Trades and home services
Work at the customer’s address, where the diary has to respect travel between jobs. Below is how 22 of them actually set up online booking — the session length, the gap between clients, whether to take payment up front, and the one thing that trips each trade up in Japan.
House cleaners#
Two or three jobs a day at addresses across a city, with the travel between them costing as much time as a short job itself.
| Duration | 2 hours for a regular clean, 4 for a deep clean |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 60 minutes after, for travel |
| Bookable up to | 90 days, so a fortnightly slot can be booked ahead |
| Max bookings per day | Three jobs a day with travel |
| Location | In person, at the customer’s address |
| Payment | Paid online for one-offs, in person for regulars |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before — you cannot fill a Tuesday morning at short notice |
Worth asking on the booking form: Nearest station and address · Size of the home (1LDK, 2DK, 3LDK…) · Regular or one-off? · Do you have cleaning supplies?
Foreign residents search in English for cleaners because explaining an apartment layout on the phone in Japanese is the barrier. Ask for the nearest station and the floor plan size (1LDK, 3LDK) on the form — it is how everybody here describes a home, and it tells you how long the job takes.
Deep cleaning services#
A full day in one property, often at a move-out deadline that cannot slip.
| Duration | 6 hours |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 72 hours |
| Max bookings per day | One a day |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Deposit paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 72 hours before |
Air conditioner cleaning#
Ninety minutes per unit, and a household with three units is a half-day booking rather than three appointments.
| Duration | 90 minutes for one unit, with a longer event type for three or more |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 48 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after, for travel |
| Bookable up to | 60 days |
| Max bookings per day | Three or four units a day |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: How many units and what type? · Wall-mounted or ceiling? · Nearest station
Demand collapses into May and June, just before everybody switches the air conditioning on. Raise your daily cap and open weekends with date overrides for those weeks, and expect a quiet winter.
Handyman services#
Small jobs of unpredictable length, which is why a fixed hourly slot works better than trying to estimate each one.
| Duration | 2 hours, sold as a block |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Max bookings per day | Three jobs a day |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: What needs doing? · Photos of the job · Nearest station
Electricians#
Scheduled work and emergencies in the same diary, needing two event types with completely different notice periods.
| Duration | 2 hours scheduled, 1 hour for a callout |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours scheduled, 1 hour for emergencies |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Plumbers#
Most of the work is urgent, so the useful setting is a very short minimum notice rather than a well-organised week.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 1 hour |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Worth asking on the booking form: What is the problem? · Is water still running? · Address and nearest station
Carpenters#
A measuring visit, then a fitting day weeks later — two bookings for one job.
| Duration | 45 minutes to measure, a full day to fit |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 48 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Measuring free, work invoiced |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Painters and decorators#
A free quotation visit is the thing that needs booking; the work itself is scheduled by agreement afterwards.
| Duration | 30 minutes for a quote |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Quote free |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Locksmiths#
Half the work is somebody standing outside their own door right now, and half is planned lock changes.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 30 minutes for emergencies, 24 hours for planned work |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Pest control#
An initial treatment and a follow-up two weeks later, which should be booked at the same time.
| Duration | 90 minutes |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Bookable up to | 60 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Summer brings a wall of cockroach work in June and July. Plan the cap for it, and keep a separate, shorter event type for follow-up visits so they do not eat a full slot.
Gardeners and landscapers#
Seasonal and weather-dependent, with most customers on a quarterly cycle that should be booked a year at a time.
| Duration | Half day |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 48 hours |
| Bookable up to | 365 days |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before; weather cancellations rescheduled |
Movers and removal estimates#
The estimate visit is the sale, and it has to happen before the customer calls three competitors.
| Duration | 45 minutes for an estimate |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 12 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person, or video for a walkthrough |
| Payment | Estimate free |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Worth asking on the booking form: Current and new address · Size of the home · Preferred moving date · Any large or awkward items?
March is the entire moving season in Japan and the diary will not cope with normal settings. Raise the cap, open weekends with date overrides, and offer a video estimate event type to fit more in.
Furniture assembly#
Short jobs where knowing what is in the box decides whether it is one hour or four.
| Duration | 2 hours |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: What needs assembling, and how many items? · Brand and model, if you know it
Appliance repair#
The part is ordered after the first visit, so a second appointment is the norm rather than the exception.
| Duration | 60 minutes |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 12 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: Appliance type, make and model · What is it doing wrong? · How old is it?
Computer repair#
A drop-off appointment, a diagnosis, and a collection — three touch points, of which two need a slot.
| Duration | 20 minutes for drop-off and collection |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 2 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Phone repair#
Walk-in length work, but booking it means the part is in stock when the customer arrives.
| Duration | 45 minutes |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 1 hour |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Worth asking on the booking form: Device model · What needs fixing?
Bicycle servicing#
Drop-off in the morning and collection in the evening, with spring being three months of everybody at once.
| Duration | 15 minutes for drop-off |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 2 hours |
| Max bookings per day | By what the workshop can finish that day |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Car mechanics#
The car is with you all day, so the booking is really a drop-off slot and a bay for the day.
| Duration | 30 minutes for drop-off |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Max bookings per day | One per bay per day |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Shaken (車検) inspection bookings#
Every car has a legal deadline, so the booking is driven by a date the customer cannot move.
| Duration | 30 minutes for drop-off |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 48 hours |
| Bookable up to | 90 days, because owners book as the expiry approaches |
| Max bookings per day | By inspection capacity |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Worth asking on the booking form: Expiry date on the current certificate · Make, model and year · Any known faults?
Foreign residents often do not know what 車検 involves, what it costs or what to bring. A description listing the documents — 車検証, insurance certificate, tax receipt — turns a phone call into a booking.
Car detailing#
A half-day or full-day booking on one vehicle, where the size of the car changes the price and the time.
| Duration | Half day or full day by vehicle size |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 48 hours |
| Max bookings per day | Two a day |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Deposit paid online |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 48 hours before |
Motorcycle servicing#
Seasonal, with everybody arriving in the same two weeks of spring.
| Duration | 30 minutes for drop-off |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 24 hours |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Not applicable |
Junk and 粗大ごみ removal#
A collection window rather than a precise time, usually tied to a move-out date.
| Duration | 2 hours as a window |
|---|---|
| Minimum notice | 48 hours |
| Buffer | 45 minutes after |
| Location | In person |
| Payment | Paid in person |
| Cancellation policy | Full refund 24 hours before |
Worth asking on the booking form: What needs taking, and roughly how much? · Which floor, and is there a lift? · Move-out date, if there is one
Municipal 粗大ごみ collection needs a ticket bought in advance and works to the ward’s own schedule, which is exactly why people pay a private company instead. Say that you handle the paperwork — it is the reason they are booking.
Set this up in about ten minutes
Business Box is free for as long as you like, with no card required — booking pages, Google and Outlook calendar sync, availability, Japanese public holidays and the website widget. Taking card payment for bookings is ¥1,200 a month, tax included, with no commission on what you sell.
Last reviewed 28 September 2026.