Step 0 · How buying a house in Japan works

Before you buy a house in Japan,learn how it actually works.

Most foreign buyers jump straight into listings. The hard part comes later, when the deal has to pass through 7 parties in Japan who all have to say yes, in a process most of them have never run with a buyer overseas.

Miniature model of a Japanese residential street corner with a two-storey house, block wall and carport

Read this before you start searching. In a few minutes you will know who is involved, who is responsible for each step, and how your money moves the whole time. Then you can search like a buyer who knows what happens next, with one English-speaking team in Japan running the agents, scriveners, and banks, and a regulated Japanese trust company holding your purchase funds.

Start my Japan journey Show me how my money is handled

English-speaking team.

One team in Japan, from your first search to the keys, whichever prefecture you end up in.

Yen of yours in our account.

Purchase funds sit with a licensed Japanese trust company. We have no access to them at any point.

Commission or kickbacks.

We earn from membership and fixed-price services, so what we make never depends on the price you pay.

Prefectures covered.

Licensed local professionals, through 300+ partners we vetted ourselves.

Buyers who did this

Hundreds of foreign buyers followed this exact process and now own homes in Japan.

Every story below started where you are now. Living outside Japan, not reading the language, and unsure who to trust with a transfer that size. They ran the process on this page, our team in Japan handled the licensed parties, a regulated Japanese trust company held the money, and they got the keys. What follows is in their words.

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Real reviews from members who used AkiyaHub to navigate buying a home in Japan.

7 “wait... who's handling that?” moments in a Japan property deal.

These are the questions that stall serious overseas buyers, usually after they have already fallen for a house. In most deals the answers are vague and the work lands back on you. Here every one of them has a named professional attached to it.

Who is my licensed agent?

Buy from overseas and you can reach contract day without ever being sure who is officially on your side. We go to the buyer-side licensed Japanese brokerage that fits the property you picked, and we brief them. Over a long search that may be several different agents. You deal with AkiyaHub throughout.

Who checks the property?

Listing photos are all most foreign buyers ever see. Our team drives to the house, films it, and researches ownership, risks, and what the neighborhood is like before you commit a yen.

Who makes sure I know what I am signing?

Japanese purchase contracts are signed at Japanese speed, in Japanese. We prepare an English Companion Guide alongside the original so you can read the whole deal before anyone puts a seal on it.

Who makes sure the title ends up in my name?

Get this step wrong and you can pay in full and still not be the legal owner. A government-licensed judicial scrivener verifies identity, runs the title checks, and registers the transfer into your name.

Where does my money sit before closing?

Plenty of deals run buyer funds through an agent or seller account. Yours go to a regulated Japanese trust company, licensed and supervised to hold client money. We never hold it and we cannot touch it.

What if I cannot be in Japan on contract day?

Then someone signs for you. We appoint a signer under a Power of Attorney written for that one transaction, and they do not sign until the papers match what you approved.

Who coordinates all of these people?

Otherwise you do, in a language you do not speak, across a time difference. We run the timeline, keep every party aligned, and update you in English so the deal moves without you chasing anyone.

2 search paths

You can do the searching.Or you can hand it to us.

This is the only fork in the road. The search work differs. The viewing and offer support are identical, and once the seller accepts, both paths run the same process through to the keys.

Miniature model of a desk with a laptop showing a map of Japan, a notebook, and a model Japanese house

Path 1

You do the searching

You know the areas you want and roughly what you are looking for. You search at your own pace with our tools and bring us the properties worth acting on. We check each one and take over the moment you want to move.

Best forBuyers who know Japan, know their areas, and want to drive the search themselves.

1
You Do the Searching
Browse properties using our Map Search, Quick Search, or Property Feed. You can also find properties on external sites and share the links with us to add them to your list.
2
Basic Inquiry
We contact the listing agent as your bilingual coordinator to verify availability, confirm pricing, check seller openness to a foreign buyer, capture key property details, and help position you as serious.
3
Comprehensive Report
Detailed investigation covering ownership status, liens, legal concerns, hidden costs, neighborhood insights, and offer context with non-binding discussion points to consider with the seller's agent. Goes beyond the property itself into the surrounding area.

Miniature model of a small white van and camera tripod outside a Japanese house during a property visit

Path 2

Our team searches for you

You do not know where to buy yet, and you would like to find out faster than a year of browsing. We start with a call to pin down your criteria, then search, check, and present properties to you every week, with strategy calls, until you pick one.

