In this episode of the Buying a House in Japan podcast, the hosts celebrate their final in-person recording before switching to remote sessions. They reflect on their time together, especially Joey's recent experiences in Otaru, Japan—a place known for its cold weather, stunning scenery, and surprisingly excellent food scene, including standout Neapolitan pizza. Joey updates listeners on a property purchase in Otaru—a duplex with significant potential for Airbnb rentals or personal use. The discussion spans topics from the challenges of snow removal to the unique architecture of the area. They touch on the real estate market trends in Japan and introduce new features on their Amart platform, including sold data for better market insights. Exciting travel plans and personal anecdotes round out this episode, offering a blend of real estate advice, travel tips, and culinary delights.

00:00 A Bold Pizza Claim

00:24 Podcast Reunion and Future Plans

00:41 California Vibes and Sauna Mornings

01:14 Travel Tales: From Indonesia to Hokkaido

01:53 Property Purchase in Otaru

04:13 Exploring Otaru: Scenic Train Rides and Cold Weather

07:25 Otaru's Food Scene: From Seafood to Pizza

11:37 Challenges of Buying Property in Otaru

13:36 Exploring Dual-Purpose Living Spaces

14:22 Property Condition and Necessary Updates

15:25 Amart Seal of Approval: Nagasaki and Beyond

17:37 Real Estate Trends and Market Insights

21:08 Travel Plans and Personal Stories

26:27 New Features and Future Plans for Amart

Dear Diary Series: Otaru Akiya Project + Trip Recap

Exploring Business Ventures and Sauna Culture with Eric

In this episode of the Buying a House in Japan podcast, the hosts reunite with recurring guest Erick, a licensed contractor in the U.S. who is moving permanently to Niigata, Japan. The discussion covers Erik's impressions of California, comparisons between online and in-person interactions, and the emerging sauna culture in Japan. Eric shares his plans to build saunas in Japan, including potential challenges and preferences for heating units. The conversation shifts to insights from recent consultations, the experience of buying properties in Japan, and potential new ventures like a surf house in Tokushima or Miyazaki. The episode concludes with Erik's business endeavors, thoughts on rebranding the podcast, and upcoming events.

00:00 Welcome and Special Guest Introduction

00:45 First Impressions of California

01:43 The Sauna Culture in Japan

03:40 Building Saunas in Japan

08:22 Nagasaki House Buyer Experience

15:45 Consultations and Market Trends

17:07 Rebranding Discussion

18:57 Choosing a Business Name

20:21 The Process of Starting a Business in Japan

22:44 Exploring Business Opportunities in Japan

30:08 The Surf House Project

35:58 Future Plans and Reflections

In the House with Erik: From Saunas to Surf Houses

Japanese real estate investments—especially outside major metropolitan areas—can feel a bit like a crapshoot. But to economics professor Ninh Nguyen, there's a method to the madness.

In this episode, Ninh explains his market-timing model, steeped in layers of detailed market data; the relationship between the USD and JPY, the cash flow game of Japanese real estate, and the value of solid short-term rental strategies.

Follow along with Ninh's charts here:

https://drive.google.com/drive/folders/1h7dLXSrfivu63dn4eY_zGZtgS3Taz04k?usp=sharing

00:38 Introduciton

01:41 Ninh's properties

02:15 About Ninh

03:25 Explaining the model

08:03 Timing the market - Best time to buy?

09:28 Rate of change and decision making

12:19 Ninh's Ito property

15:25 Acquiring an Airbnb license

17:18 What didn't go as planned?

18:28 Payments & invoicing

20:30 How Ninh finds Airbnbs

25:45 Market predictions

AkiyaMart Buyers' Club: Timing the Market (featuring Master Investor Ninh Nguyen)

While celebrating Take's bachelor party in Indonesia, the work never stops. A key part of the AkiyaMart website goes down, and a mysterious series of notes is left inside one of their properties.

00:32 Introduction - On a beach in Indonesia

01:44 Debugging the AkiyaMart website on Indonesian internet

03:27 Our properties - Finally making money!

07:44 The return of Sato-san

11:39 Myoko - Struggles with a new build

14:49 Updates on the Nagasaki house

18:48 Our eyes are on Otaru

21:49 Reflecting back on our journey

Dear Diary Series: This Is What Happens When We Leave!

