Hello! I'm @Ryo54388667! ☺️

I'm an engineer based in Tokyo.

In April 2026, I hired KA Hikkoshi Center for a short move within Tokyo.

In this post, I'll share an honest review of KA Hikkoshi Center from someone who actually used it, based on the estimate emails and the itemized quote.

Searching for reviews turns up plenty of star ratings on comparison sites. What I couldn't find was a first-hand account showing what someone actually paid and how the quote changed along the way..

So I decided to lay it all out myself.

This article contains affiliate links (PR). Every price here is what I paid out of my own pocket.

First, the conditions.

• Date: Wednesday, April 22, 2026 - a weekday right in the middle of the spring moving season
• Distance: a short hop between two wards in Tokyo
• Layout: 1K → 2LDK
• Buildings: no elevator at the old place, an elevator at the new one
• Items: a drum-type washing machine, a desk chair, a 32-inch monitor, and 20 cardboard boxes

I bought almost all the furniture new for the new place, so that was everything they moved.

Straight to the conclusion: the final bill was 22,110 yen including tax. For the April peak season, I think that came out cheap.

The crew was careful on the day too, so my honest verdict is: next time I move, I'd book KA again.

That said, there are quirks - cash only, paid cardboard, and a first estimate you can't rely on. I'll get into those later.

Here's the price section of the quote (I cropped out my name and address).

The referral discount came from mentioning, over the phone, that a friend who had used KA referred me. The official site also mentions a referral discount, so it's worth asking around.

Email estimate requests are accepted 24 hours a day, and the reply comes by email - easy even if you'd rather avoid phone calls.

KA doesn't do in-home estimates. No salesperson ever came to my place - everything was settled by email and phone.

Here's the actual timeline.

Three days from first contact to booking. The phone was really only needed for booking; almost everything else happened over email.

When I saw the first email, I got excited: "I can move for just over 10,000 yen!?"

Turns out, that number was calculated automatically assuming zero items.

The formal estimate email explained that because no items had been registered, the automatic quote had been priced for a light truck with one mover. Moving a drum-type washing machine requires a standard 2-ton truck (1.5t long) and two movers, which brought it up to 22,100 yen before tax.

It seems KA always sends at least two movers when there's a drum-type washer. Given how heavy those machines are, I assume it's for safety - so rather than a price hike, it actually left a good impression.

That 22,100 yen already included the 5,000-yen time slot. Subtract the 2,000-yen referral discount and you get the final 20,100 yen before tax.

That first email figure is basically "the price of moving nothing." If you're comparing KA with other movers, compare formal quotes with formal quotes. On the flip side, once the formal quote came in, the price didn't change at all through moving day.

KA's email sender name includes the tagline "the industry's cheapest move for 7,500 yen." Checking the official site, that's the "Bakuyasu 75 Pack": 7,500 yen (8,250 yen with tax).

It's meant for a load of roughly 20 cardboard boxes or fewer, and you can only book it by phone.

I had 20 boxes plus a drum-type washer, so I ended up on the 2-ton truck plan instead.

Think of the 7,500-yen plan as being for very light moves with almost no furniture or appliances.

Near the bottom of the estimate email was a price list for five days before and after my preferred date. This part was fascinating.

The cheapest day, Thursday 4/23, and the priciest, Saturdays, are 6,800 yen apart.

Same items, same truck, same distance. If you can only move on weekends, keep that gap in mind.

I took a weekday off, so I dodged the expensive days. Looking back, moving one day later to Thursday would have saved another 1,100 yen 😅

The other thing that moves the price is the time slot, which can cost up to 5,000 yen.

There are five start windows, from slot 1 (around 8:00) to slot 5 (after 17:00). If you don't choose, the mover tells you your slot two days before. Choosing one costs this much (before tax):

• Pin down one slot: 5,000 yen
• Let them pick one of two slots: 3,000 yen
• Let them pick one of three slots: 2,000 yen
• Rule out one slot and leave the rest to them: 1,000 yen

I wanted to be done by the afternoon, so I paid 5,000 yen for slot 2 (start between 10:00 and 12:00).

In hindsight, "slot 1 or slot 2" would have cost only 3,000 yen. Either was fine as long as it was the morning, so that one's a clear miss on my part..

If you're flexible on timing, go with no slot or one of the cheaper "leave it to them" options.

Now for the day itself.

