Gas in Japan: City Gas vs. Propane and the Safety Inspection
To set up gas in Japan, you open a new contract for your address and book an in-person safety visit before the first burner lights.12 Without that visit, there is no hot water and no cooking flame, no matter how early you signed the lease.
Procedures, fees, and requirements can change. Confirm current details at your regional gas company site (Tokyo Gas, Osaka Gas, Toho Gas, or Saibu Gas).
Overview
Gas setup is the one utility that cannot be finished remotely. Electricity and water contracts can often start without anyone visiting, but gas activation requires a technician inside your home to test the connections and open the meter.123
This guide covers the two gas types you may inherit with your unit, which company to call, how to book the opening appointment, what happens during the safety visit, how to pay, and why your stove must match your gas type. It applies to new tenants signing a gas contract at a new address, for both city gas and LP gas units.
City gas vs propane: what changes for you
City gas and propane do the same jobs in your home, including cooking, heating water, and heating rooms. What differs is how the gas reaches you, how much it usually costs, and which company you call.4
The 都市ガス (toshi gasu, "city gas") arrives through underground pipes and is mainly methane from liquefied natural gas.4 The LPガス (eru-pii gasu, "liquefied petroleum gas") arrives in cylinders that a vendor delivers and swaps out, and it is propane and butane based.4 People also call it プロパンガス (puropan gasu, "propane gas").3
One physical difference matters for safety. LP gas is heavier than air, so a leak pools low instead of dispersing upward.4 Propane also carries roughly twice the heat per unit volume as city gas, though household appliances are rated per device, so the same appliance does not burn hotter on either gas.4
How to tell which gas your unit uses
You cannot choose the gas type. It is fixed by the building and the area, so confirm it before you sign anything or buy any appliance.43 Ask your real estate agent or landlord directly, and treat the lease paperwork as the backup, not the starting point.3
Appliance labels give a second check. Plates marked 12A or 13A mean city gas, while plates marked LPG mean propane.3 Osaka Gas supplies standard 13A city gas at 45 megajoules (about 10,750 kcal).2
Why propane usually costs more
Propane usually costs more per household because every cylinder needs a truck, labor, and logistics, while city gas flows through pipes once they are laid.4 The mechanism is structural; the exact gap moves with tariffs and vendors.
Published Tokyo comparisons put propane at about three times city gas at equal volume, with 10 cubic meters costing about ¥8,274 on propane against about ¥2,538 on city gas (as of 2024-11; confirm current figures with your gas company).5 Smaller and larger volumes show the same pattern in that comparison (as of 2024-11).5
Rate regulation also differs by structure. City gas rates sit inside supply provisions built on fair costs and efficient management, while LP gas pricing is set per dealer without the same prior ministerial rate approval.6
Which gas company to contact
Your address decides the company, and moving within the same company area still means opening a new contract for the new address.12 Check the new address on the company site before you call, since one provider page never covers the whole country.
| Region | Company to contact |
|---|---|
| Kanto (Tokyo and surroundings) | Tokyo Gas; confirm the address on its service-area page1 |
| Kansai (Osaka, Kyoto, Kobe area) | Osaka Gas, through its moving procedure page2 |
| Tokai (Aichi, Gifu, Mie area) | Toho Gas, which publishes English safety and emergency pages7 |
| Kyushu (Fukuoka, Kitakyushu, Kumamoto, Nagasaki area) | Saibu Gas, whose listed city gas areas include named cities in Fukuoka and Kitakyushu8 |
If your building uses LP gas
For an LP gas unit, the agent or landlord names the local vendor, since the big four city gas pages do not cover that contract.3 Osaka Gas, for example, routes propane opening and closing to its LP affiliate instead of handling it as city gas.2
Small-scale piped LP supply to buildings under 70 units is legally an LP gas business, not city gas, so the vendor relationship still applies there.4
Booking the opening appointment
Contact the gas company as soon as the move-in date is fixed. Tokyo Gas recommends requesting the start or stop about one week ahead, and earlier in busy periods such as March to April and around month start and end (as of 2026-09; confirm current lead times with your gas company).1
The flow from first contact to flame looks like this:
Same-day work is sometimes possible with Tokyo Gas. Requests made by 7:30 a.m. can be worked the same afternoon at the earliest, and requests made by 6 p.m. the next morning at the earliest (as of 2026-09).1 If the moving date is close, contact the company immediately, since the visit itself is what gates the start of service (as of 2026-09).3
The gas appointment is the longest lead item among the three utilities, so call the gas company first and fit electricity and water around it. One early call protects your first hot shower.
