Do You Need to Live in Japan to Own Property There?
No - you can own Japanese property without living there, without a visa, and without visiting. Here is what non-resident ownership actually requires.
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Holiday/Home Makers
Two Homes, One Surf Town: An Ichinomiya Compound for ¥44.9M
A rare Ichinomiya, Chiba compound: two full homes, a sauna log cabin, and parking for 12+ cars, priced at ¥44.9M, non-negotiable, never before listed.
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Akiya Japan: The Real Story Behind ‘Free Houses’ (And Whether They’re Worth It)
Japan’s akiya (vacant homes) are real - but are they worth it for foreign buyers? Here’s the honest picture on costs, risks, and who they suit.
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Buying a Family, Holiday, or Hybrid Home in Japan: What You Need to Know
Discover what you need to know about buying family, holiday, or investment properties in Japan, including costs, risks, and remote buying options.
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First-Time Investors: Buying a Holiday Home in Hokkaido vs. City Investments
Understand why Japanese business decisions take longer than expected. Learn how consensus and process work, and how to plan properly for success.
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House Hacking Japan: The Hybrid Airbnb Investment Strategy
Master Japanese real estate with the hybrid Airbnb house hacking strategy. Learn essential financing rules, tenant eviction costs, and ROI benefits.
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Buying in Japan for Hybrid Use: Holiday Home + Rental Income – What Works and What Fails in 2026
Own your Japan escape AND earn from it - if you build it right. The complete 2026 guide to hybrid-use property: licensing, location, and what actually works.
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Modern vs. Traditional Japanese Renovations
Compare traditional vs modern Japanese renovations: materials, costs, energy performance, seismic/permit rules, and hybrid strategies for investors.
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Buying a Holiday Home in Osaka: The Hybrid Investment Model Guide (2026 Edition)
Last Updated: November 2025 Author: Nippon Trading International (NTI) Editorial Team Executive Summary: Key Takeaways Watch the Full Conversation This article is based on a real-world consultation with Australian buyers looking for a holiday home in central Osaka. For the full context and deep dive into the numbers, watch the episode below: https://youtu.be/XOXyY2ouVpA For many […]
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Akiyas in Japan: What You Need to Know
This guide to buying an akiya in Japan breaks down what an akiya is, why they exist, where to find them, and examples of successful purchases.
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Japan’s Home Vacancy Rate Increased by 80% Over the Last 20 Years
Japan’s housing market is grappling with an oversupply crisis, marked by nearly 9 million vacant properties and an 80% surge in vacancy rates over two decades. This trend, driven by demographic shifts like declining birth rates, poses economic and safety challenges. Potential solutions, such as foreign investment or immigration, are complicated by Japan’s insular culture and economic considerations.
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From Slopes to Second Homes
Other travellers have also transitioned from being mere tourists to becoming proud holiday home owners. In this article, we’ll focus on the most popular ski resort locations – namely Niseko, Hakuba and Myoko, where many foreigners have been purchasing holiday homes in recent years.
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The Inaugural Japan Real Estate Summit
The Japan Real Estate Experts Panel (JREP) members have gathered at a beautiful venue in Tokyo, bringing together over 80 Japan real estate property enthusiasts to talk shop, gather info and network, at a phenomenal event which will surely be the first of many!
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Vacant Homes and High-Rise Condos: Japan’s Housing Dilemma
Japan’s housing market is out of line with the country’s demographic reality. Annual births have fallen from 1.19 million in 2000 to an all-time low of 810,000 in 2021, with the COVID-19 pandemic pushing the figure below even government predictions. At the same time, high-rise condominiums are going up one after another in cities, and land, including agricultural plots, in suburbs and regional municipalities is steadily being converted to residential lots. What is behind this state of affairs?
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Japan asks households, companies to conserve electricity during winter
Japan said on Tuesday it will ask households and companies across the country to conserve electricity within “a reasonable range” during the peak winter demand season to alleviate a possible power crunch in the world’s third largest economy. Japan’s power supply has been tight in recent years as nuclear power plants have been slow to restart after the 2011 Fukushima nuclear disaster.
