FAQ

Frequently Asked Questions

Can a foreigner buy a house in Japan?

There are no legal restrictions on buying property in Japan for foreigners. There is no need to have citizenship or even a residence visa to buy a house in Japan. Foreigners are only responsible for providing a written notification to the Bank of Japan within 20 days of purchase of real property. However, buying property in Japan does not entitle the purchaser to receive a Japan residence visa.

Do I have to move in Japan if I want Property in Japan?

No, you don’t need to move in Japan, does not require any residential registration in Japan for any purchase of property in Japan. Some of countries ask to stay or move residential address to where the country you purchase property at. But in Japanese law, you may purchase property as your vacation use, investment use and residential use even you use property only one time in a year.

How much would it cost to live in Kyoto?

In single use case, we calculate utilities cost as roughly 2,000 yen for water fee, 5,000 yen for electricity fee, 3,000 yen for gas fee and 5,000 yen for internet fee a month by one person. It will be roughly 15,000 yen only for utilities cost a month. In family use case, it will be double to triple, roughly 30,000 yen to 45,000 yen a month for larger size property, by 2 to 3 people use.

Will bank accept opening bank account in Japan for buying property in Kyoto?

Unfortunately, it’s not easy to open bank account in Japan, bank only accept it to residents in Japan. It won’t affect any whether you have property or will have property in Japan or not, ownership of property and opening bank is not equal to bank rules.

How much does it cost to buy a house in Kyoto?

​A simple wood-framed house costs on average 180,000 Yen/sqm to build, while basic reinforced-concrete houses can cost from 300,000 Yen/sqm and up. Prices will rise depending on design and finish, with some luxury custom-builds costing up to 1,000,000 Yen/sqm.

How long will it take to complete transaction of buying property in Kyoto?

It will take approximately 1 month to 1.5 months after delivering letter of intent to Seller side. After making agreement of conditions of buy and sell, it will take approximately 1 week to 10 days to sign a contract, will work closing within 1 month.

How do I pay deposit and closing amount to Seller?

In Japan, using escrow account is not major system for real estate transaction, buyer pays directly to seller by cash or bank transfer. If you don’t have bank account in Japan, please use real estate agent account for safe money transfer.

How much does it cost to renovate a machiya in Kyoto?

​Simple renovation costs approximately 180,000 Yen/sqm, renovation for guesthouse use costs 220,000 Yen/sqm and up. It will depends on quality of materials and design, depends on size of machiya, conditions of building and use of machiya.

What is a machiya house?

Machiya ( 町屋 / 町家 ) are traditional wooden townhouses found throughout Japan and typified in the historical capital of Kyoto. The word machiya is written using two kanji: machi ( 町 ) meaning “town”, and ya ( 家 or 屋 ) meaning “house” ( 家 ) or “shop” ( 屋 ) depending on the kanji used to express it.

What are Japanese homes made of?

​Roofs of traditional houses in Japan are made of wood and clay, with tiles or thatched areas on top. For large gatherings, these partitions are removed to create one large meeting room. During a normal day, partitions can create much smaller and more manageable living spaces.

What is a tatami room?

​A tatami ( 畳 ) is a type of mat used as a flooring material in traditional Japanese-style rooms. Traditionally made using rice straw to form the core, the cores of contemporary tatami are sometimes composed of compressed wood chip boards or polystyrene foam. A new handmade tatami costs between 50,000 yen and 180,000 yen. A new machine-made tatami costs from about 8,000 yen to 40,000 yen.

How big is a six tatami mat room?

Recently, tatami seems to be shrinking — older places have larger 6-jo rooms than newer ones. This conversion table calculator is calibrated using a tatami mat size of 85.5 cm wide and 179 cm in length (about 33.5 by 70.5 inches). The standard room size is 6-jo, and 4.5-jo for smaller ones.

What are Japanese floor beds called?

​Futons are traditional Japanese bedding. A futon is a padded mattress, called a shikibuton, a quilt, called a kakebuton, and a pillow filled with beans, called a makura. The futon was put on the floor at night for sleeping. They could be easily rolled up during the day when they were not needed.

What is the average house size in Japan?

The highest rate in the country is Toyama Prefecture, with around 80% of all living units being owned by the resident. The living space of houses and condominiums is larger than apartments. The average size of an owned residence in Japan is 121.7 m2 (36.8 tsubo; 1,310 sq ft).

Do you manage vacation home property in Kyoto?

Yes, we can take care of your vacation use property in Kyoto. We can pay facilities bills, tax and correct letter from mailbox, keep important letters and dispose junk letter for owners. We make every month report for each owners, share the information of how much were used and how much we keep your deposit in account.