Ah, Japan seems reasonable to those from the high-priced areas of the US, expensive to others, just like any other move.
I stayed with friends in an apartment in Tokyo for a while, and while it was unfurnished, it came with a refrigerator and cooktop. However, in Kitakyushu, only the very new, modern apartments came with appliances. I had to buy a cooktop and refrigerator.
Having to buy appliances is not unusual in some countries. Even in the US. Where I grew up, for some unknown reason, apartments came with stoves but not refrigerators. Again, the newer ones came fully equipped. The idea that the appliances convey even when buying a house is relatively new, and pretty much came about when they started to be built in. It used to be stoves and refrigerators were always free-standing.
I was considering moving to Ecuador, and there even new apartements come without appliances.
What was hard for me was not having a built-in heating system. I hated that kerosene heater with a passion, and the necessity of sleeping with a window open a bit because of fumes.
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