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Japanese yen collapse forces nation to reopen for travelers
Japan’s sluggish economy, already weakened before the pandemic, faces the possible collapse of its national currency. The Japanese government is walking back years of harsh travel restrictions as the yen collapses in value due to a stagnant economy and weak trade. Japan until recently has all but completely rejected foreigners seeking entry or re-entry into the country. What can it do to get back on its feet? “Amid the weakening yen, [incoming tourism] will have the greatest effect,” Kihara said, according to the Japan Times. “And there are the autumn leaves and powder snow. There are many foreign visitors who want to come visit Japan.”
View articleA race against time to save Japan’s traditional homes
These homes are packed with charm, full of history and quickly disappearing. Over the last 30 years, Alex Kerr has given 574 presentations on the cultural importance of Japan’s minka (traditional village homes). For the first 573, his audiences were filled with nothing but local bureaucrats skeptical about lifting a finger to preserve these striking properties. “They all had to be convinced that minka are not worthless but wonderful,” Kerr told the audience at the Minka Summit, the site of the noted Japanologist’s 574th such presentation. “The people who are coming to this conference are really doing (things with) minka. You don’t need to be convinced that minka are wonderful.”
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Japan Considers Easing Strict Covid Tests for Entry, Nikkei Says
Japan is set to more than double the number of people it will allow into the country and may scrap the need for a negative Covid-19 test to enter, as the last rich economy with stringent entry requirements still in place looks to join the rest of the world in easing pandemic curbs.
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Due Diligence Series Part 2: Family and Vacation Homes
So you’re ready to buy your first property in Japan? Or maybe you’ve already been down that rabbit hole and are wondering if you’ve done something wrong? One commonly overlooked concept in purchasing real estate around the world is due diligence. By definition, due diligence in terms of real estate is care taken by research and analysis of a property and its affiliations in preparation for a transaction. One of the quirks about the Japanese real estate market, however, is that the due diligence is only conducted once your offer is accepted.
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AirBnB or Bust?
A common concept in Japan is known as mottainai, which essentially means that things should not be wasted. You might be thinking the same if you own a vacation property in Japan, but don’t spend enough time there. Have you been throwing around the idea of renting it out on AirBNB or another online listing site. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, some have not been able to travel in and out of the country, and may be wishing to instead use their properties for lodgers in the meantime. Is it possible and if so, how?
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Japan’s Real Estate Property Market in 2021-2022 – Annual Summary & Projections
The fact that Japan, as opposed to many of its neighbours, has been far slower in re-opening its borders, which remain all but shut to those who have not been residing in the country prior to the outbreak, however, has put a damper on the country’s economic prospects – but, surprisingly, and for reasons which will be partly explained, or at least speculated on, herein – these lacklustre economic prospects have done little, if anything, to property prices in most industry segments.
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Moving to Japan’s Countryside
We have been shifting and twisting and trying to adjust to a comfortable lifestyle under COVID-19. Part of that has meant getting away, even moving from crowded cities into more spacious areas. And for quite a few, Japan’s countryside has become more and more appealing. Imagine for a moment, retiring with Japan’s fresh air, greenery, rivers. Or that ideal environment to raise a family. Or imagine for a moment to generate an income on short-term rentals taking advantage of the country’s back on track campaign to boost tourism. Let’s look at how to make this dream more realistic.
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Buying Real Estate Property in Japan as a Foreigner, Part 3 – Negotiations & Due Diligence
Assuming you’ve established some key relationships with local realtors in your areas of choice, you will sooner or later come across a potential deal which will suit your criteria. The process, from here on, is quite similar to what you’d expect in any country, but with a few important differences…
View articleBuying Property in Japan as a Foreigner, Part 2 – Relationships
The first step of your market research, and the most important building block of your future investment portfolio in the land of the rising sun, begins with what the Japanese value above all else – relationship building…
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Buying Property in Japan as a Foreigner, Part 1 – Purchase & Management Infrastructures
Japan offers some of the developed world’s most beautiful and well designed homes and holiday homes, in breath-takingly beautiful and culturally fascinating locations, both urban and rural locations – spectacular and reliable investment yields – and an unparalleled, safe, regulated and fully documented business environment. The caveat to these advantages, however, is that the country is also highly ethnocentric, culturally isolated and extremely foreigner shy….
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