It’s a bad time to run out of toilet paper and tissues. March is a month of big life changes in Japan such as 入学 (nyūgaku, entering university), 入社 (nyūsha, entering a company) and 転勤 (tenkin, company transfers), and those will often require your moving to a new apartment. A 空っぽな (karappona, empty) toilet paper dispenser is the last thing you’ll need.

The recent shortage in household paper products also poses a problem in that they are traditionally 粗品 (soshina, small gifts) that you give your neighbors when you move into a new place. 粗品 can be tissues, sweets or even soba noodles. Given the times we’re in, small towels may be the most appreciated — thanks to the 新型コロナウイルス (shingata koronauirusu, novel coronavirus), it seems you can never wash your hands too many times in one day.

Pandemic aside, there are a lot of other things to worry about when moving. You have to: 引っ越し業者を呼ぶ (hikkoshi gyōsha o yobu, call a moving company), 荷物を詰める (nimotsu o tsumeru, pack all your things in boxes), いらない物は捨てる (iranai mono wa suteru, toss out things you don’t need) and then start the process of 荷ほどき (nihodoki, unpacking everything) when you get to the new place.