House Cleaning Services in Japan [2024 Guide]

After a long day at work, who doesn’t love coming home to a tidy and clean apartment?

If you’re working from home, all the better! Having a pristine environment can not only help you focus better, but it can also improve your mood and make working much more enjoyable.

Besides, you don’t want to worry about the dirty windows, the dishes waiting for you in the sink, or the old ball of dust that’s been tumbling around your house like a tumbleweed on dry plains when you already have so much on your proverbial plate.

So, why not consider a house cleaning service? 

In this post, I’ll introduce some of the best house cleaning services in Japan and talk about the range of services they offer. I’ll also talk about whether house cleaning services are common in Japan and what it’ll cost you on average. 

Let’s dive right in.

Reasons to Consider a House Cleaning Service

Cleaning your house is one of those chores that can easily become overwhelming, especially if you’re prone to procrastinating or can’t find the time and energy to get things sorted. Eventually, all that clutter and dust can easily snowball into a giant final boss of a mess that you don’t have the courage to face.

Still, we often forget the fact that we can, in fact, hire help. In today’s world, hiring help for housework is pretty common, and as a working individual, you can easily find services that are quite affordable.

Hiring help doesn’t have to be an absolute last resort, either, as there’s nothing wrong with not wanting to do housework even if you do have the time. You might want to have more spare time for your hobbies, personal projects, or just for having fun, and that’s perfectly fine as well.

At the end of the day, despite what the past generations have taught us, housework isn’t supposed to be a noble act that you should take pride in doing — it’s just maintenance that needs to be done by someone, and that someone doesn’t necessarily have to be you if you have the resources to spare.

Of course, getting a house cleaning service isn’t just about your personal well-being but your family’s well-being as well. Not only will you get to spend more time with your family as you’ll have more free time on your hands, but you’ll also provide your family with a clean, safe environment to live in.

While they’re not visible to the naked eye, pathogens like bacteria, mold, and fungi can cause a variety of health issues, and getting a regular house cleaning service can give you peace of mind by eliminating such microorganisms.

With all this in mind, let’s now see how common hiring house cleaning services are in Japan.

Is Hiring a House Cleaning Service Common in Japan?

While there are countless other reasons why hiring someone else to do your housework for you is the best idea if you can afford it, you may be surprised to hear that hiring house cleaning services isn’t that common in most traditional Japanese households.

For one, in Japanese culture, house chores like cleaning and organizing are important tasks that need to be done properly. 

Cleaning should be done as thoroughly as possible, and following this logic, having someone else do your cleaning is a “risk.” Another person who doesn’t live there doesn’t really benefit from the cleanliness of your apartment at all, so they might not do as thorough of a job as you, or at least that’s the common logic.

Another reason why hiring help for house cleaning isn’t popular among Japanese people is that they respect and value their privacy deeply. Having a stranger at the house regularly is simply seen as a violation of privacy by many.

Of course, societal pressures don’t help, either. There are lots of Japanese women out there who are embarrassed to hire help with housework because other people might think that they’re lazy. You can imagine how such traits are frowned upon in a culture that values hard work deeply.

To fully hammer the point home, just take a look at the streets in Japan. Most first-time visitors in Japan are instantly impressed with the country’s cleanliness. This is because keeping your environment clean and orderly is also very important to Japanese people.

You can look at it as an extension of the highly regarded concept of respect in Japan, as Japanese people value keeping their environment clean not just for themselves but for others as well as a form of being considerate.

All of this isn’t to say that house cleaning services aren’t common in Japan, however. There are younger, less traditional Japanese people who do hire cleaning services, and it’s especially popular among foreigners living in Japan. 

In fact, the abundance of great cleaning companies in Japan is telling of the rising demand. Let’s now take a look at some of these companies.

The Best Housekeeping Services in Japan

Even if you know exactly what type of services you’re looking for, it can be hard to find a reliable provider, especially for a foreigner living in Japan. 

So, I researched and compiled a list of good potential options for you. You’ll find some of the most important info about each service provider, such as the average price per hour, the areas/prefectures covered, and whether the cleaning service has a trial program or not. 

Let’s take a look.

Pinay Housekeeping Service

Pinay Housekeeping offers a wide range of services, including cleaning, laundry, and child care. The company even offers services to run errands on your behalf, such as picking up deliveries and having your clothes dry-cleaned.

The company has a predominantly Filipino staff, but they are trained in Japan as well. As a foreigner, you’ll be glad to know that all staff members speak both English and Japanese fluently.

