Our Blog
Practical guides and expert advice for foreign homeowners, akiya buyers, and overseas property owners in Kyoto and the Kansai region of Japan.
Registering Your House After You Buy It in Japan
How ownership registration (登記) works after buying a house in Japan — the process, documents, costs, and what foreign or...
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Maintenance Costs for Used Houses in Japan
We have walked through more used houses in Kyoto and Shiga than we can easily count. Some feel solid the...
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How to Appoint a Tax Administrator in Japan
Non-resident owners of Japanese property must appoint a tax administrator. Here’s how the process works for fixed-asset tax and income...
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Japanese Property Management for Rental Homes
We have stood in empty rooms that should have been earning rent and in occupied ones where a small leak...
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Japan Inheritance Rules for Foreign Owners
We have sat with owners who bought a quiet house in Kyoto or Shiga years ago and only later began...
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Minpaku Rules Tighten Across Japan in 2026
We have watched the complaints pile up for years. A suitcase dragged across a wooden floor at 1 a.m. in...
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IKEA in Kansai Japan: All 3 Locations
We keep a short mental map of the places that actually make life easier when you’re looking after a house...
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International Schools in Kansai: Ages 6–18
For families moving to Kansai with school-age children, choosing where to live often starts with the school commute. International schools...
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Can Foreigners Get a Mortgage for a House in Japan?
For many foreigners looking to buy a house in Japan, one of the first questions is how to finance the...
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Why Your Kansai Home Needs a Shigaraki Tanuki
If you own a house in Kansai, there is one important piece of property maintenance equipment you may have overlooked:...
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Japan’s Real Estate Cooling-Off Rule Explained
We have sat across from overseas buyers more than once and watched the same realisation settle in. They had just...
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How Setbacks Shape Property Lines in Japan
We were standing on a quiet side street in eastern Kyoto last spring, looking at a vacant machiya that had...
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12 Traditional Tools That Make a Machiya Feel Authentic
Walk into a machiya that’s been “renovated for guests” and you can usually tell within seconds whether it’s the real...
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Property Management Costs in Japan: 2026 Guide
One of the first questions overseas property owners ask is: “How much will property management actually cost me?” The answer...
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Property Management in Japan for Foreign Owners (2026)
Owning property in Japan while living overseas is entirely legal and increasingly common. Foreign nationals can generally purchase freehold land,...
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Osaka’s Skyline: Skyscrapers & Rising Land Value
The skyline of the Kansai region is heavily concentrated within Osaka Prefecture. Driven by high urban density, major transit integrations,...
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Converting Your Property into Airbnb (Minpaku) in Japan
Converting a long-term rental or vacant investment property into a short-term rental on Airbnb (or Booking.com and similar platforms) in...
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The Ten Busiest Train Stations in Shiga
Shiga Prefecture, centered around Lake Biwa and offering strong rail links to Kyoto and Osaka, features several high-ridership JR stations...
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Japan Zoning Laws: What Property Buyers Need to Know
Japan is one of the more accessible real estate markets for foreign buyers. Foreigners can generally own land and buildings...
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Real Estate Fees in Japan: What Buyers Need to Know
Buying a house in Japan involves more than the advertised purchase price. Whether you are buying a Kyoto home, an...
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Takebe Taisha Fireworks 2026: Shiga Summer Guide
Every August, Otsu’s Takebe Taisha shrine transforms the Seta River into a stage for one of Shiga’s most atmospheric summer...
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The Busiest Train Stations in Kansai
Kansai’s rail network moves an extraordinary number of people every day. Anchored by Osaka’s sprawling Umeda district and stretching out...
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How Often Should You Inspect an Empty House in Japan?
Owning a house in Japan while you’re living somewhere else can work out really well — but only if the...
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Why Managing a Japanese Property From Overseas Can Be Difficult
Japan has excellent infrastructure and reliable services, but property ownership still requires someone to be physically available when something goes...
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Is Your Akiya Ready for Typhoon Season?
If you’ve spent a summer in Japan, you’ll know the sound of cicadas is eventually joined by another familiar sight—the...
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Asuka-Fujiwara: Where Japan Was Born
Exploring Japan’s Newest UNESCO World Heritage Site Hidden among the rice fields of southern Nara lies one of the most...
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Why Japan Builds for the Shake: A Look at Japan’s Earthquake Technology
If you own or manage property in Japan, you already know the ground here doesn’t sit still for long. Japan...
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How to Watch the Biwako Fireworks in August 2026
One of Kansai’s most spectacular summer nights returns on Thursday, August 6, 2026. The 40th anniversary Biwako Great Fireworks Festival...
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How to Prevent Mold in Vacant Kansai Homes
Japan’s humid subtropical climate makes mold one of the biggest threats to vacant houses and apartments across Kansai. In Kyoto,...
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Two Houses a Day: Kyoto Is Quietly Erasing Its Machiya
Walk through central Kyoto today and you’ll still find pockets of the city that look like they belong in another...
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Common Areas in Japanese Condominiums: What Owners Don’t Actually Own
The Illusion of Full Ownership Buying an apartment (called a mansion (マンション, manshon), or condominium) in Japan feels like securing...
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Cost of Owning a House in Japan: Kansai Guide
Owning a home in Japan is an exciting milestone, whether you’re buying a primary residence, a vacation property, or an...
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Why Outdoor Drain Maintenance Matters (Absent Owners)
During a recent routine maintenance visit at a house in Shiga, what should have been a quick 10-minute check turned...
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Seasonal Property Care in Kansai
What Overseas Owners Need to Know If you own a home in Kyoto, Shiga, Osaka, Nara, or Kobe but live...
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Costco in Kansai Japan: All 6 Locations
Whether you’re back home for the summer or settling into an extended stay in Kansai, a Costco run is one...
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Kansai Akiya Crisis: Vacant Homes by Prefecture in 2026
Kansai — Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, and Shiga — holds some of Japan’s sharpest contrasts in the akiya story....
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Akiya Explained: Japan’s 9 Million Vacant Homes Decoded
If you’ve read that Japan has “9 million akiya,” you’ve only heard half the story. That number is real, straight...
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Kyoto’s Vacant Home Tax Postponed to 2030: What It Means
Kyoto City has pushed back the start date of its landmark vacant home tax by one year. If you own...
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My Top 4 Ramen Spots in Shiga Prefecture
One of the best parts of running a property management business in Shiga is all the good eating that comes...
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Japan’s Aging Apartment Problem
If you’re considering buying property in Japan — whether an akiya, a condo, or an apartment — there’s a quietly...
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Can You Manage an Akiya Remotely Without Visiting Japan? A Realistic Look
If you’re researching akiya from outside Japan, you’ve probably already found dozens of articles explaining that yes, foreigners can legally...
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Ten Things to Know About Co-Ownership of Property in Japan
Owning a home with family, friends, business partners, or investors is a practical way to enter Japan’s property market. However,...
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Why Checking for Termites (Shiroari) Is Essential for Akiya Owners in Japan
Owning an akiya (空き家), or vacant house, in Japan comes with many responsibilities. One of the most important things that...
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