We have compiled a list of frequently asked questions and concerns about purchasing real estate in Kyoto.

• Can a foreigner buy a house in Japan?

  Yes, there are no legal restrictions on buying real estate properties in Japan for foreigners. There is no need to have a Japanese citizenship or permanent residency (Eijuken) to buy a house in Japan. However, owning a property in Japan does not entitle the purchaser any special status such as a Permanent Resident Visa.

• Can I buy a house in Japan without having to visit Japan in person?

  Yes. Virtual tour can be arranged.

• Do I have to move to Japan to buy a property?

  No, you don't need to move in Japan and you are not required to have any residential registration in Japan to purchase a property in Japan.

About Purchase

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

  It will take approximately 1 month to 1.5 months after delivering a letter of purchase intention to the Seller side. After reaching an agreement on all the conditions between buyers and sellers, it will take approximately 2 weeks to sign a contract, and the final deal can be closed within 2 weeks to a month.

• How do I pay the deposit and closing amount to Seller?

  Payment can be by cash or bank transfer. If you don’t own a bank account in Japan, please use a real estate agent account for safe money transfer.

• Can a foreigner apply for housing loan/mortgage?

  In most cases, housing loans are only available to people with permanent residency or Japanese citizenship which means the purchase needs to be made in cash for buyers from overseas.

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

  Unfortunately, it’s not easy to open a bank account in Japan.There are a lot of restrictions.

About Properties

• 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.
  1 tatami = 3.3sqm

• Can I run a AirBnb or other lodging business with the property?

  Yes, however, there are restrictions and requires application of license. Please consult with us.

• How much will renovation cost?

  It depends on the area, condition, and size of the property.

• Are these houses resistant to earthquakes?

  Traditional Japanese houses built before 1950 were built with the method of not fighting and resisting, but rather unifying and coexisting with the forces of nature by understanding and taking advantage of wood and understanding its characteristics.
  That said, a reliable method of diagnosing earthquake resistance of traditional Japanese houses has not been established thus it is difficult to accurately measure the stability of these houses. We ask buyers to understand the situation, and acknowledge the risk of possible collapse in the event of a severe earthquake.