Drum washer-dryers in Japan: 5 picks of 10–12 kg from ¥115,800

If I can’t decide, which one?

The Hisense HWF-D120XL. Its total across the five criteria, 75 points, was the highest.

Which is the cheapest of the five?

The Haier DeLAITO Step JW-FP100A, at a street price of about ¥115,800 on Rakuten Ichiba including tax (26 October 2026). Among the runners-up, the Hisense HWF-D100SL is cheaper still at about ¥99,800.

How current are the prices?

They are guide prices checked on the makers’ official sites and on Rakuten Ichiba on 26 October 2026. They move with promotions and stock, so check the listing behind each link before you order.

Where can I buy one?

All five are sold by stores on Rakuten Ichiba, which generally ship within Japan only, and the links above go straight to the listings. They run on Japanese mains power (100 V), so they suit a home in Japan.

How do I know it will fit my laundry space?

First measure the inside depth and width of the waterproof pan (the tray the washing machine stands on) and compare them with each model’s pan requirement. Of the ten we compared, the Hisense HWF-D120XL and HWF-D100SL need an inner depth of 500 mm or more and an inner width of 590 mm or more; the other eight need an inner depth of 540 mm or more. Then compare the machine’s depth including the inlet and drain hoses with the distance to the wall or door. The Haier JW-FP100A is the shallowest at 593 mm, the two Hisense models are 630 mm, the Hitachi BD-CX100P 645 mm, the Haier JW-FH120A 661 mm, the two Sharps 719 mm, the Hitachi BD-SVX120P 720 mm and the two Panasonics 732 mm. How far the open door reaches forward, and the width of the route in (corridor, doors, stairs), are on each maker’s dimension drawings — check them before you buy.

How much cheaper is a heat pump than a heater to run?

Going by the official energy use of a standard wash-to-dry, the seven heat-pump models (including the Sharp ES-12X2, a hybrid that adds a support heater to its heat pump) use 590–1,085 Wh and the three heater models 1,590–2,005 Wh. At ¥31 per kWh that is about ¥18.3 a run for the ES-12X2, about ¥33.6 for the Hisense HWF-D120XL and about ¥62.2 for the heater-drying Hisense HWF-D100SL. At one wash-to-dry a day, the gap between the ES-12X2 and the HWF-D100SL comes to about ¥16,000 a year. Among the heater models, the Hitachi BD-CX100P condenses the moisture with water, so a standard wash-to-dry uses about 90 litres, more than Hitachi’s own heat-pump BD-SVX120P (about 64 litres).

Which is quiet enough to run at night?

The figures are measured to the Japan Electrical Manufacturers’ Association standard, the same way by every maker. The quietest while drying is the Haier JW-FP100A at 39 dB (38 dB on its sleep course), followed by the Sharp ES-12X2 and ES-12P1 at 42 dB. While washing, the Sharp ES-12P1 is lowest at 26 dB; while spinning, the Panasonic NA-LX129F and NA-LX125F are lowest at 36 dB. Some have a night course: the Hisense HWF-D120XL drops to 43 dB while drying on its night course, and the Haier JW-FH120A to 42 dB on its sleep course. A low noise figure does not stop vibration, though, which travels differently depending on the floor and the building, so in a flat be mindful of the hour.

Is automatic detergent dosing the same on all of them?

All ten we compared dose liquid detergent and softener automatically. The big difference is Panasonic’s triple auto-dosing on the NA-LX129F and NA-LX125F: besides a liquid detergent tank of about 1,010 ml and a softener tank of about 1,010 ml, a third tank (about 880 ml) takes your choice of delicates detergent, liquid oxygen bleach or a stain-loosening agent. Sharp’s official page for the ES-12P2 gives about 950 ml each for the detergent and softener tanks. Panasonic’s NA-LX123F, by contrast, has no automatic dosing.

Does it dry less than it washes?

Yes. A drum dries about half its washing capacity. Of the ten we compared, all seven 12 kg models dry 6 kg; among the 10 kg models, the Hisense HWF-D100SL dries 6 kg, the Hitachi BD-CX100P 5.5 kg and the Haier JW-FP100A 5 kg. To dry everything you wash, split the load so it stays within the drying capacity, or choose a model with a larger one.

Why are Toshiba, AQUA and Nitori not here?

Toshiba’s current drums in its official product list are 13 kg (TW-137XP6, XH6 and XM6) and 8 kg (TW-84GS5), and its 12 kg TW-127XP5 and TW-127XM5 were marked discontinued on the official pages, so none met our 10–12 kg condition. AQUA’s official site was under maintenance on 26 October 2026 and we could not check its specification sheets. Retailers’ own brands such as Nitori and Yamada Denki are not included, because this time we chose from the appliance makers’ current line-ups. It is not a judgement on the products, only that we could not line up their figures on the same terms.