Two movers showed up within the promised 10:00-12:00 window. Carrying everything out and in took about two to three hours, and they were careful and polite from start to finish.

The biggest help was the drum-type washing machine.

My machine's drain outlet was on the side, and at the new spot the drain wouldn't fit as-is.

I was thinking, "Great, now I need to call a separate contractor.." - but one of the movers pulled out their tools and reworked it on the spot so it drains from underneath.

No extra charge, either.

The estimate said a simple washing machine hookup that needs no extra parts was included in the base fee, but I didn't expect them to adapt that flexibly to the space.

As the contract stated, I paid in cash once loading was finished.

Before booking, I also read through KA Hikkoshi Center's reviews on SUUMO, a major Japanese moving-quote site. As of October 2026, it scores 4.44 overall from 54 reviews.

Skimming them, these themes came up most. Here's how they held up for me.

On price and careful work, the reviews matched my experience. The lower score for services makes sense for a mover that cuts extras to keep prices down.

I was happy overall, but it won't suit everyone, so here are the catches.

First, it's cash only.

No cards or e-money. The pre-move email even reminds you to have the exact amount ready. Not for anyone hoping to pay by card for the points.

Second, cardboard boxes cost money.

There are no free boxes. If you buy them, the prices were (before tax):

• L size (120 size): 220 yen per box
• M size (100 size): 180 yen per box
• Minimum 10 boxes, in units of 5
• Shipping: 1,700 yen for 10, 2,100 yen for 15, 2,500 yen for 20

Buying 10 L boxes comes to 3,900 yen before tax, shipping included. No returns or refunds once shipped.

I didn't buy any and prepared my own 20 boxes, so this cost me nothing.

Third, they only move what's on your list.

I chose the "item list only" plan, and the quote clearly said only listed items would be moved.

You can't add items on the day, which can mean extra fees or items that don't fit on the truck. Make your list complete.

There's also an all-you-can-load pack (from 3,000 yen extra) if you don't want to list items, but drum-type washers and fridges with three or more doors need to be discussed separately.

Fourth, the cancellation and rescheduling rules.

After booking, cancelling two days before costs 20% of the fee, the day before 30%, and on the day 50%. Rescheduling from two days before counts as a cancellation, and you can reschedule only once.

One small thing: before I booked, I got the same quote reminder email once each on 3/28 and 3/29. There was no barrage of phone calls, but the email frequency is on the higher side.

I also checked moving prices on Kurashi no Market, a Japanese marketplace for home services.

From the prices I saw on the site at the time, Kurashi no Market came out about 3,000 yen cheaper for a similar load.

I still went with KA for two reasons:

• Coverage: insurance is included in the base fee, with coverage up to 3 million yen
• Crew: with a drum-type washer involved, two movers come to do the job

The job involved carrying a drum-type washing machine out of a building with no elevator and setting it up at the new place. For a 3,000-yen difference, I decided the coverage and two-person crew were worth it.

Since they ended up handling the washer drain too, I think that was the right call.

By the way, I did use Kurashi no Market for assembling a kitchen cupboard. That story, plus what the whole move cost, is in my post on things worth buying and services worth hiring for a move.

It's a great fit if you're making a short move with a light load and can do it on a weekday. It also suits anyone who wants to decide quickly without an in-home estimate. If you know a past KA customer, the referral discount might bring the price down further.

On the other hand, it's not for people who want to pay by card for the points or who want free cardboard boxes. If you can't predict your load until the day, the item-list-only plan could be a problem too.

I haven't tried a long-distance or large move with them, so I can't say much there. For a short move with a light load, it's a mover I'd happily use again.

Here's what I learned from actually using KA Hikkoshi Center.

• I paid 22,110 yen including tax: base fee 17,100 yen + time slot 5,000 yen - referral discount 2,000 yen
• The first email estimate is a zero-item number. Compare formal quotes instead
• Under the same conditions, the date can change the price by up to 6,800 yen and the time slot by up to 5,000 yen
• Cash only, and cardboard boxes cost extra
• Careful work, and they reworked my washer's drain outlet on the spot (no extra charge)

It was a move I was happy with not just for the price but for how they handled the day.

If you're torn between movers, I hope this gives you something to go on before you request quotes!

Thanks for reading all the way to the end!

I tweet whatever's on my mind, so feel free to follow me! 🥺

If KA caught your interest, start by requesting an email estimate with your item list. In my case, the reply also included prices for the days around my preferred date, which helped me pick the day.