--- type: Marketing Page title: "Akiya Hunter Safari | AkiyaHub" description: A full day out of Tokyo with Shu and the AkiyaHub Advisory Team. See five deliberately different kinds of akiya in the wild, on a private chartered bus with dinner at the end. Fifteen Akiya Hunters, application only. resource: https://akiyahub.com/safari tags: - akiyahub - akiya-hunter-safari - chiba - events - japan-property status: stable stale_after: 2027-01-31 generated: by: process:akiyahub-public-markdown at: 2026-09-21T00:00:00Z sources: - resource: https://akiyahub.com/safari --- # Akiya Hunter Safari: a full day visiting akiya in Chiba A full day out of Tokyo with Shu and the AkiyaHub Advisory Team. Fifteen Akiya Hunters ride a private chartered bus through Chiba, walk through five deliberately different kinds of akiya in the wild, and finish with dinner back in the city. Every ticket is application only, and applications are reviewed as they arrive. [Apply for a ticket](https://akiyahub.com/safari#safari-application). Questions go to support@akiyahub.com. ## Table of Contents - [Why this day exists](#why-this-day-exists) - [The trip at a glance](#the-trip-at-a-glance) - [The five kinds of property](#the-five-kinds-of-property) - [The day, start to finish](#the-day-start-to-finish) - [What the ticket includes](#what-the-ticket-includes) - [Tickets and prices](#tickets-and-prices) - [Who it is for](#who-it-is-for) - [Who should skip it](#who-should-skip-it) - [Filming](#filming) - [How to apply](#how-to-apply) - [Frequently asked questions](#frequently-asked-questions) - [Related reading](#related-reading) - [Sources](#sources) - [Last verified](#last-verified) ## Why this day exists Most visitors ask to see houses. Agents must judge if a sale can close. That gap is why casual viewings rarely happen. - Being ready to view is not the same as being ready to buy. - An agent who does not know you cannot tell if you have papers, funds, and a plan. - Identity papers, a notarized affidavit, a Japanese contact, a payment route, and settlement timing all matter. - There is no standard escrow here like the one at home, and most local agents have never arranged one. - AkiyaHub works with the listing agent, explains who the buyer is, and coordinates documents, payment route, calls, contract day, and settlement with licensed professionals. - Every Safari ticket is vetted on a call, so owners and agents know who is coming. ## The trip at a glance - **Group:** 15 Akiya Hunters maximum on the bus, including couples. The cap does not move. - **Properties:** 5 stops planned. Five standout properties. One day. Our team with you at every stop. Every stop must still be actively for sale and accessible on the day. Three stops is the minimum program. - **Date:** Chiba, exact date TBA. Hold 16 to 31 January 2027. The day is fixed only after all fifteen tickets are confirmed, so expect short notice. - **Logistics:** One pickup point in Tokyo, out early, every hour planned, chartered bus all day with snacks and water on board, dinner back in Tokyo in the evening. There is no lunch stop. - **Team:** Shu Matsuo Post plus the AkiyaHub Advisory Team, with the group for the full day. - **Camera:** The whole day is filmed for a multi-episode series on YouTube. Appearing on camera is required, with no way to opt out. ## The five kinds of property The route runs from a place that needs gutting to one you could sleep in that night, so you stop guessing from thumbnails and see what each kind of property is actually like. These describe the kinds of property the team shortlists from, not confirmed event listings. No asking prices are published in advance, because the final stops are set close to the date. You get the real numbers at every stop, with what the area gives you, the likely renovation scope and where the risk sits, and how each type holds up as a holiday place, a base, or something you rent out. - **The heavy renovation project:** Cheap, or expensive in disguise? The category everyone finds first online and nobody can judge from photographs. - **The country house you pictured:** Holiday place, or somewhere you live? Tile-clad with deep tiled eaves and a proper wooden entrance. - **The move-in-ready family home:** The one everybody scrolls past. A 1990s house with a carport, a gate, and nothing much wrong with it. - **The newer detached house:** Buy cheap and spend, or buy finished? Better street, room for two cars, no renovation to plan for. - **The condo:** A completely different kind of ownership. Lock up and leave, with a management company and monthly fees instead of a roof to worry about. AkiyaHub does not represent the sellers of anything on the route and is not paid if you buy one of them, so you get the problems stated as plainly as the appeal. If one of the five turns out to be the one, the team will help you go after it. ## The day, start to finish - **Two weeks before, on a call:** A half-hour