Guides

Plain-English explanations of what the Japanese listing isn't telling you, with sources.

• Akiya Bank Residency Requirement in Japan: Do You Have to Live in the House? (2026) – Akiya Check · 2026-10-29
• Akiya in Japan's heavy snow areas (gosetsu chitai): what to check before buying (2026) · 2026-10-22
• Akiya well water in Japan: public water, wells, private pipes and the water connection fee (suidō kanyūkin) · 2026-10-19
• Termite Damage in a Japan House: Shiroari Inspection Before Buying an Akiya (2026) · 2026-10-19
• Propane (LP gas) vs city gas in a Japanese akiya: how to tell, why it costs more, and what to ask (2026) · 2026-10-15
• Managing an akiya from overseas: owner duties, the land-tax risk and a pre-closing checklist · 2026-10-13
• Free akiya in Japan (0 yen houses): the gift tax, fees and clean-up costs that still apply · 2026-10-13
• Can a foreigner get a mortgage in Japan for an akiya? Flat 35 rules, cash purchase and the loan clause · 2026-10-13
• Does buying a house in Japan give you a visa? No: what owning an akiya changes and what it does not · 2026-10-13
• Akiya buying checks in order: which to do first, and when to walk away · 2026-10-13
• Akiya Renovation Cost in Japan: How to Get and Read a Reform Estimate Before You Buy · 2026-10-12
• Akiya bank in Wakayama: how to search cheap houses in English, subsidies and hazard checks · 2026-10-12
• How to read a Japanese property registry (登記事項証明書) before you buy: owner, mortgages, seizures, land category and unregistered buildings · 2026-10-09
• Can you cancel a house purchase contract in Japan and get your deposit back? Tetsuke (手付), 'as is' sales and the one-year notice rule for akiya · 2026-10-09
• Furniture and belongings left in an akiya in Japan (残置物): who pays to clear them, what to put in the contract and how not to get overcharged · 2026-10-09
• Planning to demolish an akiya in Japan? What to check before you buy: costs, the land tax change, asbestos rules and local subsidies · 2026-10-09
• Buying a house on a private road in Japan: 私道負担, position-designated roads and the consent letters to ask for before you sign · 2026-10-09
• Akiya bank in Yamaguchi: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Nagasaki: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Kagoshima: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and Sakurajima ash checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Kumamoto: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and earthquake checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Oita: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Ehime: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Kochi: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Tottori: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Shimane: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Tokushima: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-06
• Akiya bank in Okinawa: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-05
• Akiya bank in Fukuoka: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-05
• Akiya bank in Hiroshima: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-05
• Akiya bank in Okayama: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-05
• Akiya bank in Kyoto: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-04
• Akiya bank in Shizuoka: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-04
• Akiya bank in Chiba: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-04
• Akiya bank in Hokkaido: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-04
• Akiya bank in Yamanashi: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-04
• Akiya bank in Nagano: how to search it in English, relocation subsidies and hazard checks (2026) · 2026-10-04
• Retaining walls and the cliff ordinance (がけ条例): checking a sloped Japanese house before you buy · 2026-10-02
• Land boundary survey before buying a house in Japan: 境界未確定, registered vs. surveyed area, and who pays to fix it · 2026-10-02
• Buying an akiya with farmland in Japan: the Agricultural Land Act permit (農地法3条), what changed in 2023, and how to buy the house without the field · 2026-10-02
• Fire Insurance (Kasai Hoken) for a Japanese House or Akiya: A Guide for Foreign Buyers (2026) · 2026-10-05
• How to check liquefaction risk (液状化) for a Japanese house before buying: the official maps, old river channels and what the agent does not have to tell you · 2026-10-02
• Buying a house in Japan from overseas without visiting: power of attorney, remote signing, payment and the 2026 Ministry of Finance report · 2026-10-02
• How to check sold prices for a Japanese property (reinfolib): is this akiya overpriced? · 2026-09-30
• Questions to ask a real estate agent in Japan before buying an akiya (copy-paste Japanese + email template) · 2026-09-30
• Home inspection in Japan: what an akiya inspection covers and how to arrange one · 2026-09-30
• Juyo jiko setsumei (重要事項説明): the important matters explanation in English · 2026-09-30
• How to check a house in Japan before buying: akiya due diligence in 10 steps · 2026-09-30
• Sozoku Toki (相続登記): why an akiya's registered owner may not be who can sell it to you — Japan's 2024–2026 registration rules · 2026-09-26
• Fixed asset tax and acquisition costs for an akiya in Japan: real estate acquisition tax, registration tax, stamp duty and fees explained (2026) · 2026-09-24
• Shakuchiken (借地権) akiya: buying a house on leased land in Japan — ground rent, the landowner's consent, and when it is still worth it · 2026-09-18
• Pre-1981 houses (旧耐震): what Japan's 1981 seismic-standard change means for a ¥2M akiya, and what a retrofit actually costs · 2026-09-18
• 市街化調整区域 (urbanization control area): can you actually live in, renovate or rebuild a cheap house there? · 2026-09-18
• Jokaso (浄化槽): the real yearly cost of a septic-tank house in Japan — inspections, pumping, electricity and the sewer-connection rule · 2026-09-18
• Kokuchi jiko (告知事項): what "disclosure matters" means on a Japanese listing, what must be disclosed, and how much it should change the price · 2026-09-18
• Akiya Check vs. Japan Property Research: which one do you need? · 2026-09-13
• Akiya bank conditions for foreigners: residency rules, renovation deadlines, age limits and how to actually apply (2026) · 2026-09-17
• 10 red flags in a Japanese akiya listing (in the original kanji) and what each one costs you · 2026-09-17
• Can foreigners buy an akiya in Japan? Ownership rules, akiya-bank conditions, and the real costs (2026) · 2026-09-12
• Saikenchiku fuka (再建築不可): why some cheap houses in Japan can never be rebuilt — and how to check before buying · 2026-09-12
• How to read Japan's hazard map before buying an akiya: flood depth, landslide and tsunami zones explained · 2026-09-12

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