Washing Machines/Refrigerators

Dear Friend

I am moving to Tokyo in 4 weeks and I wanted to ask if I buy white goods like washing Machine/Fridge in Japan will they work outside Japan in a country which operates on 220V (Like Aus, India)? Regards Gary

Gary,

As the mains voltage in Japan is 100 V, it could be dangerous to use Japanese products on 220 V unless they are specifically designed for worldwide use, which is unlikely for large domestic appliances such as fridges and washing machines.
Also, by the time you consider the expense of shipping abroad, it would probably make far more sense to buy locally.

Why did I see Filipinos bringing home loads of washing machines and refridgerators from Japan? They were tumbling down the turn table at the airport. I wonder how that works.

I ran a Japanese rice cooker and kettle in London using a step-up transformer. The transformer was big, heavy and cost the same as the kettle. It was also difficult to find.

I've seen many "sayonara sales" where expats clear their houses for little cost. How about buying second hand and doing your own "sayonara" when you leave ?

Yes. Japanese appliances can be used with a transformer. (step-down transformer, isn't it?) When my husband and I moved to Manila, we inherited all the equipments from our predecessor. We used Japanese refrigerators (we had 2 refrigerators and 1 big freezer!), a washing machine, TVs, stereo, rice cooker and so on with transformers and they worked just fine.

Later, we moved to a condo, which had both 220V and 110V outlets. And I accidentally plugged my rice cooker to a 220V outlet and destroyed it. But, an electrician in the Philippines fixed it within a day.

Well, if you don't mind using transformers, Japanese appliances are often more sophisticated than foreign products.

BTW, in the Philippines, refrigerators/washing machines are still considered expensive and luxury items. To bring/send these things back to the family is a kind of a proof of their success abroad.