One of the most frustrating parts of moving into an apartment in Japan can be getting the right refrigerator.
Sometimes, they’re too small, and other times, they cost too much. Many times, when you buy a refrigerator in Japan, you might deal with these two issues.
These issues are especially frustrating because, in Japan, it gets hot in the summer, and so, having your drinks cold at all times is necessary to get the best out of life in the land of the rising sun.
Also, if you have kids or spend time cooking for yourself or family, getting a fridge that cools just right, and offers advanced family tailored features such as leftover vacuums and timers can make all the difference to your experience.
One of the joys of spending time in this country is visiting its cold food markets and buying exotic, new ingredients for food experiments with your family and friends.
Although buying the right fridge will do wonders for your in-kitchen experience and make your ingredients fresher, it can also be useful for your social relationships and work rapport if your beer’s always chilled and your home welcoming.
Buying the right refrigerator in Japan is much more than keeping fresh foods from getting stale, it’s about a lifestyle, and a manner of living which is consistent with 21′ st century standards, enjoyable and full of life.
The section below offers a well-curated list of some of the best refrigerators in Japan. Read further to check them out.
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5 Best Refrigerators in Japan: A Quick Look
Maxzen 2-Door Refrigerator JR138ML01GM
Weight:34 kg Capacity: 138 Liters Power Consumption: 246 kw per year Noise: 27 dB
Hisense HR-D15CB Refrigerator
Capacity: 150 Liters Power consumption: 300 kw per year Noise 23 dB
Iris Ohyama IRSE-16A-B Refrigerator
Capacity: 162 Liters Power consumption: 300 kw per year Noise: 28 dB
Sharp SJ-W352F-S Refrigerator
Capacity: 350 Liters Power consumption: 420 kw per year Noise: 23 dB
Iris Ohyama IRSD-14A-B Refrigerator
Material: Steel plate, copper, glass Capacity: 150 Liters Power consumption: 300 kw per year
5 Best Refrigerators in Japan: More Details
Maxzen 2-Door Refrigerator JR138ML01GM
This refrigerator is yet another exquisitely designed unit from the Maxzen.
Great for communal use
If you live in a dormitory or a shared living space, then this is just the right unit for you. Although it’s pretty well priced, it’s designed with a communal philosophy.
With the Maxzen refrigerator, you get both fridges and freezer compartments that have ample space, and door pockets that can hold your 2L juice or Soda bottles.
Noiseless design
Also, with this fridge, you get absolutely no noise as sound tests rate it at about 27dB, which is so quiet, you can place it just about anywhere in your apartment.
In addition to this, with the Maxzen refrigerator, you get a lot of cooling range that you can increase or reduce in 8 different stages of refrigeration depending on your use case.
Adaptive design
Having this feature means that you can stuff your baked goods in your fridge at a specific temperature and freeze your chicken with the same seamless ease the next day.
Unlike most models on the market, the Maxzen refrigerator is also adapted to your physique. It adapts intelligently to you as it comes complete with chests that you can move up and down within a range depending on your use and what feels most comfortable to you.
Heat resistant top plate
Also, another key feature of this fridge is its heat resistant top plate, which you can use to make your space more efficient by placing a microwave, toaster, or even a small oven atop.
If you’re looking for adaptability, convenience, and reliability in a fridge, then the Maxzen is the one for you.
Hisense HR-D15CB Refrigerator
The Hisense 2-door refrigerator is what you want to buy if you’re looking to add a nice splash of class to your home. With the Hisense fridge, you get double slides that allow you to store ice cream and other foods in full view.
Neat stack design and automatic defrost function
This feature ensures that you never run out of groceries as you’re always aware of how much food you have. Also, the Hisense double slides ensure that all when you stock your fridge, it’s always neatly stacked in a way that’s convenient and accessible at all times.
This feature is particularly useful when you have visitors over as they can get some of the foods themselves and save you any extra hassle in the process.
It is fitted with an automatic defrost function so that you don’t have to worry about the hassles of defrosting. This feature ensures that you can switch between moments of deep freezing and light cooling of food items with relative ease.
Enhances the spatial outlook of your home
Like the Maxzen fridge, this refrigerator also comes with a heat resistant top plate, which enhances the spatial ambience of your kitchen and enhances the aesthetics in one move.
Also, with the Hisense fridge, you get a lite alarm system that notifies you if you’ve left the door open. If you live with your family and have kids, this feature is a must-have.
If what you’re looking for is the perfect combination of beauty and efficiency, you should buy this product while you still can.
Iris Ohyama Refrigerator
If you’re on the market for a refrigerator that’s perfect for heavy-freezing activity, the Iris Ohyama is a worthwhile consideration.
The Iris fridge was designed to express both beauty and sophistication in its look and feel. It’s also a functional machine.
Easy fit
With its 53.5 cm of depth, this unit can fit snugly into any part of your dining, kitchen, or room areas. Once the Iris Ohyama ships, you can be sure that it’ll fit beautifully into your home.
Also, the Iris Ohyama comes complete with a drawer-type freezer, and a large compartment that is suitable for long-term storage. This is because while it freezes quickly and efficiently, it does not frost in the same way.
Holds lots of food
In addition to this, it comes with a 62-liter freezer that can hold lots of food all at once. You also get a drawer system; with this, you can easily organize your food items by size in its drawers of different heights.
This refrigerator is fitted with a 3-tier door pocket that allows you to store small canned food items easily. It also comes with several transparent casings for fresh food, and 28db of sound emission, which is perfect even when there’s a baby at home.
