TOKYO BUYING TIPS
Tokyo Realty Buyer’s Guide
A smart guide to buying a house in Japan
Buying a detached house in Japan means buying both a building and the land beneath it. That gives you more freedom than an apartment, but there is also more to check — from road access and boundaries to rebuilding restrictions, structure, parking and future repairs.
Start with the essentialsAt a glance
The first things to check
A house can look perfect inside while the land, road or legal conditions tell a very different story.
What road does it face?
Road type and frontage can affect rebuilding, vehicle access, future value and sometimes the amount of land that can actually be used.
Where are the boundaries?
Check the registered land area, boundary markers, survey status and whether fences, walls, eaves or pipes cross neighbouring land.
Can it be rebuilt?
Do not assume that an existing house can automatically be replaced with the same size building. Road access and planning rules matter.
Will your car actually fit?
Measure the entrance width, garage height, turning space and road approach. “Parking available” does not tell you whether your car fits.
What condition is the house in?
Roof, exterior walls, foundations, plumbing, waterproofing, termites, insulation and previous renovation history deserve a closer look.
What will it cost after purchase?
With a house there is no management association building up a repair fund for you. Future exterior and equipment replacement costs are yours to plan for.
Already looking at a house?
Send Paul & Yuuki the listing and we can help identify the
things worth checking before you get too far into the property.
Contact Paul & Yuuki →
Land and access
The house is only half the purchase
With a detached home, the legal and physical condition of the land can be just as important as the building standing on it.
Road frontage and rebuilding
House / Land
Road
Neighbouring Property
Japanese building rules generally require a building site to have sufficient access to a legally recognised road. The exact road classification and frontage should be confirmed before buying.
Some older houses exist on sites that do not meet today's normal access requirements. These properties may be difficult — or in some cases impossible — to rebuild without resolving the access issue.
Four land questions worth asking
Is a setback required?
If the road is narrow, part of the site may need to be set back when rebuilding.
Are the boundaries clear?
Look for boundary markers and check whether a confirmed survey exists.
Is there private road ownership?
A property may include a share of a private road or rely on one for access.
What can be built here?
Zoning, building coverage, floor-area ratio, height and setback controls can limit future rebuilding.
Important:
The fact that a house already exists does not prove that you could
demolish it and build the same thing again. Before treating the land
as a future rebuild site, check the road, zoning and current building restrictions.
Building and condition
Look beyond the renovation
A beautiful kitchen and new wallpaper are easy to see. The parts that cost serious money are often outside the room you are standing in.
Structure
Foundation and frame
Check the structural type, visible cracking, uneven floors, previous extensions and whether major alterations may have affected the original structure.
Water
Roof and waterproofing
Look for roof age, balcony waterproofing, exterior sealant, staining and signs of past leaks.
Pests
Termites and timber
Timber houses should be checked for termite history, moisture and damaged structural wood, particularly around the ground floor and wet areas.
Services
Pipes and equipment
Water supply, drainage, hot-water systems, electrical capacity, heating and air conditioning all have a practical service life.
Comfort
Insulation and windows
Older Japanese homes can be cold in winter and hot in summer. Window type, insulation and air leakage have a major impact on comfort.
History
Extensions and renovations
Confirm when work was carried out and whether significant additions or structural changes were properly approved where approval was required.
OLDER EARTHQUAKE STANDARDS
Older does not automatically mean “no”
Age is one factor, not the whole answer. Structural type, condition, reinforcement, past renovation and the actual building documents all matter.
VS
NEWER EARTHQUAKE STANDARDS
Usually easier to assess and finance
Newer homes generally benefit from later seismic requirements and more modern specifications, but condition and maintenance still need checking.
Found an older house with character?
That can be a great buy. The trick is separating cosmetic age
from the things that genuinely affect cost, safety and future use.
Ask Paul & Yuuki →
Daily practicality
Parking and access need a real-world check
Tokyo houses often make clever use of small sites. “Parking available” and “easy to use every day” are not always the same thing.
Entrance width
Measure the narrowest point, including walls, posts, meters and anything that reduces the usable opening.
Garage height
Built-in garages may be too low for taller SUVs, vans or roof racks.
Turning angle
A wide parking bay is not much help if the road is too narrow to make the turn comfortably.
Slope and steps
Check steep approaches, stairs from street level and whether daily access will actually be practical.
A simple rule:
If parking matters, take the actual car dimensions to the viewing.
Purchase and ownership costs
Budget for the house you will own, not just the price you will pay
The purchase price is only one part of the cash required. Detached houses also need their own long-term maintenance budget.
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At purchase
- Brokerage fee
- Registration and judicial scrivener costs
- Stamp duty where applicable
- Loan and mortgage-related costs if financing
- Property acquisition tax after purchase
- Prorated fixed-asset and city-planning taxes
- Inspection, survey or specialist checks where needed
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After purchase
- Annual fixed-asset and city-planning taxes
- Roof and exterior-wall maintenance
- Water heaters, air conditioning and equipment replacement
- Termite treatment or inspection where appropriate
- Garden, retaining wall or exterior maintenance
- Insurance
- Renovation and energy-efficiency improvements
Why houses feel different from apartments
There is normally no monthly condominium repair reserve — but the repair cost does not disappear. You are effectively your own management association, so it makes sense to build a private maintenance reserve into the budget.
Renovation and future plans
Think about what you want the house to become
A house gives you much more freedom than a condominium, but not every renovation idea is automatically possible.
Interior renovation
Kitchens, bathrooms, flooring and finishes are usually the easy part. Structural walls, stairs and major layout changes require more careful planning.
Extensions
An extension must fit within the site's current planning limits. If the existing house already uses most of the permitted building coverage or floor-area ratio, adding space may be difficult.
Rebuild later
If future rebuilding is part of the value you see in the property, check that assumption before buying. Road access, setbacks, zoning, height controls and site shape can all affect the new house.
Buying partly for the land?
Tell us what you hope to do with the property later and we can help
make sure the site actually supports that plan.
Contact Paul & Yuuki →
Quick Q & A
Common questions from house buyers
Can foreigners buy a house and land in Japan?
Yes. Japan does not generally require Japanese citizenship or permanent residency simply to own residential land and a house. Financing and immigration status are separate questions.
If a house is old, am I mainly paying for the land?
Sometimes the land represents most of the market value, especially with older houses in strong locations, but this varies property by property.
Does “parking available” mean a normal car will fit?
No. The space may be narrow, low, difficult to enter from the road or suitable only for a compact car.
Can I knock the house down and build a new one?
Not always. Rebuilding depends on the current road access and planning rules. The new building may also need to be smaller or positioned differently.
Should I get a house inspection?
It can be very useful, particularly for older homes or where the condition is uncertain.
What about retaining walls and steep sites?
They deserve particular attention. Ownership, condition, drainage, approvals, future repair responsibility and local hazard information can all matter.
The most important house-buyer check
Do not evaluate the building and the land separately. The best house purchase is one where the home works for you today and the land, access and legal conditions still make sense for what you may want to do later.
Looking for a house?
Ask Paul & Yuuki to take a look.
If you have already found a house you are interested in, send us the listing. If you are just starting, tell us the areas, budget and kind of home you have in mind.
We can help you look at the house and the land together — road access, boundaries, rebuilding potential, condition, parking, renovation possibilities and the details that are easy to miss when you first fall in love with a property.