This is exactly the kind of small, everyday decision where "just feel it out" quietly costs you money. Mio doesn't care about vibes — here's the math.
A coin laundry (coin randorī) load is typically a wash (¥300–500) plus a dryer (¥100 per ~10 min, so ¥200–400) — call it ¥500–800 per load, illustrative. A basic single-tub washing machine is often ¥20,000–35,000 new (cheaper secondhand at a recycle shop), and you dry on a rack for free.
| Assumption | Value |
|---|---|
| Coin laundry per load | ¥700 |
| Loads per week | 1 |
| Cheap washing machine (new) | ¥25,000 |
| Break-even | ¥25,000 ÷ ¥700 ≈ 36 loads ≈ ~8–9 months |
So if you'll be in Japan less than about 8 months, the coin laundry likely wins. Longer than a year, buying wins — and by year two you've saved roughly ¥25,000–35,000 vs the coin laundry.
In Japan you can't just leave an appliance at the curb. Washing machines fall under recycling rules, and you typically pay a collection/recycling fee to dispose of one (varies by municipality and retailer; often a few thousand yen). If you buy and then leave Japan a few months later, that fee eats into the saving.
Smart middle path: buy secondhand from a recycle shop (¥8,000–15,000), and sell/give it away before you leave (Mercari, Sayonara Sales, or the shop's buyback) — that collapses both the purchase cost and the disposal cost.
Staying under ~8 months → coin laundry. Staying a year or more → buy (ideally secondhand and resell before leaving). The "right" answer isn't about convenience — it's about how long your meter is running.