Best forBuyers who want a team to define the brief, do the searching, and manage the whole purchase.

1
Onboarding Call
A working call to pin down what you are after, test it against what the current market will give you, and set the direction of the search.
2
Review hundreds. Present the best 3.
Each week, we review hundreds of listings against your brief, run the same Basic Inquiry and Comprehensive Report work on the strongest candidates, and present the best three matches.
Includes the same inquiry, verification, due diligence, ownership, legal, cost, and area checks shown in Path 1.
3
Review & Refine
A call to review the week's matches and sharpen the brief. The cycle repeats until something is worth acting on.

Both paths continue together

Whoever finds the house, the next part is identical.

Once you pick a property worth acting on, our team runs the same verification, the same walkthrough, and the same offer preparation.

4
Video Walkthrough
Our team travels to the property for a detailed video walkthrough, capturing high-quality photos and video with expert commentary on condition and surroundings. A first-person perspective without travel.
5
Offer Submission
We bring in the licensed Japanese brokerage that suits that property to draft your formal offer and the required legal documents. AkiyaHub verifies supporting documents and runs the bilingual communication between you, your buyer-side agent, and the seller's agent.

After the seller accepts your offer, both paths continue through the same 12 steps.

Who does what

We do not replacethe licensed Japanese agent.We make the Japanese systemwork for you.

A Japanese property purchase always involves several regulated parties. The only question is whether you have to manage them yourself, in Japanese, from another time zone.

YouEverything in English

AkiyaHub

Your English-speaking advisory team

Your buyer-side agent

Vetted, licensed, and works on your behalf

Judicial scrivener

Verifies title and registers ownership

Escrow partner

Holds your funds in trust

Your appointed signer

Already read your contract. Will not sign if it has changed

The other side of the table

Seller's agentHolds the direct contract with the seller

SellerThe property owner

We handle every one of these parties in Japanese. You get one thread, in English.

Buyer (You)

The decision maker. You choose the property, the price, and the terms. Every other party works to your instructions.

AkiyaHub (Advisory Team)

Your English-speaking advisory team, and the only party you have to deal with. For each property we bring in the licensed Japanese brokerage that suits that house, then keep every licensed party aligned through to the keys.

Seller Agent (Direct Source)

The agent who holds the direct contract with the seller. We locate and work specifically with them to avoid 'listing agent' middlemen chains and extra fees.

Judicial Scrivener

The legal safety net. A government-licensed professional who verifies identities and registers the official ownership transfer (deed).

Licensed Escrow Partner

A regulated Japanese trust company registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau since 2014. Holds purchase funds separately from AkiyaHub, the agent, and the seller, and releases them only on agreed conditions.

Your Appointed Signer

The party you appoint under a transaction-specific Power of Attorney. They read your contract before the appointment and sign only if the papers match. Never the seller's agent.

Seller

The property owner. We manage this delicate relationship through the Seller Agent to ensure they feel comfortable selling to a foreign buyer.

Certified Japan Home Steward

A local company, certified and audited by AkiyaHub, that checks the house on a schedule, handles the Japan-side bills and notices, and has the home ready before you arrive.

Insurance Provider

Provides Fire and Earthquake insurance. Critical asset protection immediately upon closing.

Every step

The 12 steps from accepted offerto the deed in your hands.

The same process map our members follow inside the platform, with nothing held back until you pay. Counting the search phase in front of it, a full purchase runs to 17 steps. The 2 points where your money moves are marked in red.

Contract

7-10 Days

6
Transfer EMD
Your money moves here
Transfer the Earnest Money Deposit to a licensed escrow account, not to AkiyaHub, not to the agent.
7
Review Contract Docs
You review the Purchase Agreement and the legally required Important Matters Explanation with an English Companion Guide alongside each Japanese original, prepared by our bilingual team for practical accuracy. A companion guide is not a certified or legal translation.
8
Power of Attorney
Sign a Power of Attorney written for this single transaction, so your appointed signer can attend the required appointments. Most often that is an independent licensed brokerage, and it is never the agent representing the seller.
9
Contract Day
Your appointed signer attends having already reviewed your Japanese contract. If anything has been added or taken out, they do not sign until the papers match. AkiyaHub coordinates contract-day logistics, bilingual communication, document handoffs, and the required signing flow.