What to prepare before you call
Osaka Gas asks for the contractor or applicant name, the start address, a phone number, the desired start date, a visit time preference, whether gas appliances are present, and the payment method.2 Have the same set ready for any company.
| Item | What to have ready |
|---|---|
| Contract holder | Name of the person signing (a representative may attend if named in advance)1 |
| New address | Full address including building and room number2 |
| Timing | Move-in date plus a preferred visit window2 |
| Appliances | Whether a stove or water heater is already installed2 |
| Payment | Preferred method: bank debit, credit card, or bill slip92 |
Tokyo Gas takes requests online or by phone, though the linked application form itself is Japanese only.1 If someone attends the visit on your behalf, give the company their name and phone number in advance.1
The safety inspection visit
Gas cannot be used until the opening safety work is finished. That rule covers both city gas and LP gas, so there is no remote or self-service shortcut.3
What the technician does
At Tokyo Gas, the technician runs an ignition test and explains the safety rules.1 At Osaka Gas, the contracted worker enters the residence, runs a gas-leak inspection and ignition check, then opens the supply, with the stated work time at about 15 to 20 minutes (as of 2026-09; confirm current visit length with your gas company).2
Broader practitioner guides describe the same visit as a connection test, meter opening, appliance check, and safety briefing, commonly in a 10 to 40 minute range (as of 2026-09).3 Expect the shorter company-stated window in Kansai and a similar short visit elsewhere, with extra time if several appliances need checking.
Why you must be home
You or a representative must be present, because the worker has to come inside to test for leaks and confirm ignition.12 A missed appointment leaves the gas off until a new visit is completed.12
Tokyo Gas offers daily windows of 9:00 to 12:00, 13:00 to 15:00, and 15:00 to 17:00, plus 17:00 to 19:00 Monday through Saturday only (as of 2026-09).1 Keep appliances accessible and the stove connected so the test can run without a second visit.
| Window | Monday to Saturday | Sunday and holidays |
|---|---|---|
| 9:00 to 12:00 | Open | Open |
| 13:00 to 15:00 | Open | Open |
| 15:00 to 17:00 | Open | Open |
| 17:00 to 19:00 | Open | Closed |
The table reflects Tokyo Gas published windows (as of 2026-09; confirm current windows with your gas company).1
Paying for gas
Tokyo Gas offers credit card billing, bank direct debit, a smartphone barcode option paid in cash at convenience stores, and mailed paper bills.9 Osaka Gas lets movers who stay with Osaka Gas carry the same bank account or card over to the new address.2
Paper billing carries a service fee of ¥220 per month including tax, per account, with combined gas and electricity set-discount accounts receiving one combined bill (as of 2026-09; confirm current fees with your gas company).9 The remaining figures in this section use the short currency form.
| Method | Processing note | As of |
|---|---|---|
| Credit card (online) | 2 to 5 business days after receipt; wait about 3 days after service starts so the customer number registers9 | 2026-09 |
| Bank direct debit (online) | 2 to 5 business days after receipt9 | 2026-09 |
| Bank direct debit (paper form) | About 1 to 2 months before deductions start9 | 2026-09 |
| Paper bill | Mailed monthly; pay at a convenience store, bank, or payment app9 | 2026-09 |
The standard due date is 30 days after the day following the meter reading date, moving to the next business day when it lands on a holiday (as of 2026-09).9 Late payment interest runs at 0.0274 percent per day, waived on listed gas and electricity plans when payment arrives within 10 days after the day following the due date (as of 2026-09).9 Gas charges unpaid past 50 days from the day after the reading date can lead to shutoff after prior notice (as of 2026-09).9
Auto-pay and credit card options
Auto-pay here means 口座振替 (kouza furikae, "bank account auto-debit") or recurring credit card billing, and either one needs a separate application after the contract starts.9 Debit cards and prepaid cards are not accepted for Tokyo Gas credit card payment.9
The お客さま番号 (okyakusama bangou, "customer number") arrives with the contract paperwork and appears on bills and the member portal. Keep it somewhere searchable, since stop requests, payment changes, and move-out settlement all ask for it.1
Stoves and appliances: check compatibility first
A gas appliance must match the supplied gas type. A mismatch causes abnormal combustion and can produce carbon monoxide, whose early symptoms resemble a cold, including headache and nausea, with severe cases potentially fatal.10
Every appliance carries a label plate showing its compatible gas type, and movers must confirm it, especially when reusing a stove from a previous home.10 City gas and LP gas appliances are not interchangeable without type-specific design, so a move across gas types means replacing the appliance.3 Osaka Gas instructs customers to use only 13A-rated appliances and to check the manual or rating plate for gas type and power frequency fit.2
Good to know
A secondhand stove may be worthless in the new unit
City gas and propane appliances are not interchangeable, so a used stove bought for one gas type cannot move to a unit on the other.103 Confirm the label plate before buying secondhand or paying to ship a stove across town.
No hot water until the technician visit is done
Gas stays off until the opening safety work finishes, so a late booking plus a full schedule means cold showers for days.13 Tokyo Gas advises about one week ahead, with earlier booking in March to April (as of 2026-09).1 If the move-in date falls on a weekend, book early enough that the visit lands on moving day itself.
Some homes have no gas step at all
All-electric homes run cooking and heating on electricity, so the entire opening flow in this guide does not apply to them.3 Confirm with the agent whether the unit uses gas before contacting any gas company.
After a strong quake the meter may shut itself off
Gas meters can cut supply automatically after strong shaking, and each company publishes its own emergency and reset guidance.71 Learn where your meter sits and which company emergency page covers your address before you need it, rather than searching after the shaking stops.
See also
- Move-Out Procedures: Closing Utility Accounts
- Japan Post Bank for Foreigners: Opening a Yucho Account
- Choosing a New-Power (Shin-Denryoku) Retailer
- Electricity in Japan: TEPCO and New-Power Retailers