video briefing about your budget band, your compromises, and what is keeping you from moving. You get a short written brief back, and the team holds it while walking you through each property. - **Morning, one pickup point in Tokyo:** Everyone gets on the bus. From that moment until the evening drop back, the day is arranged. - **Late morning, the first two houses:** You learn how to read a house on the easy one. The team walks the first stop slowly and out loud, and you fill in the printed Field Guide while standing in the room. The second house is where comparison starts paying off. - **Afternoon, three more stops:** The ones that change minds. Something that photographs beautifully with problems behind the cupboard doors. Something nobody would click on that turns out to be the smartest thing you see all day. Something with a real renovation load, so you can put a number and a timeline against it. - **Evening, back in Tokyo:** Dinner and the debrief. A round of the table on which property surprised you, then an open Q&A on purchase taxes and ongoing costs, how funds move for a cash purchase, what a foreign buyer can and cannot do, what happens between an accepted offer and a key, and how long it all takes. - **Within a week, a private call:** Your 90-day plan. Criteria revised against what you reacted to, the areas worth your attention, an honest read on your budget, and the next three things you do. ## What the ticket includes - The pre-trip briefing call and your written brief. - The chartered bus from Tokyo and back, with snacks and water on board. - Access to up to five properties, agreed in advance with the agents and owners. Five arranged, at least three guaranteed. - A full day with Shu and the AkiyaHub Advisory Team: briefing, every walkthrough, the bus between stops, and dinner. - The printed Field Guide: every property on the route with asking price, typical renovation ranges, and the pros and cons of each area. - Live Like a Local, the 161-page handbook, printed and bound to take home. - Dinner in Tokyo and the open evening Q&A. - A private follow-up call and written 90-day plan within a week of the trip. - Twelve months of AkiyaHub membership: a new 12-month membership, or a 12-month extension if you already have one. ## Tickets and prices - **One ticket: $3,997.** Everything above for one Akiya Hunter. - **Bring your partner: $3,997 + $999 ($4,996 for two).** The add-on covers the second ticket, a second Field Guide and handbook, and a follow-up call you take together, on one shared 12-month AkiyaHub membership. Both of you count against the cap of fifteen. - **Selection first:** Nobody is asked for money before they have a ticket. Full payment is then due inside a 72-hour hold. - **Date confirmation:** The day is set only after all fifteen tickets are confirmed. Hold 16 to 31 January 2027 and expect short notice. Applying means you can travel on any day inside that window. - **Attendee cancellation:** Fully refundable up to 60 days before the event. Inside 60 days it is non-refundable, including if the confirmed day turns out not to suit you, because the access and the crew are already booked. Tickets are not transferable. - **If AkiyaHub cannot deliver:** If the minimum program cannot run, which includes dropping below three properties, you get a rescheduled date or a full refund of the ticket, your choice. - **100% ticket credit toward Japan Akiya Assist:** Start Japan Akiya Assist within 30 days of the trip and 100% of your ticket is credited toward the program. ## Who it is for - You are planning your first or next trip to Japan, you know you want a house here someday, and you have no real idea where to start. - You have been to Japan already but you are stuck on what type of place: rural house, town house, condo, or renovation project. - You need to stand inside real properties before you can honestly set a budget, a type, or a timeline. - You are seriously planning to buy in Japan within about 12 to 24 months, and you are comfortable being on camera for the day. ## Who should skip it - You want a private viewing of one specific house you have already found. - You need a licensed inspection report. This is a buyer-level evaluation, not an engineer's survey. - You would rather not appear on camera. Being filmed and interviewed is required, with no way to opt out. - You cannot keep 16 to 31 January 2027 open and travel on short notice once the date is locked. - You are casually curious about Japan and not seriously planning a purchase in the next couple of years. You never needed this to buy with AkiyaHub. The team helps people buy in Japan remotely every month, and plenty of members will never set foot on the bus. ## Filming A professional crew films the whole day: the briefing, the drive, every walkthrough, the comparisons between stops, and the debrief over dinner. On-camera interviews run throughout, and the footage is edited into a multi-episode series published on YouTube. Filming at each property is subject to seller permission, and every attendee is named in a formal participation release that is signed in AkiyaHub before the booking is confirmed. Once that release is signed, you cannot withdraw consent for footage already captured for the series. ## How to apply 1. **Create your free account.