Traditional Japanese houses along a quiet street

Your place in Japan is probably already listed here

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Photo: traditional house with large land in Fukuchiyama, Kyoto

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11,339 listed in the last seven days. These are open to browse now. The first 24 hours are members-only.

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Japan Listings

Japanese homes, akiya, land and apartments

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  • ¥250,000,000

    Atami, Shizuoka

    <24h

  • ¥9,800,000

    Atami, Shizuoka

    <24h

  • ¥4,500,000

    Miyawaka, Fukuoka

    <24h

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Investor friendly

Just 1% monthly payment plans

Own a Japanese property with the simplest schedule on the market. Pay around 1% per month through a partner lender — no hidden fees, no inflated interest. Built for end-users and investors who want predictable, stress-free ownership.

  • Low deposit options on selected akiya
  • Post-handover renovation payment plans
  • 0% brokerage commission on partner listings
  • Investor-friendly terms with transparent yields
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Sample plan

1% / month

  • 10%

    Deposit

  • PAY IN 3 TO 4 YEARS

    60%

    During renovation

  • 30%

    On handover

*Indicative. Actual plans vary by property and partner lender.

Our partners

Yadori Estate is the search engine. Licensed partners handle the purchase.

Our partners

hanamori
LICENSED JAPANESE REAL ESTATE BROKERAGE

Our purchase partner. When you find the right property, Hanamori handles the Japanese side in English — enquiries, viewings, offers, contracts and aftersales support, from search to settlement.

“Mika answered every question twice over and never rushed us. Genuinely painless.” — Hendrik
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What you getFreeMember
Search, map & original listing linksIncludedIncluded
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Full English property write-up & detailsNot includedIncluded
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Comparable sales from 780,000+ sold recordsNot includedIncluded
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Listen

Articles You Can Listen To

Read or listen — every guide has an audio version you can play on the page or download as MP3.

All articles

Articles you can listen to

  • The Wall That Lets the Light ThroughAudio

    Architectural Styles·9 min read

    The Wall That Lets the Light Through

    A roll of shoji paper wide enough for two screens costs about ¥500 — and it still outperforms expectations in a house designed around it.

    Listen or read
  • The Doors That Are Also the WallsAudio

    Architectural Styles·9 min read

    The Doors That Are Also the Walls

    Fusuma are the sliding panels that divide a Japanese house and hide its storage. Learn how to read their condition before you buy.

    Listen or read
  • Anatomy of a Kyoto MachiyaAudio

    City Houses·11 min read

    Anatomy of a Kyoto Machiya

    Narrow front, deep plan, a courtyard in the middle. Why the townhouse plan works, and what it costs to bring one back.

    Listen or read
  • How to Read a Japanese RoofAudio

    Inspection·7 min read

    How to Read a Japanese Roof

    Tile, metal, thatch under metal — the roof tells you most of what you need to know about a vacant house before you step inside.

    Listen or read
  • Renovating a Kominka Without Losing ItAudio

    Renovation·13 min read

    Renovating a Kominka Without Losing It

    Insulation, foundations and earthquake bracing in a 90-year-old timber frame — where the money actually goes.

    Listen or read

What is an Akiya?

Akiya (空き家) means “empty house” in Japanese. With over 9 million vacant homes across the country, Japan’s akiya represent one of the most affordable entry points into property ownership — and foreigners can buy with the same rights as Japanese citizens, no visa required.

  • $0 – $31K

    Typical Price Range

    Some municipalities offer akiya for free. Rural homes commonly sell for ¥500,000–¥5,000,000 (about $3K–$31K).

  • No Restrictions

    Foreign Ownership

    Japan places no restrictions on foreign property ownership. Buy land and buildings outright, remotely, with a licensed agent.

  • 2,690+ Sources

    Akiya Banks & Agencies

    Yadori Estate aggregates municipal akiya banks and agency listings into one English-language search — 1,536,000+ properties across all 47 prefectures.

How it works

  1. 1 · Search & discover

    Browse all 47 prefectures with the map, filters and English descriptions.

  2. 2 · Save & get alerts

    Save searches and get daily email alerts when new properties match.

  3. 3 · Connect & purchase

    Buy through a licensed partner agent when you find the right one.

Frequently Asked Questions

Akiya (空き家) literally means "empty house". These are unoccupied properties found throughout Japan — in rural areas, small towns and sometimes cities. Japan has roughly 9 million vacant homes, about 14% of all housing stock, driven by an ageing population, a declining birth rate and migration towards cities. Akiya are often listed well below typical market prices, sometimes under ¥5,000,000, and a small number are offered for free through municipal programmes.

Yadori Estate is an independent, English-language search layer over the Japanese property market. We aggregate listings published by municipal akiya banks, regional agencies and national portals into one searchable index, translate the key fields, and add context — hazard maps, running costs and comparable sales — that Japanese listings usually leave out.

Yes. Japan places no nationality or residency restrictions on freehold ownership of land or buildings. You do not need a visa to buy, and you can complete a purchase remotely through a licensed agent with a power of attorney. Financing, not ownership, is the part that usually depends on your residency status.

A handful genuinely are. Some municipalities transfer houses for ¥0 through their akiya bank in exchange for a commitment to live in or renovate the property. In practice you still pay acquisition tax, registration fees, agent fees and — almost always — a renovation budget that dwarfs the purchase price.

Most rural akiya trade between ¥500,000 and ¥5,000,000 (roughly $3,000–$31,000). Habitable houses near a station or a ski area typically run ¥8,000,000–¥25,000,000. Budget an additional 7–10% of the purchase price for closing costs.

An akiya bank is a municipal register of vacant properties whose owners have asked the local government to help find a buyer or tenant. Each municipality runs its own, usually in Japanese only, with its own application process. We index them so you can search across all of them at once.

Searching, the map and the links to original listings are free, permanently. Membership adds unlimited property views, same-day access to new listings, full English write-ups, hazard and cost data, comparable sales and CSV export.

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