Japanese Utilities:

Families residing in private rental housing must be prepared to conserve utilities as they are expensive. Utility costs usually start at $250 a month and upwards.
 

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Utilities Payments:

Whether utility payments are made by a landlord, house agent, or directly to the utility company, always obtain a receipt and give a copy to your Command. Failure to provide copies could cause you to lose your utilities allowance. All utility bills can be paid at local convenience stores, Japanese banks, post offices, at the utility companies or in the City Hall.

House agent may receive and pay your utility bills; however, a nominal fee may be charged for this service. You can also pay your utilities bills (water/sewage, electric, gas, and telephone) in yen or dollars at the Yokosuka Navy Exchange with no handling fee.
The Welcome Center has a "Utilities Handbook" which explains the bill and tells how and where to pay them off base.

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Problems with Utility Bills:

If you have a problem reading utility bills, please contact the Welcome Center, Family Assistance Service Team (FAST), or Family Service Center (FSC).
Misunderstandings regarding utility bills should be immediately brought to the attention of the Welcome Center.

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Electricity:

As noted in the Electrical Requirements, Japanese electricity is 110 volts at 50 cycles. The electrical receptacles in the houses only accept two pronged plugs. If you have appliances that have a third prong (grounding plug) you must use an adapter. Most of your American appliances will work fine -with the main exception being items that run off of 60 cycles with a digital timer.


Your Electric Company will provide a computer generated bill showing number of kilowatt-hours use monthly. Your electric bill can be paid at any convenience store or the Navy Exchange.

An electric company representative will read the meter once each month and will leave a meter reading in the house's mail box.

The meter reading will indicate the number of kilowatt hours used during the month and also the date the bill is due.

The charge will vary depending on the switch box capacity of your house.

The capacity of the switch box is color coded, e.g.,

Red - 10 amperes
Pink - 15 amperes
Yellow - 20 amperes
Green - 30 amperes
Gray - 40 amperes
Brown - 50 amperes
Purple - 60 amperes

Most houses have 30 amperes, significantly less than U.S. standards, but enough for basic household appliances.

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Gas (City and Propane):

If you live in the central city area you may have a direct city gas line, otherwise you may be using propane gas (there is no great difference between the two). If your house has propane gas you may be required to pay a refundable deposit for the propane tank.

A gas meter reading and bill will arrive each month.

Tokyo City Gas or Propane (LPG) are the two types of gas that are commonly available in our area.


If you unit is fitted to Tokyo City Gas, you will be required to pay hook up and/or disconnection fees:

1. Initial hook-up fee $100 - $150
2. Disconnection fee $40 - $150

If your unit uses propane, you may or may not have to pay a connection fee.

Most houses use gas or propane to cook with; heat the water for showers; and for the washing of dishes and clothes.

If you live in the central city area you may have a direct city gas line, otherwise you may be using propane gas (there is no great difference between the two).

If your house has propane gas you may be required to pay a refundable deposit for the propane tank. A gas meter reading and bill will arrive each month.

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Water:


Almost all areas of Miura Peninsula have water supply facilities, and you can drink the tap water.

In most cases there is ground level drainage or a water purification tank which is not suitable for a garbage disposal.

Care must be taken to prevent clogs.

A municipal water company employee will read your water meter every two months, and a meter reading usually precedes the actual bill.

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Telephone - Private:

NTT (Nippon Telephone and Telegraph) provides domestic phone service throughout Japan.

NTT charges a basic monthly residential fee plus the cost of actual calls placed. Bills must be paid at the NTT office or at any convenience store.

A Japanese telephone number can be purchased at the local telephone office or from telephone brokers for about ¥90,000 ($750).


You must provide your own telephone instrument.

The basic monthly fee is about ¥3,000 ($25).

To disconnect telephone service, contact the telephone company at least seven days in advance and pay the final telephone bill the day it is disconnected.

Telephone brokers will repurchase lines bought from them at cost.

Telephone numbers are also sold by individuals via the local base newspaper for about $750.

Many people purchase an internet based phone modem and service prior to arrival in Japan.

These provide a U.S. based phone number and charge a flat rate for unlimited calling.

If you plan on talking to family in the States on a regular basis, you should seriously investigate this option.

Most people also purchase cell phones upon arrival.

The cell phones and the internet phone service often negate the need to purchase a Japanese land line.

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Television:

The majority of programs on Japanese cable are in Japanese.

We are seeing more and more English programming such as: FOX; CNN; National Geographic; Animal Planet; the History Channel, and even the Golf Channel. It just depends on the provider that services your area and the equipment they provide.

Your agent will assist you in setting up your cable service. As of July 2011, Japan was scheduled to switch to “all digital” broadcasting.

Programs are in Japanese with a few bilingual shows.

To hear the English, you need to purchase a bilingual converter which costs approximately $60 at the NEX.

Cable and satellite television services are available to purchase at a monthly rate.

Start up costs differ depending on whether your rental unit is cable ready.

The average costs range from $200 to $500 with about a $35 monthly usage fee.

You will receive between three to five English speaking channels such as CNN (sports & news) and STAR TV (movies channel).

The Yokosuka NEX also has a cable TV service at a considerable discount, but with fewer channels. Some "premium" channels can be purchased for an additional fee.

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Computer Internet:

There are several options to choose from, but not all options are available to all renters.

Typically you can get your high speed internet access from the same Company that provides your cable TV.

You can ask your agent or housing referral specialist about more information concerning internet providers.

Broadband internet service in this area is very reliable and you are given options to purchase different level of download speeds.

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Septic Tank:

Some Japanese houses have a septic tank which must be cleaned yearly. The cost of this cleaning is about ¥12,000 and can be arranged through the agent and/or owner.
At the time you sign the lease, inquire if you or the landlord is responsible for the cleaning cost.

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Garbage Collection:

The separation of garbage is strictly ENFORCED.

Garbage must be separated and placed in designated locations only.

The following are the four categories of garbage that are collected on designated days.

1. Burnable
2. Non-Burnable
3. Plastic
4. Recycle (Cans & PET Bottles)

Garbage is collected by the municipal government.

The collection point, date, and method are specific to each area. Such garbage is recycled, tenants must learn the proper garbage disposal procedures.

Prior to disposal, burnable and non-burnable garbage must be placed in separate bags.

Burnable garbage is considered to be paper, wood or food products; non-burnable garbage is listed as all other waste materials such as plastic, tin cans, glass, rubber, etc.

The two types of garbage are collected on different days, but generally each will be collected twice a week. Non-burnable garbage must be placed in clear (see-through) bags. Usually the garbage collection fee is included in your rent; check with the agent or landlord to be sure.

There are areas where oversized garbage is to be placed for collection or call the City Hall to arrange for a special pickup.