If you’re a bulk buyer and like to store food for long periods, the Iris Ohyama refrigerator comes with tailor-made features for your use case.
Sharp SJ-W352F-S Refrigerator
If you’re on the market for a refrigerator that’s designed for your health and wellbeing, then this fridge will interest you.
Eliminates foul odours
The Sharp comes complete with a nano low-temperature deodorizing catalyst, which purifies the air, eliminating foul odors and mold accumulation in the process.
With this fridge, you can be sure that your groceries maintain peak quality and freshness when you stock them in your fridge. This feature is particularly useful if you live with your family or have small children at home.
2 door feature for easy access
One of the newer versions by Sharp, this fridge comes with a two-door feature that opens on both the left and right sides. The two-door feature enhances ease of use as you can quickly put food inside from either the left or right.
It also comes with a low range design that makes it easy to reach and lift food from inside. In line with this ease-design philosophy, it also comes complete with super-bright interior LED lights that illuminate your food brightly in a natural hue.
Also, once it ships, you get several transparent cans and tubs for your vegetables, ice cream, and other food items. You also get an adjustable tray that can hold a bottle or two. If you’re on the market for the perfect health fridge, click the link above and make the purchase right now!
Iris Ohyama IRSD-14A-B Refrigerator
If you’re in the market for pure power in a sleek body, then this Iris Ohyama refrigerator was made specifically for you.
Easy fit design
At 40kg of net weight, this refrigerator comes in a surprisingly slim frame that’s perfect for one-room apartments and dormitories.
Also, at 142L of cold room capacity and well over 90L of freezer room, you get all the room you need. Inside the Iris refrigerator, there are beautifully designed movable glass shelves with which you can neatly arrange your food items.
Built for convenience
This fridge is also built for convenience and ease as it contains case and door pockets that make it easy to organize your food as you stock. The door pocket also comes with egg crates and 2L of bottle space for beer, or soda bottles.
Once it ships, you get a freezer that is designed with transparent drawers with steps and levels so that you’ve clear access to all your stored items.
Spacious for all your food store needs
This refrigerator is designed to meet all your food storage needs with its three month storage period as well as the cases, crates, and pockets that keep food items of various sizes.
Also, with the Iris Ohyama, you get specially fitted LED interior light and only 28db of sound emission. You also get a 6 phase temperature control knob that gives you complete control.
If you want a fridge that’ll deliver power and poise with equal veracity, the Iris Ohyama is a bargain.
Frequently Asked Questions
What Should I consider first when buying an air conditioner?
Measure your Fridge for where it will fit
As rudimentary, as this sounds, you should pay close attention to it. Once you get into the shop or log onto your computer, offers, prices, and warranties are likely to kick in.
On the worst of days, you might end up with a fridge that does not fit anywhere, and makes your kitchen look terrible.
Evaluate the space around your home for your fridge
To prevent this outcome, first, evaluate how much space you have to spare. Once you have the dimensions, you can search with these parameters.
Check the doors and pathways of entry
Also, make sure it fits into your doorways, and other paths you need to get through before you finalize your purchase. Remember to give some room so it can open and close without any friction.
Deviate Cautiously if the fridge is the deal of a lifetime
Finally, while this is a pretty iron-clad rule, there might be instances and circumstances where the quality relative to its price is fair enough so that you are willing to make adjustments to space in your apartment to accommodate it.
When you have to deal with these, you should consider the cost implications carefully so that things do not spiral out of control.
How much energy does it require for operation?
As energy costs continue to rise in Japan, demand for energy-efficient refrigerators has also increased to boot as people search for innovative solutions that offer an out to the often expensive cost of power in Japan.
For the most part, the best guide to your refrigerators energy efficiency might come from a label on its side that gives it a score. While this is a useful indicator in some cases, it can be deceptive in others.
One way to gauge your expectation might be to check online reviews, energy efficiency rating websites, and the like to get a glimpse into what professional testers think about the refrigerator you’re looking to buy.
Another approach is to look out for a retailer that offers a robust set of warranties that cover you if you have an unsatisfactory experience.
How much does a refrigerator cost on average?
If you’re looking to spend anywhere between ¥27,000 ($270), and ¥90,000 ($900) on a refrigerator, there’s a fridge here for you.
Thankfully, the products on this list range from core-cooling Japanese refrigerators to advanced machines that offer a wide range of functions and features for your convenience.
While you should consider factors such as longevity and fit when making a decision, generally speaking, manufacturers fit better materials into the expensive models and so if your priority is quality and nothing else, searching by price is a useful indicator of quality.
Whatever you do, be sure to factor in specifics of your routine into your decision as they’re likely to impact your experience throughout active use.
Conclusion
If you’re looking to live in Japan, a high-quality Japanese refrigerator is a must.
They’re great when it’s hot, which is most of the summer in Japan, and they keep your food fresh all day long. Getting a great fridge is made even more pertinent if you have a family or live with friends as the right fridge will galvanize your relationships the right way.
If you spend a lot of time in the kitchen, you should look out for a quality fridge as well. While you might be great at cooking, having fresh ingredients, and a Japanese refrigerator that provides after-meal options for storage enhances your expression of culinary artistry and prevents waste.
The sections above are a useful guide to buying the best possible refrigerator in Japan, and if you spend some time reading, you’ll be better for it.
Whatever you do, take some time to research the refrigerator you’re looking to buy as design and engineering nuances between the models can affect your experience over the long run.
Best air conditioners in Japan: If you’re going to be in Japan for the summer, you should know that an air conditioner is necessity to survive the sweltering heat. Click this link to find the best air conditioners.