The shortest service you can get from Pinay Housekeeping is three hours, and their minimum hourly rate with taxes included is 4,070 JPY. The company operates in the Tokyo area and provides services to the entirety of the Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefecture region.

Pinay Housekeeping offers services both on a regular basis or as a one-off deal, so you don’t have to commit to a long-term solution, be it babysitting or cleaning, if you don’t want to.

In addition to the regular services, the company also offers a trial plan to those who are hesitant. You can try a fixed two-hour cleaning service for just 5,000 JPY, which includes taxes and transportation costs, and consult the provider before purchasing any other services or plans.

Sunny Maid Service

Another company with an all-Filipino staff, Sunny Maid Service, offers housekeeping services, and their employees also have official qualifications that are recognized by the government of the Philippines. 

The company offers one-time services in addition to regular services. If you choose a regular plan, they even clean your house when you’re away. What’s more, Sunny Maid Service offers a same-day service if you call before 2 PM, and your house will be spotless by dinner.

The best thing about Sunny Maid Service is that you can even call them for one hour if there’s not much of a mess to take care of, which is the minimum service time they offer. The company charges a minimum hourly rate of 9,900 JPY, including taxes and transportation.

Sunny Maid Service also offers other services like packing for moving, laundry, as well as gardening in addition to regular cleaning. The staff works in pairs, finishing the job rather quickly, after which an accompanying manager assures the quality of work done by the two housekeepers for the first visit.

The company also has a trial discount plan of one hour for 8,800 JPY, which includes two housekeepers. The price includes taxes and transportation costs as well.

Sunny Maid Service works almost all over Japan — the company operates in the Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, and Hyogo Prefectures, excluding the remote islands and mountain areas.

Kurashinity

Kurashinity is the housekeeping agency of the Japanese staffing agency Pasona. The company has a predominantly Filipino staff, and they offer a wide variety of services in addition to cleaning, such as running errands, watering plants, and doing laundry. They even offer services to greet your children when they arrive home from school.

Just like the other companies I featured so far, Kurashinity also offers an initial trial service that costs 5,500 JPY with the taxes and transportation fees included. The trial lasts two hours and includes one staff member and one manager to make sure the service is up to par.

The company values customer support deeply, as they have a charge-free customer support number you can call anytime to give specific instructions or share any concerns you may have regarding the service.

Kurashinity’s minimum service time is three hours, and they charge an hourly minimum of 4,290 JPY, which also includes taxes. You can choose a regular cleaning arrangement or just purchase a one-off — the staff is just as helpful either way. 

Kurashinity offers its services only in the Tokyo and Kanagawa Prefectures.

Taskaji

Taskaji is a bit different compared to the companies I featured so far since it’s actually a company that matches individuals with housekeeping service providers, as well as other professionals. As the company doesn’t oversee the whole process, it’s able to offer lower prices.

Due to it being a matching platform, Taskaji is also able to offer a much wider range of services other than housekeeping. For instance, you can even find a nutrition advisor to prepare meals for your family.

Taskaji’s cheapest hourly minimum rate is 1,500 JPY, including taxes, and the minimum service they provide lasts three hours. You can get regular house cleaning services in addition to cooking and laundry. You can even hire someone just to have your closets and cabinets organized if that’s all you need.

As Taskaji is a matching company, they don’t offer a trial plan. However, the rates are cheaper compared to other providers, and you don’t have to purchase regular cleaning, so it’s easier to give it a shot. If you’re not satisfied with the service, you can just as easily find a different professional.

Taskaji covers quite a large area in Japan. In fact, you can use the company's services if you’re living in the Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Shiga, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Fukuoka Prefectures, as well as the Tokyo Metropolitan area.

CaSy

CaSy has been in business since 2014, and the company is currently one of Japan’s most popular housekeeping services. They offer a wide range of services in addition to house cleaning, such as cooking and organizing.

Even though their website is in Japanese, you can use a translation tool to navigate the site and make a reservation whenever you want through the online booking system. The shortest service the company offers is two hours, but if you apply for a regular cleaning package, you can even call for a one-hour cleaning/organizing session.

While the prices will be updated as of October 1, 2023, the current minimum hourly rate at CaSy is 2,560 JPY, including taxes, but they also charge a separate fee of 700 JPY for transportation per visit. Starting from October 1st, this price will be updated to 2,790 JPY. You can check out all of the prices on the chart below:

Overall, CaSy has a very useful online interface as it’s an online first company unlike other services featured here. This means that there are no dedicated agents, buıt it’s also why they’re able to provide such a good service for such affordable prices.