Miniature contract table with a sealed deposit envelope, matching contract folders, a property-specific Power of Attorney and a waiting name seal

Administration

3-5 Weeks

10
ID Verification
Video meeting with Judicial Scrivener (JS) for identity confirmation.
11
Docs & Affidavit
Documents prepared and mailed/emailed by Judicial Scrivener with our guidance. Complete and return with Notarized Affidavit.
12
Insurance & Steward Intro
Introduction to insurance partners and to a certified Japan Home Steward for the care of the house after closing.
13
Remaining Balance
Your money moves here
Transfer remaining purchase balance.

Miniature preparation desk with identity documents, a notarized affidavit and a sealed yen balance envelope

Closing

14
CLOSING
Simultaneous settlement. The Judicial Scrivener confirms the transaction is valid and executes the official ownership transfer, escrow releases the funds, and your appointed signer attends having already reviewed the papers. AkiyaHub coordinates the day.

Post Closing

15
Keys & Steward Handover
Handover of the keys and coordination with your certified Japan Home Steward so the house is looked after from day one.
16
Renovation (Optional)
Coordinate repairs yourself, or hand renovation project management to our team.
17
Deed Delivery
4-8 Weeks
Official Title Deed mailed to you (4-8 weeks later).

Miniature Japanese house with a secure keybox, an optional renovation plan and a deed envelope awaiting delivery

What we do

The work that makesa remote purchase possible.

Most of it happens where you cannot see it. Warming up agents who have never sold to a foreigner, chasing documents that exist only in Japanese, and holding a schedule together across time zones.

Miniature model of two property desks connected by a red telephone cord, with verification tokens between them

Before Offer

Basic Inquiry

The first filter, so you do not spend time or money on a dead listing or a seller who will not work with a foreign buyer. We call the listing agent in Japanese, confirm the basics, warm up the relationship, and find out whether that side is realistically open to an overseas buyer.

Confirms availability, current price, ownership type, rebuildability, verified address, map details, and important agent notes when available.
Checks whether the seller and listing agent are open to a foreign buyer, which is one of the most common blockers in Japan.
Keeps you off properties that are already sold, materially changed, or going nowhere.
Starts the relationship in Japanese, so the listing agent files you as a serious buyer from the first call.

Miniature model of property, hazard, utility and neighborhood research converging into one bound report

Before Offer

Comprehensive Report

A cheap house in Japan is usually cheap for a reason, and the reason is almost never in the listing. The Comprehensive Report finds it before you spend money on a viewing, an offer, a flight, or a contract. We pull the property, the area, the costs, the risks, and the pricing context into one document you can decide from.

Ownership status, potential liens, visible risk signals, hidden costs, utilities, land value context, hazards, and neighborhood factors.
The questions worth raising before you offer, with non-binding offer context and discussion points for the seller-side agent.
Enough context to tell a genuine opportunity from a house you would spend years regretting.

Verified pre-contract research based on information available from multiple parties at the time. Not a legally binding disclosure and not a home inspection.

Miniature cutaway Japanese house with a camera following a marked route from the street through the interior

Before Offer

Viewing

Photos on Japanese listing sites rarely tell the whole story. A viewing gives you a practical, first-person look at the property and surroundings before you decide whether to keep moving. For many overseas buyers, remote viewing is the best way to evaluate multiple homes without traveling too early. Most of our buyers never set foot in Japan until after closing.

Includes detailed video, photos, neighborhood context, access notes, and practical observations from the visit.
Catches the obvious concerns: layout surprises, access issues, surrounding conditions, or a reason to dig further.
Lets you compare properties quickly and save the travel for a shortlist worth flying for.

A visual documentation service, not a home inspection. We do not diagnose structural, termite, moisture, electrical, plumbing, or code issues.

Miniature model of buyer materials moving through a licensed brokerage desk to the seller side on a document rail

Before Offer

Offer Submission

Once you decide to move forward, the offer is prepared by the licensed Japanese brokerage we have put on the buyer side for that property. AkiyaHub organizes the supporting materials, verifies the required buyer documents, and runs the bilingual communication so the offer reaches the right people in the right form.

Your buyer-side licensed Japanese brokerage prepares the formal offer and the required legal documents.
AkiyaHub runs the English and Japanese communication between you, your buyer-side agent, and the seller's agent.
Keeps the momentum after you decide to offer, while final price and terms remain your decision and the seller's.

