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If you’ve spent a summer in Japan, you’ll know the sound of cicadas is eventually joined by another familiar sight—the...

Exploring Japan’s Newest UNESCO World Heritage Site Hidden among the rice fields of southern Nara lies one of the most...

If you own or manage property in Japan, you already know the ground here doesn’t sit still for long. Japan...

One of Kansai’s most spectacular summer nights returns on Thursday, August 6, 2026. The 40th anniversary Biwako Great Fireworks Festival...

Japan’s humid subtropical climate makes mold one of the biggest threats to vacant houses and apartments across Kansai. In Kyoto,...

Walk through central Kyoto today and you’ll still find pockets of the city that look like they belong in another...

The Illusion of Full Ownership Buying an apartment (called a mansion (マンション, manshon), or condominium) in Japan feels like securing...

Owning a home in Japan is an exciting milestone, whether you’re buying a primary residence, a vacation property, or an...

During a recent routine maintenance visit at a house in Shiga, what should have been a quick 10-minute check turned...

What Overseas Owners Need to Know If you own a home in Kyoto, Shiga, Osaka, Nara, or Kobe but live...

Whether you’re back home for the summer or settling into an extended stay in Kansai, a Costco run is one...

Kansai — Osaka, Kyoto, Hyogo, Nara, Wakayama, and Shiga — holds some of Japan’s sharpest contrasts in the akiya story....

If you’ve read that Japan has “9 million akiya,” you’ve only heard half the story. That number is real, straight...

Kyoto City has pushed back the start date of its landmark vacant home tax by one year. If you own...

One of the best parts of running a property management business in Shiga is all the good eating that comes...

If you’re considering buying property in Japan — whether an akiya, a condo, or an apartment — there’s a quietly...

If you’re researching akiya from outside Japan, you’ve probably already found dozens of articles explaining that yes, foreigners can legally...

Owning a home with family, friends, business partners, or investors is a practical way to enter Japan’s property market. However,...

Owning an akiya (空き家), or vacant house, in Japan comes with many responsibilities. One of the most important things that...