CaSy covers quite a large area in Japan, as the company operates in the Miyagi, Saitama, Chiba, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Aichi, Osaka, Hyogo, and Kyoto prefectures.

Smile Plus

Smile Plus is a company that does offer housekeeping services, but their scope is so much wider than that — you can even find a personal trainer!

What’s more, the company also provides family consultation for managing private family matters, as well as childcare and elderly care services. If that wasn’t enough, there’s even pre- and postnatal support to help out new moms.

One potential downside of Smile Plus is that they don’t offer a trial plan. However, the company does offer one-time visits as well, which you can try out before subscribing to a plan.

If you want a regular service, you can choose between the premium and standard plans. The premium plan includes special tutoring for your child, cooking, and nursing care, while the standard plan covers basic services like laundry, shopping, and babysitting, in addition to cleaning.

Smile Plus charges a minimum hourly rate of 3,410 JPY, including taxes, and the shortest service service you can get lasts two hours. In addition to this price, keep in mind that you’ll also be charged a 1,100 JPY transportation fee per visit.

The services are available in the following prefectures: Hokkaido, Saitama, Tokyo, Kanagawa, Osaka, Hyogo, Kyoto, Aichi, Gifu, Mie, Shizuoka, and Okinawa.

Bears

Bears is a trustworthy housekeeping service that’s been in business for quite some time. Similar to some of the other companies featured here, the company also has a wide variety of services that include private tutoring and training services in addition to cleaning, cooking, and organizing.

In fact, the company also handles other tasks like moving, taking care of gardens/house plants, and dry-cleaning delivery. They even offer a service for preparing your house for a party. You can also hire them for simply airing out your apartment while you’re away.

Bears’ trial plan costs 9,900 JPY, including taxes, plus a transportation fee of 917 JPY. You can either choose a trial plan for cleaning, laundry, and organizing, or you can select a cooking trial package that only includes cooking services.

What’s great about Bears is that in addition to these trial plans, they also offer a free consultation service for first-time customers where you can meet with a consultant online, and they’ll create a plan that’s suitable for your needs.

Bears’ regular hourly rate is 3,630 JPY, including taxes, and the shortest service you can get lasts two hours. The company covers a large area in Japan, including the following prefectures: Hokkaido, Aichi, Ibaraki, Saitama, Chiba, Kanagawa, Kyoto, Osaka, Hyogo, Nara, and Fukuoka, as well as the Tokyo Metropolitan Area.

Cat Hand

Cat Hand might be the last company on this list, but it’s definitely far from the least. The service is provided by a staffing agency that’s been in business for 25 years, which makes them an expert in matching you with the best staff possible. 

The company provides great service for reasonable prices, and they offer a wide range of services. They offer regular cleaning services, as well as gardening, cooking, and shopping. You can also have your shoes cleaned and have your deliveries picked up.

What’s best about Cat Hand, though, is that the company takes a personal approach and creates a service plan that fits your needs. 

The company offers a trial plan as well, and it costs 5,478 JPY for 2.5 hours. This price does include taxes but doesn’t include the transportation fee, which is an additional 900 JPY.

The minimum hourly rate at Cat Hand is 3,278 JPY, including taxes, and once again, a separate fee of 900 JPY is charged per visit as transportation cost.

Cat Hand’s services are available in the Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures.

Conclusion: In Japan, House Cleaning Services Are Something Else

As you see, there are many great house-cleaning services in Japan that offer a good bang for your buck, and these are just a few that I was able to feature in this post today.

Most companies I covered here offer additional services like cooking and shopping, in addition to cleaning. Some even offer to help you pack for moving, which I did cover in a separate if you’re moving in Japan. 

The main point is that all of this is much more affordable than you’d think, especially if you buy a package that includes multiple services in a bundle. 

Besides, if you were ever worried that using housekeeping services in Japan is frowned upon or that it isn’t common, you can relax knowing that it’s something most expats in Japan use nowadays. In fact, it’s even becoming more and more common among younger Japanese people, despite their upbringing that’s somewhat against the idea.

If you’re living in a big city like Tokyo, maid services can truly be a huge time saver and help you make some much-needed spare time for yourself. As I talked about in another post, work-life balance is an important concept that’s gaining popularity in Japan, and assigning a few of your responsibilities to someone else can help you achieve this balance much more easily.

So, why not consider one of the services I introduced in this post, and try it out for yourself? Most companies have a trial package, and some even provide free consultations.