Contract

Contract Day

Contract Day can feel intimidating because the documents, explanations, stamps, timing, and parties involved are all operating in Japanese. If you cannot be there, your appointed signer attends under a Power of Attorney written for this transaction, having read your contract in advance. Our role is to keep the process clear, organized, and coordinated with the licensed professionals involved.

Appoints your signer for contract-day attendance when you cannot be there, briefed on your contract before the appointment.
Coordinates bilingual communication, scheduling, document handoffs, stamps, signing flow, and remote or in-person logistics.
Works around the licensed real estate professionals and judicial scrivener so each party has what they need.
Gets you through the contract appointment with less confusion and fewer last-minute surprises.

Closing

Closing Day

Closing is the final handoff, where funds, registration, ownership transfer, keys, and post-closing logistics all need to line up. If you cannot be there, your appointed signer attends under the Power of Attorney, having reviewed the papers for that day. We coordinate the moving pieces with the judicial scrivener and the other parties so the day is organized and communication stays clear.

Your appointed signer attends closing when you cannot be there, having reviewed the papers in advance.
Coordinates closing-day communication, final document logistics, ownership transfer handoffs, and key handover.
Supports remote or in-person closing logistics with the judicial scrivener and local parties.
Connects the purchase to what comes next, including deed delivery, a certified Japan Home Steward, and ongoing ownership setup.

Where your money goes

Your purchase money never touches AkiyaHub.

Buying from overseas usually means wiring millions of yen to someone you have never met and hoping. We built this part of the process so you never have to do that.

Miniature trust safe holding a sealed yen packet inside a separate locked compartment, beyond AkiyaHub's red coordination cord

Purchase funds are held by our licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust company registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau since 2014.

A trust business is licensed and supervised by government authorities. It is required by law to keep client funds separate from its own and to release them only under conditions set in advance. That is a much higher bar than a company bank account, and it is the reason we send you there. AkiyaHub does not hold your purchase funds and has no access to them.

Verify Japan's current list of licensed trust companies

Kept separate from company funds
Released only on agreed conditions
Protected if something goes wrong elsewhere

How the money moves

Contract Day deposit

After your offer is accepted you transfer the Earnest Money Deposit, usually 10% of the accepted price, to the licensed escrow partner. It does not go to AkiyaHub and it does not go to the agent.

In Japan this deposit is typically released to the seller on Contract Day once the contract is finalized. In many countries earnest money sits in escrow until closing, so expect this one to catch you out.

Before Closing Day

The remaining balance goes to the escrow partner in advance, because international transfers take time and the funds must be in JPY inside Japan before the closing appointment.

That balance usually covers the remaining property payment, prorated property taxes, broker fees, judicial scrivener fees, and registration taxes.

Closing Day, simultaneous settlement

The judicial scrivener confirms the transaction is valid, ownership transfer is initiated and legally recorded, and only then does escrow release funds to the seller and the other parties.

The final payment is never released early. Money and ownership move together. In Japanese this moment is called 決済, kessai.

What escrow costs

Two handling fees of JPY 22,000 each, one for the deposit transfer and one for the final payment. JPY 44,000 in total, set by the licensed escrow partner. It covers secure handling of funds, verification steps, and coordinated release on closing day.

One more layer than the law requires.

Japan’s closing system is sound. The law requires an Important Matters Explanation before you sign, a judicial scrivener verifies ownership and identity, and simultaneous settlement keeps money and ownership moving together. All of it was built for buyers who live here and can walk into the office. You are buying from another country, in a language you do not read, so we add custody on top.

Ask anyone, not just us

6 questions to askbefore you send a single yen.

Ask these of us, and ask them of every other agent or platform you talk to. How someone answers will tell you more than their entire website.

Q01

Who actually holds my money between contract and closing?

Get a name and a role, not a reassurance. In practice the answer is a licensed trust company, the brokerage’s own account, or somebody’s personal account. Only the first one is custody.

Q02

Are they licensed to hold client money in Japan, and under which license?

Holding client money in trust is a regulated activity in Japan. A company doing it properly is registered as a trust business with a Local Finance Bureau, and custody-only work sits under a 管理型信託業 registration. Our escrow partner is registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau and has been since 2014.

Q03

Can I verify that license myself?

