to pick it up as sodai gomi. Love, The Building Management.

Day 2: We really need for you to remove this rotting bookshelf as quickly as possible. The phone number for sodai gomi is xxxx-xxxx. Thank you kindly for your cooperation. Love, The Building Management.

Day 3: Placing sodai gomi in this room without arranging for pickup is a violation of this building's rules. Please remove this bookshelf immediately. The Building Management.

Day 4: This garbage is in violation of building rules. If this bookshelf is not removed by tomorrow, we will be commencing an investigation to determine the source. The Building Management.

Day 5: You didn't even read the rules for this building, did you? Bldg. Mgmt.

Day 6: You can't even read these signs written in Japanese, can you? (you know who you are). Mgmt.

Day 7: [no bookshelf, no sign... landlord spotted paying the sodai gomi guys 1000 yen to take it away]

Meanwhile, Mr. Yamada down the hall is rolling on the floor laughing his ass off, thinking "ha ha ha ha, I got off scot-free. Thank god for that gaijin Omae Mona guy living down the hall."

[ttjereth]

Yep. This is a typical scam in Tokyo. You get a "recycling" flyer in your mailbox offering to pay for your bigscreen TV or furniture that is in good condition. Then the recyling guys show up on the day before moving day and offer to haul it away for a wildly inflated fee knowing that they have you over a barrel.
A variation on this, are the recycling guys using loudspeaker trucks who are working off debts to gangs and they intimidate older people in paying high fees just to make them (and the sodai-gomi) go away.

My mother in law screwed me over by having a bunch of the recycle shop people come to this apartment to take away left-over furniture and stuff that was here when we moved in.

She called them without asking, and then looked at me when they asked someone to fork over the money. Cost me easily 10 times what it would have cost to sodai gomi most of it

[GomiGirl]

When was the last time you did not have to pay for sodai GG?

And is that a national or regional thing?

Not sure what happens in Inaka as I only have lived in Tokyo.

I normally advertise stuff for sale/give away and so they go to a good home for use by somebody else. That is if it is working and in good order etc. For stuff that has broken - eg washing machine I have paid for removal by the ward office. Was about \3,000 if memory serves.

But I am always putting stuff up on line for giveaway. There are lots of places besides FG that are good for recycling to mainly other foreigners. I prefer for stuff to get reused rather than go to landfill. Plus 80% of the stuff in my house is from sayonara sales or recycle shops. Except the computer gear - that is mostly new.

[dimwit]

Never had to pay for sodai gomi out here. The city picks it up for free but you have to apply for it in advance. But hey there is no lack of room for landfills in Shikoku.

[GuyJean]

It may vary from ward to ward in Tokyo, but in my neck of the woods there are usually a few designated days a year where they lug away sodai gomi for free. But at all other times, you gotta pay for pickup.

Actually, I'm 'technically' in Yokohama.. I'm not sure if there are 'free' days, but 2,800 yen sounds like a bargain compared to the 'recycle mafia'..

Day 1: Kindly remove this bookshelf from the garbage room. You need to make arrangements with the ward for them to pick it up as sodai gomi. Love, The Building Management.

Day 2: We really need for you to remove this rotting bookshelf as quickly as possible. The phone number for sodai gomi is xxxx-xxxx. Thank you kindly for your cooperation. Love, The Building Management.

Day 3: Placing sodai gomi in this room without arranging for pickup is a violation of this building's rules. Please remove this bookshelf immediately. The Building Management.

Day 4: This garbage is in violation of building rules. If this bookshelf is not removed by tomorrow, we will be commencing an investigation to determine the source. The Building Management.

Day 5: You didn't even read the rules for this building, did you? Bldg. Mgmt.

Day 6: You can't even read these signs written in Japanese, can you? (you know who you are). Mgmt.

Day 7: [no bookshelf, no sign... landlord spotted paying the sodai gomi guys 1000 yen to take it away]

Nice.. and realistic! I always wonder why everyone stares at me when someone takes the the garbage out the night before pickup.. "Look, you fucking cocksuckers! There's manga in that trash. I can't even read Japanese! It's not mine, you fucking Noriko whores!"..

They can take all the baths they want, but they'll never be as clean as a gaijin male.

GJ

[Mulboyne]

The Home Electrical Appliance Recycle Law took effect on April 1st 2001 and required businesses and households to pay for the disposal of 1) television sets, 2) air-conditioning units, 3) refrigerators and 4) washing machines. The wards usually no longer collect them and you need to contact the manufacturere. Fees vary from place to place but they are about 2,500-3000 for a TV and around 4,500 for a fridge. See here for Shinjuku, Tokyo and here for Nagasaki. Freezers were officially added in 2004 although some places already classified them as fridges. More here from Osaka which also lists some exceptions.

[Greji]

The Home Electrical Appliance Recycle Law took effect on April 1st 2001 and required businesses and households to pay for the disposal of 1) television sets, 2) air-conditioning units, 3) refrigerators and 4) washing machines. The wards usually no longer collect them and you need to contact the manufacturere. Fees vary from place to place but they are about 2,500-3000 for a TV and around 4,500 for a fridge. See here for Shinjuku, Tokyo and here for Nagasaki. Freezers were officially added in 2004 although some places already classified them as fridges. More here from Osaka which also lists some exceptions.

I just wait for the little guy in the speaker truck who comes around about 2-3 times a month and if it has a battery, or cord for a wall socket, he'll take it for nothing. I consider it my contribution to darkest Africa, or possibly Uriabuji in Frozen Chosan.

[eddie]

i gave away a craptacular pc to a guy in one of those roaming trucks...pretty easy. he also gave me the sage advice of making sure the harddrive was cleared of any vital info. i was happy with that deal.
i then had a tv 'officially' removed from my apartment which cost 5350yen. Mofo!

[Iraira]

i gave away a craptacular pc to a guy in one of those roaming trucks...pretty easy. he also gave me the sage advice of making sure the harddrive was cleared of any vital info. i was happy with that deal.
i then had a tv 'officially' removed from my apartment which cost 5350yen. Mofo!

See, I'm kinda in the same boat. Got one of them old Sony big flat screens and the thing weighs a ton. Given that I rarely watch TV, I've not given in to getting a 2000 inch, thin-as-a-hair TV, until this one dies.
I decided that rather than pay them to haul it away some day, when the big one strikes, I will grab the old TV, toss it off the balcony, and it really was an act of God, Yaweh, nature, L. Ron Hubbard, that killed my TV, therefore, I shouldn't have to pay the haul away charge before I go to Bic Camera (or what is left of it) to loot me a new one....er.....buy me a nice plasma screen tv. Logical?