Most furnished apartments and share houses rented for six months or less in Japan don’t come with central heating. If your lease started in autumn and you’re staring down a Tokyo or Nagano winter with nothing but a weak AC unit on “heat” mode, you’re not alone — and buying secondhand is almost always the smarter move over a short stay. A used kotatsu or space heater costs a fraction of new, resells easily when you leave, and is sitting in recycle shops all over the country right now. But secondhand heating equipment carries real risks that a secondhand teapot doesn’t: old wiring, missing safety parts, and sometimes outright illegal use in your building. Here’s what to actually check.
Kotatsu, electric heater, or kerosene heater — pick based on your lease, not your budget
A kotatsu (a low table with a built-in electric heater and a thick quilt skirting that traps warm air around your legs) is the cheapest and safest option for a short-term renter: low wattage, no open flame, and genuinely effective if you’re mostly sitting at it anyway. A ceramic fan heater or oil-filled radiator heats a whole room faster but draws more power and needs clearance from curtains and bedding. Kerosene fan heaters (the kind common in Tohoku and Hokkaido houses) heat large, drafty rooms efficiently and cheaply, but many apartment leases explicitly ban them for fire safety, and you’ll need a way to buy and store kerosene. Check your lease (or ask your agent) before you even start shopping for one — it’s a common mistake to buy a secondhand kerosene heater and then discover it’s prohibited in your building.
The PSE mark is the one thing you must check
Japan’s Electrical Appliance and Material Safety Law requires electrical products sold in Japan to carry a PSE mark — a circular or diamond-shaped sticker near the power cord or rating plate. Reputable secondhand chains (Hard Off, Off House, 2nd Street, Treasure Factory, Komehyo) test electrical items and will not legally resell a heater without it, which is exactly why buying from an actual shop floor is safer than buying blind online. If you’re looking at a heater through Jimoty, Mercari, or a “sayonara sale” post from someone leaving Japan, there’s no such guarantee — ask to see the PSE mark in photos, and if the cord looks cracked, melted, or re-taped anywhere, walk away regardless of price. Space heaters run continuously for hours at high wattage; a degraded cord is a fire risk, not a cosmetic flaw.
What to physically check before you pay
- Cord and plug — no cracking, discoloration, or heat damage near the plug prongs.
- Thermostat and auto-shutoff — kotatsu heater units should have an intact thermal clip/sensor; if it’s been removed or looks rigged, skip it.
- Dust inside the heating element — a quick look through the grille tells you how well it was maintained; heavy dust buildup is a fire hazard in fan and ceramic heaters.
- The kotatsu futon (quilt) separately — most people buy the table and heater unit secondhand but a new futon, since the quilt absorbs years of use, smell, and the occasional stain that a wipe-down can’t fix. New kotatsu futons run roughly ¥2,500–5,000 at Nitori or Don Quijote.
- Your outlet and breaker capacity — many older apartments and share houses are on low-amperage contracts (20–30A total). Running a 1,200W heater alongside a kettle and microwave on the same circuit is the most common way renters trip a breaker in winter.
Where to actually buy one
Recycle shop chains are your best bet if you’re furnishing an apartment for winter right now (October–December), since they stock year-round and test electrical goods before resale. Hard Off / Off House and 2nd Street have branches near most suburban train stations across Japan, typically open 10:00 or 11:00 to 20:00, and large stores regularly have multiple kotatsu units and 10–20 secondhand heaters in stock each winter. Treasure Factory and Komehyo skew slightly more toward furniture and larger appliances. If you don’t need it immediately, Jimoty (a local classifieds app, mostly pickup-only — you’ll need to arrange your own transport or a cheap van rental) and “sayonara sale” postings are excellent, but they cluster around March and September, when students and transferees leave Japan en masse — not ideal if you need a heater in November. For general secondhand-shopping habits in Japan, the same caution about checking goods in person before buying applies whether you’re hunting for secondhand tableware in Tokyo’s backstreets or a heater.
Budget, mid-range, and splurge picks
Budget (¥1,500–3,000): A basic secondhand ceramic fan heater or a compact folding mini-kotatsu. Fine for a single small room, but check the thermostat carefully at this price point — it’s often the first part to fail.
Mid-range (¥4,000–8,000): A full-size secondhand kotatsu table with a working heater unit, or an oil-filled radiator, which heats more evenly and safely for overnight use than a fan heater. This is the sweet spot for most short-term renters.
Splurge (¥10,000+): A near-new kotatsu set with a timer-equipped heater and a good-quality futon, or a reputable-brand (Panasonic, Toshiba, Yamazen) secondhand FF kerosene heater if your lease and local gas/kerosene delivery setup allow it. At this price, consider whether buying new from Nitori or Don Quijote actually costs the same once you factor in the hunting time.
Plan your exit before you even plug it in
The biggest mistake short-term renters make isn’t at purchase — it’s at move-out. Disposing of a kotatsu table or large heater as oversized garbage (sodai gomi) usually requires booking a collection slot one to two weeks in advance and buying a disposal sticker (roughly ¥400–1,000 depending on your municipality and item size). If your lease ends in a hurry, that lead time won’t work. Instead, list the item on Jimoty as a free or cheap pickup as soon as you know your departure date, or sell it back to the recycle shop you bought it from — most will buy back functioning kotatsu units and heaters, though expect well under half of what you paid. Either way, decide this before winter even starts, not during your last stressful week in the apartment.
Buying secondhand winter heating gear in Japan is low-risk once you know what to look for, and it’s one of the easiest ways to make a short-term apartment liveable without overspending. Check the PSE mark, check the breaker, buy a new futon, and you’ll likely stay warmer and spend less than you would renting a space heater through your landlord or agency.