Yes, and you should. Japan’s Financial Services Agency publishes the full public list of licensed and registered trust companies. If a company says it holds your money in trust and is not on that list, that is your answer.

Q04

Whose name is on the account, and who can move the money?

Client funds at a trust company are kept separate from the company’s own money and can only be released on the conditions agreed in advance. Ask whether one party can move your funds alone. With a trust structure, nobody can.

Q05

What exactly has to be true before the money is released?

You want conditions, not goodwill. In our structure the final payment is released at simultaneous settlement, once the judicial scrivener has confirmed the closing conditions and ownership transfer is underway.

Q06

What happens to my money if the deal collapses?

The answer is in your contract, in a clause that is easy to skim past. Read it before you sign. It carries the most expensive wrong answer on this page.

The part nobody discloses

Late money does not just cost you the deposit.

Most overseas buyers assume the worst case is losing their earnest money. That is only the first stage. Japanese purchase contracts have two of them.

Before the cancellation deadline set in your contract, walking away generally costs you the deposit, typically 5 to 10 percent of the price.

After that date, or once either side has begun performance, a failure to complete falls under the contract’s penalty clause. That is commonly 10 to 20 percent of the purchase price, and it is capped at 20 percent when the seller is a licensed real estate business. The deposit is normally credited toward the penalty, so a 20 percent penalty against a 10 percent deposit means losing the deposit and owing a further 10 percent. Settling late can also trigger late-payment damages on top.

The most common way a foreign buyer stumbles into that second stage is money arriving late.

International transfers take days, Japanese banks settle on weekdays only, and a large transfer can sit while your own bank asks questions. So we move your funds into the licensed Japanese trust account early. By closing day the money is in the country, in yen, verified, and ready to release.

Percentages above reflect common market practice, not a rule that applies to every deal. Your actual exposure is whatever your signed contract says. AkiyaHub is not a law firm and this is not legal advice, which is why we walk you through these clauses in English before you sign anything.

Miniature transfer envelope approaching a red closing deadline on a brass calendar from overseas

Miniature property-specific Power of Attorney connecting a remote buyer to an independent appointed signer, separate from the seller side

Who signs when you are not there

Your Power of Attorneyshould not be a favor from a friend.

When a seller or broker requires a signer to be physically present and you cannot fly in, someone has to sign in your place. This is the choice buyers get wrong most often, and the wrong answer is a friend in Japan doing you a favor.

Your signer is appointed for one specific transaction under a Power of Attorney written for it, and you know who it is before you sign. Most often we appoint an independent licensed brokerage, deliberately separate from the agent selling you the house. Sometimes it is your own buyer-side agent, where they are one of our trusted partners. Occasionally it is us.

They already know Japanese real estate terms. They have already read your contract. They will not sign if it has changed.

It is never the agent representing the seller. The person signing for you is never on the other side of the table.
The POA is written for a single transaction. It is not general authority over your affairs.
They review your Japanese contract before the appointment, so they know what should be on the table.
If anything has been added, taken out, or changed, they stop. They do not sign until the papers match.
They do not negotiate terms and do not give legal advice. Their job is to verify the papers, then sign.

Acting as your appointed signer is not in itself a licensed activity in Japan. We normally appoint a licensed brokerage anyway, because it is what the other side expects and it keeps the role at arm’s length from the sale. Attendance appears as its own line in your cost breakdown, with its own price.

The part people underestimate

Notarized in person.In yen. On the right day.

Two things catch overseas buyers out more than anything else. The first is who goes on the deed and what each of those people has to produce. The second is how a large sum of foreign currency reaches Japan on the day it is needed. Neither is difficult once you know. Both are expensive to discover late.

Miniature divided preparation desk with complete owner document kits, a notary press, a yen packet and a closing deadline

Every name on the deed multiplies the paperwork

Each title holder needs their own complete set of documents: a notarized affidavit, a passport, a second photo ID, and proof of address. Adding your spouse to the deed does not add one form, it adds a full set.

Online and remote notarization is not accepted. It has to be done in person.
The name on the affidavit must match your passport character for character, including a spelled-out middle name.
Keep the original notarized affidavit. It is needed at closing.

Getting the money there is its own project

Most people budget for the purchase price and forget that getting the money to Japan is a project of its own. It runs as a sequence of transfers against hard deadlines, and on a sum this size the exchange rate becomes a decision you have to make.