** Applications run through AkiyaHub, so the first step is a free account and a verified email. No membership purchase is required to apply. 2. **Apply.** A short application: what you are looking for, the budget band you are working in, roughly when you expect to buy, and confirmation that you can hold 16 to 31 January 2027. 3. **A 15-minute fit call.** Every application is read, and the team gets on a quick call. With only fifteen Akiya Hunters, who is on the bus matters as much as which properties are on the route. 4. **Your ticket is confirmed.** You get a 72-hour hold. Payment and the signed participation release complete the booking. You also complete Purchase Readiness before arrival. ## Frequently asked questions **Could I not just arrange something like this myself?** Realistically, no. Sellers list to sell rather than to show off, agents work their own patch on commission, and many of these properties are empty with access controlled by an owner who lives elsewhere. An agent also has to judge if the sale can close, not just if you want to look. Papers, a Japanese contact, a payment route, and settlement timing all matter, and money alone does not settle them. Getting several viewings in different towns inside a single day, as a foreign buyer, is not something you can book. **Are you trying to sell me one of these houses?** No, although the team can help if you want one. AkiyaHub does not represent the sellers and is not paid if you buy one of them. **Which properties will we see?** The exact homes are selected once the confirmed group is understood, then locked close to the date. Five deliberately different properties are arranged, with a minimum of three guaranteed. Live listings move, so a stop that sells beforehand is replaced wherever possible. **Do I have to be on camera?** Yes, and it is not optional. Appearing on camera and sitting down for interviews is part of taking a ticket. Every accepted attendee is named in a formal participation release, signed in AkiyaHub before the booking is confirmed. On a couple ticket, the primary applicant signs it for both of you. **How do people actually pay for these? Can I get a mortgage?** Assume a cash purchase. Japanese mortgage lending is generally not available to buyers who do not live in Japan. AkiyaHub is not a financial adviser and does not arrange lending. **Can a foreigner own property here, and does it get me a visa?** Foreign buyers can generally own property in Japan without being residents, and you do not need a visa to buy. Owning a property does not itself grant a visa, residency, or the right to live in Japan. **Do I need an AkiyaHub account to apply?** Yes. Create a free account and verify your email first. A paid membership is not required to apply, and a 12-month membership is part of the ticket if you are accepted. **Do I need to complete Purchase Readiness?** Yes. Before arrival, complete Purchase Readiness in your Message Center. It is a documentation check that confirms you hold every paper you need to buy. If you are not yet a subscriber when accepted, you will need to subscribe first, and the team will share a code for 100% off the first year of annual membership. **What food and transport are included?** The chartered bus from the Tokyo pickup point, the return to Tokyo, snacks and water on board, and dinner back in Tokyo. There is no lunch stop. Lodging, flights, and travel to the pickup point are not included. **What language is the day conducted in?** English. The team handles Japanese with agents and owners as needed. **Can I bring someone who is not buying?** The couple rate covers one buyer plus a partner or companion on a second ticket. Both people count against the cap of fifteen, and everyone on the bus has to be on the application. ## Related reading - [See how buying a house in Japan works](./how-it-works.md): Every step from search to keys, who is responsible for each part, and exactly where your purchase money is held. - [Read reviews from buyers who already bought](./proof.md): Verified reviews and member stories from people who bought with AkiyaHub. - [Compare membership plans](./pricing.md): Monthly and annual access, included credits, and optional property services. - [Try life in Tokyo first](./monthly-rentals.md): Live like a local for 30 days or more before making a bigger commitment. ## Sources - [Akiya Hunter Safari](https://akiyahub.com/safari): Full trip page with the itinerary, the five property types, tickets, and the application. ## Last verified 22 September 2026, against the live Akiya Hunter Safari page.