In Japan, repairing a phone or a PC often costs more than buying a new one. After five years here, I explain the Japanese repair culture: warranties for everything, payment by instalments, whole parts replaced instead of a cheap fuse, and why I keep a repair kit at home.
In five years in Japan, I noticed something strange. When a phone, a PC or any electronic device breaks, repairing it often costs more than buying a new one. A new screen, a new board, a "repair fee": you add everything, and the shop tells you that honestly, a new model is a better deal.
At first I didn't understand why. In Algeria, if something breaks, you take it to the repair man in the neighbourhood, he opens it, finds the problem, and you pay a small price. Then I started working with Japanese people, and I discovered the real reason: Japanese people don't repair things. They buy new ones. And the whole system is built around that.
In Japan, when you buy a phone, the shop offers you a protection plan or extended warranty with it. For example, two years of cover for a phone can cost around 30,000 yen. Cameras, laptops, game consoles, washing machines: there is a plan for almost everything.
And most Japanese people take it. Why?
So when a Japanese person has a problem with their phone, they don't ask "can you repair it?". They ask "is it covered by the warranty?"
And a warranty claim usually means changing the whole device, or a whole expensive part: the full screen unit, the full motherboard. Not fixing the small thing that actually broke. A problem that could be a 10-dollar fuse becomes a big replacement, because that is how the system works.
This is the part that surprised me most. Many repair services here don't really try to find the exact problem. If a phone doesn't charge, the technician doesn't test the small fuse or the charging port that caused it. He changes the whole motherboard.
It is faster for him, it is "safe", and it makes more money. And for the customer, the bill is so high that the conclusion is always the same: "buying a new one is the better choice." Over time, this teaches Japanese people that repairing is never worth it.
In America, many people have a DIY (do it yourself) culture: a garage, a toolbox, YouTube, and they fix it. In Japan, most people don't do that. Opening a device yourself feels risky, a little wrong, something for professionals only.
So sometimes the "broken" phone only needs the charging port brushed clean, or simply a full charge. But the owner goes straight to the store, worried, thinking it is a big problem, and starts a warranty claim for something that would take two minutes at home.
As a foreigner, and especially coming from Algerian culture, this way of thinking doesn't match mine.
I don't believe in paying insurance for a future breakage that may never happen. It doesn't match my culture, and it doesn't match my religion either. I am not even sure that I will still be alive before the phone or the camera breaks. Why pay today for that?
And if something needs repair, I believe a repair should not cost that much. A fuse is a fuse. A port is a port. But in Japan it is totally different, so I decided to do things my way.
I fix my own devices. I bought a precision screwdriver set, and I buy spare parts on Amazon Japan: batteries, screens, charging ports, fans, cables.
And here is the surprise: in Japan, parts and tools are cheap. Because most Japanese people don't use them, there is little demand, and the prices stay low. A battery or a charging port often costs a small part of what a shop would charge you for the same repair.
It is better to have a repair kit at home, especially if you know how to use it. But even if you don't, today you are not alone:
Before, fixing your own phone needed years of experience. Now it needs a cheap kit, patience, and a good video.
Fixing things yourself is great, but be careful:
Living in Japan doesn't mean you have to copy every Japanese habit. Understand why people do things here, then keep what makes sense for you. For me, that means no insurance plans, a screwdriver set in my drawer, and a few videos before I spend money on a new phone.
If you are preparing to come to Japan, 7-MD's study abroad support helps you understand these small daily things before you arrive. To see what the first weeks look like, read my first month in Japan. And if you are curious about other Japanese habits, read why Japanese people say chotto instead of no.
Go further
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