The neutral guide
Moving-season spring — renting in the busy months, calmlyViewing summer — the hot-day inspection checklistPaperwork autumn — taking stock of taxes & proceduresQuiet winter — thinking about next year's home
A neutral, verified guide to renting, buying and living in a home in Japan — written for foreigners from official sources, by a site with no listings, no commissions and nothing to sell you.
The process map
Every step gets its own plain-language guide, verified against official sources — general information, not legal or tax advice.
Not sure what’s next?Try the Process Navigator — pick your step, see what’s coming and what to bring.Latest
A judicial scrivener (Shihou shoshi, 司法書士) files your ownership-registration paperwork with the Legal Affairs Bureau and checks everything is in order before closing funds move. Hiring one isn't legally required, but it's the practical backbone of an ordinary Japanese property purchase, especially a financed one.
Tokyo's largest ward by population — a vast, quiet, mostly low-rise residential area with three east-west private railways and one north-south tram; rent and energy vary enormously by which station you're near, from lively Shimokitazawa/Sangenjaya to quiet family streets further out.
Akiya banks are free, municipality-run listing services, not brokers — searchable via two separately-operated national platforms (LIFULL HOME'S, At Home), but every actual inquiry routes back to that specific town's own process, which varies and is mostly in Japanese.
International wires to Japan carry a sending fee, intermediary-bank deductions, and an exchange-rate spread — often the largest hidden cost. Separately, transfers over ¥30 million trigger a Bank-of-Japan payment report under FEFTA Article 55, distinct from the post-purchase ownership report non-residents must also file.
One company often represents both the buyer and the seller in a Japanese home sale (両手仲介) and can legally collect commission from both sides. A January 2025 reform now forces mandatory REINS status registration so sellers — though not buyers — can check directly whether their listing is being shared.
Japan's Building Standards Act requires a site to front a qualifying road (generally ≥4m wide) by at least 2m of frontage; sites that don't are 'saikenchiku fuka' — legally blocked from full rebuilding, not just old or undesirable.
Around the house
