Renting & buying in Japan FAQ

A neutral guide to renting, buying and living in a home in Japan, written in English for foreigners. We explain the process, the paperwork, the costs and the vocabulary from official Japanese sources — and we sell nothing: no listings, no brokerage, no commissions.

No, never. Property brokerage in Japan is a licensed activity, and we deliberately stay outside it: SUMIKA publishes information, checklists and a calculator — not listings, introductions or recommendations of specific properties. That independence is the whole point of the site.

No. Everything here is general information. Rules and taxes change, and your situation is specific — before acting, confirm with the official sources we link and consult a licensed professional such as a lawyer, judicial scrivener, tax accountant or licensed real-estate agent.

Yes. There is no law preventing foreigners from renting, but individual landlords screen applicants, and most tenancies require a guarantor or a guarantor company. Preparation — documents, a Japanese phone number, understanding the screening step — makes the biggest difference.

Shikikin (敷金) is a refundable deposit held against unpaid rent or damage; reikin (礼金) is a non-refundable “gratitude” payment to the landlord, a custom that survives in some regions and listings but not others. Both are quoted in months of rent and defined in your lease — our glossary keeps the full vocabulary.

January through April, peaking in February and March, when school and company years turn over. Search competition and mover availability are at their worst then — if your dates are flexible, the off-season is calmer. Our calendar page tracks the rhythm of the year.

Yes. Japan places no nationality or residency requirement on owning property — foreigners can hold full freehold title to land and buildings. Owning property does not by itself grant any visa or residence status, and financing as a non-resident is a separate, harder question.

Agent commissions on purchases are capped by law in Japan, and many agents charge exactly the cap. Our /cost-calculator computes that legal maximum for you from the purchase price and links the official source — it is the one formula on this site, because it is fixed by regulation.

Beyond the price and agent commission there are taxes and professional fees — registration and license tax, acquisition tax, stamp duty, judicial-scrivener fees, and ongoing fixed-asset tax. The amounts depend on the property and change with tax rules, so we explain each item in guides with links to the official sources rather than guessing numbers.

Vacant houses (akiya) are real and some sell very cheaply — but a low price always has reasons: rebuild restrictions, road-access rules, structural or utility problems, or location. The dream survives contact with reality only if you check those reasons first; that checking process is exactly what our akiya guides walk through.

Treat “free house” stories with suspicion. Municipal akiya banks and giveaway schemes exist, but they come with conditions, renovation obligations, taxes and fees — a house with no purchase price is not a house with no cost. We explain what the schemes actually involve, without the hype.

Start with your status: your visa and length of stay shape whether renting or buying makes sense, what documents you can produce, and what landlords or lenders will ask. From there, our renting and buying process guides go step by step — each one ends with what happens next.