Funds must arrive in JPY, inside Japan, before closing day. Japanese banks settle on weekdays only.
Large international transfers can trigger documentation requests from your own bank, so they have to start early.
Wise is a delivery rail, not an escrow service. It moves your money to the licensed escrow partner.
You do not need a Japanese bank account to complete a purchase.

After the keys

You get the keys.Then you own a house in a country you do not live in.

The deed arrives 4 to 8 weeks later. Meanwhile the bills, the notices, and the building itself carry on without you, in Japanese.

Miniature Japanese house with a secure keybox, arriving bills and a deed envelope awaiting delivery

Japan Home Stewardship

Your home in Japan needs someone in Japan.

A property manager is hired to run a building for profit. Place tenants, collect rent, keep a unit earning. None of that describes an empty family home waiting for your next visit, so we built a stewardship program around what a home like yours needs.

A certified Japan Home Steward is a local company we have checked and approved, entrusted with your house and answerable to you. AkiyaHub designs the program, sets the national standard, and certifies and audits the Steward who delivers it. We do not manage your home ourselves, which is how the same checklists and the same standard apply wherever in Japan you buy.

Bright aired-out Japanese interior after a property check

Keep the house checked

Scheduled visits against a fixed checklist: ventilation, running the water, pests, damp, the exterior and the garden, storm damage, and anything the neighbors would notice. You get a written report and a video walkthrough.

Organized desk with Japanese property documents and bills

Keep the bills and admin organized

Utilities, property taxes, building fees, and the Japanese-language notices that arrive at the house. Your Steward handles the Japan side and explains it to you in English.

Warm arrival-ready Japanese vacation home interior

Keep the home ready to use

Arrival preparation, cleaning, deliveries and setup, and coordinating contractors when something needs fixing. You land, and the house is aired, warm, and ready.

Property costs run through an owner-funded expense advance, with an itemized ledger per property showing the opening balance, every payment and receipt, and what is left. Beyond a small emergency limit you set yourself, nothing is paid without your written approval. That advance is not a deposit account, an escrow account, or a bank account, and it is entirely separate from the purchase escrow described above.

See how Home Stewardship works

How we are paid

2 things we do not do.

Everyone helping you buy a house has an incentive. Here is ours. An agent paid on commission earns more when you spend more, and earns nothing at all if you walk away. Neither of those is true here.

We never hold your money

Purchase funds go to a licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust company that keeps client funds separate and releases them only on agreed conditions. We have no access to your money at any point. We could not move it if we wanted to.

We never take a percentage

Zero commission and zero kickbacks from agents or sellers. A JPY 3M akiya and a JPY 30M house earn us exactly the same, so nobody here has a reason to talk you into the more expensive one.

We are paid the same whether you buy the first house you see, the twelfth, or none of them. Telling you to walk away from a bad one costs us nothing.

See what membership and services cost

Side by side

AkiyaHub vs. a traditionalEnglish-speaking agent.

We work with licensed Japanese agents on every purchase. The difference is the model, which we built for buyers who are not in the room.

The questions buyers ask before they commit.

Straight answers about money, licensing, signing, and what we can and cannot do.

Where does my money go when I buy through AkiyaHub?

Your purchase funds go to a licensed escrow partner, a regulated Japanese trust company registered with the Kanto Local Finance Bureau since 2014. AkiyaHub never holds your purchase funds and has no access to them. The Earnest Money Deposit is transferred at the contract stage and, as is standard in Japan, is typically released to the seller on Contract Day once the contract is finalized. The remaining balance is transferred to the escrow partner before closing and is released only once the judicial scrivener confirms the closing conditions and ownership transfer begins.

How do I check that an escrow provider is licensed in Japan?

Holding client money in trust is a regulated activity in Japan. Companies that do it are licensed or registered as trust businesses with a Local Finance Bureau, and custody-only work sits under a 管理型信託業 registration. Japan’s Financial Services Agency publishes the full public list of licensed trust companies and registered custody-type trust companies, so you can verify any provider’s claim yourself on that public list.

What happens if my money arrives late for closing?

It can be expensive, and it rarely gets explained up front. Before the cancellation deadline set in your contract, backing out generally costs you the earnest money deposit. After that date, or once either side has begun performance, a failure to complete falls under the contract’s penalty clause, commonly 10 to 20 percent of the purchase price and capped at 20 percent where the seller is a licensed real estate business. The deposit is normally credited toward that penalty, so a 20 percent penalty against a 10 percent deposit means losing the deposit and owing a further 10 percent. Late settlement can also trigger late-payment damages. Your actual exposure is whatever your contract says, which is why we walk you through those clauses in English before you sign.

What happens if the purchase does not go through?

Whether a deposit can be returned depends on the contract terms and the timing of the cancellation, which are set out in the Purchase Agreement you review before signing. We walk you through those terms in English before contract day so you understand your position before money moves.

Who signs the contract if I cannot fly to Japan?

When a seller or broker requires a signer to be physically present, you appoint a signer under a Power of Attorney written for that single transaction. Acting as your appointed signer is not in itself a licensed activity in Japan, but we normally appoint an independent licensed brokerage anyway, because it is what the other side expects and it keeps the role at arm's length from the sale. Sometimes it is your own buyer-side agent where they are one of our trusted partners, and occasionally it is AkiyaHub. It is never the agent representing the seller. Whoever attends has read your contract in advance and signs only if the papers match. They do not negotiate terms or provide legal advice. Attendance is charged as its own line in your cost breakdown.

Is AkiyaHub a real estate agent or brokerage?

No. AkiyaHub does not hold a Japanese real estate brokerage license and is not a licensed Japanese real estate transaction business. We do not conduct mediation, agency, Important Matters Explanation, or contract execution. Purchase and sale contracts are concluded through qualified licensed real estate transaction businesses. AkiyaHub is your English-speaking coordinator across the whole transaction.

Who represents me if AkiyaHub is not the brokerage?

For each property, we engage a licensed Japanese brokerage on the buyer side that suits that house and that area. They prepare the formal offer and required legal documents. You stay with AkiyaHub. We coordinate that agent and the other licensed parties, so you deal with one English-speaking team even if the agent changes.

Does AkiyaHub take a commission on my purchase?

No. We take zero commission and zero kickbacks from agents or sellers. We earn from membership and fixed-price services you choose, so what we earn does not change based on the price of the property you buy, or on whether you buy at all.

Do I have to do the searching myself?

No. There are two paths. You can search yourself with our tools and bring us properties to verify and act on, or our team can define your criteria with you and then source, vet, and present properties to you every week with strategy calls until you choose one. From the accepted offer onward, both paths follow the same process.

Can I really buy a home in Japan without flying there?

Yes. Most of our buyers never set foot in Japan until after closing. Remote video walkthroughs let you evaluate properties, and your appointed signer attends contract day and closing on your behalf. They read the contract in advance, and nothing gets signed that you have not approved. In-person attendance is available if you prefer it.

Do I need to speak Japanese?

No. Most of our members do not. AkiyaHub is English-first and our bilingual team coordinates the Japanese-side communication and documents with the licensed parties involved.

Do I need a Japanese bank account to buy?

No. You do not need a Japanese bank account to buy a property in Japan. What matters is that the funds arrive in JPY, inside Japan, before closing day, and we walk you through the transfer route and the timing.

What happens after I get the keys?

You own a house in a country you may not live in, which brings local bills, notices, and a building that may sit empty for months. Japan Home Stewardship is our certified program for that. A local Steward we have approved checks the house on a schedule, keeps the bills and Japanese-language paperwork organized, and has the home ready before you arrive. AkiyaHub sets and audits the standard, and the Steward does the work.

How long does the whole process take?

From accepted offer, contract is typically 7 to 10 days, administration runs 3 to 5 weeks, and then closing takes place. The official title deed arrives 4 to 8 weeks after closing. The search phase in front of it depends on which path you take.

Your move

You know how it works now.The next thing to find out is whether the house you want exists.

Start with a free Japan Market Match Snapshot. We check your budget, your areas, and your must-haves against active listings across Japan, and tell you whether what you want exists at the price you have in mind.

Get my free snapshot See pricing

Free to start. No commission, ever, on whatever you end up buying.

AkiyaHub is owned and operated by Kintsugi Group GK. AkiyaHub does not hold a Japanese real estate brokerage license and is not a licensed Japanese real estate transaction business. We do not conduct mediation, agency, Important Matters Explanation, or contract execution. Purchase and sale contracts are concluded through qualified licensed real estate transaction businesses. We provide advisory, education, research, and transaction-support tools, and do not provide brokerage, legal, financial, appraisal, or certified translation services. Nothing on this page is legal, tax, or financial advice.