When it comes to Akiya, many look for a diamond in the rough—and Matt Guy's new home proves they exist. In this episode, Matt discusses how he found his property, the shifting market in Myoko, and the key things that must align for you to secure your dream home.

00:09 Introduction

02:14 Why Myoko?

03:10 Myoko snow: Like no other

04:44 Soon-to-be neighbors!

06:45 The shifting market in Myoko

08:07 Restaurants in Myoko

10:40 How locals feel

12:19 Matt's new property

13:35 Snowy Japan: A foreigner's bubble

16:36 Matt's property: Price & condition

21:21 Finding the property

26:01 Advice for buying in Myoko

Check out Matt's new property: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OSYRyN89erw

Finding an $18K Diamond in the Rough (featuring Matt Guy)

Imagine you sign with a real estate estate agent to sell your home—only to find out your agent also represents the buyer.

Among the many things Japan handles differently, real estate transactions can be an opaque if not unreliable experience. From difficulties in scheduling viewings to disappearing homeowners, AkiyaMart Direct agent Ryosuke Takemoto covers what he's learned dealing with foreign homebuyers, difficult seller's agents, and the infamous "Ryote" deals.

00:19 Introduction

01:47 What is a Ryote deal?

08:56 Navigating Ryote deals

14:48 Drowning in paperwork

15:46 Struggles and suspicions with real estate agents

17:53 How hard is it for foreign buyers?

20:04 Buying an Osaka udon shop

24:41 Where in Japan would Ryo buy?

The Double Agents of Japanese Real Estate (featuring AkiyaMart Direct Agent Ryo Takemoto)

On the heels of joining the AkiyaMart Direct team, Erik Buhrow recounts his journey back to Japan, the red flags he sees in people trying to do the same, the gentle politeness of Japanese people versus the strange gatekeeping behavior of foreigners, and perhaps most importantly—how to get a car (or at least drive one)!

00:00 Introduction / Erik’s origin story

03:27 The lifestyle & cost of living in Japan

05:44 How Erik convinced his wife to move

09:15 All about Erik’s house in Japan

13:25 Things to consider when looking for a Japanese home

14:43 Erik’s renovation work and working with contractors

19:39 Japanese hardware stores

20:48 The politeness of Japanese people & the rude gatekeeping of foreigners

22:37 FAQs & misconceptions Erik hears in his consultations

27:04 Red flags in Erik’s consultations

28:57 Erik’s new venture: Helping foreigners buy cars

36:42 What would you do differently?

Erik Buhrow: From Minnesota to Japan, From Customer to AkiyaMart Direct Consultant

Since Japanese short-term rentals are generally limited to 180 days a year, one of the most popular ideas floating around the Japanese real estate space is buying a cheap home, living in it for 6 months, then renting it out for the rest of the time. But it’s a little more complicated than that.

Australian Tracey Northcott runs an entire business consulting on exactly that—helping investors navigate the complex web of minpaku (short-term rental) regulations, yield projections, and most importantly, the right reasons for coming to Japan.

Check out Tracey Northcott:

https://www.tracey-northcott.com/

https://tokyofamilystays.com/

00:14 Introduction: From Australia to Japan

05:53 Struggles running a business in Japan

08:08 Japan before minpaku laws

12:12 The beginning of minpaku laws

15:11 Japan: A country of rules

18:28 The different types of rental licenses

20:40 What if I want to run an Airbnb in Japan?

23:13 Renting out a Japanese vacation home for half the year

26:46 How Tracey can help

29:56 Ideas on cash businesses

Airbnb: Risks & Rewards (featuring Tracey Northcott, the “Minpaku Queen”)

We're selling our Nagasaki House!

Check the Listing here: https://www.akiya-mart.com/native/70
More Info here: https://akiya-mart.notion.site/ag1
Youtube video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Snd_KXz7VBw

Bonus Episode: We're selling our Nagasaki House for $20K

Did you know? A majority of homeowners prefer their house doesn’t collapse while they’re inside of it!

Earthquakes are a topic that permeates nearly every foreigner discussion around Japan—especially when it comes to purchasing an older akiya.

So how safe is it?

Japan-based Dutch architect Koen Klinkers walks through the key things to inspect and consider when buying a home in Japan, followed by a review of Japan’s latest round of building safety codes: why it exists, what it means for home buyers, how it affects renovations, tips on permitting, and so much more.

Check out Koen Klinkers at Front Office Tokyo: https://frontofficetokyo.com/

Read about Japan's new building codes here: https://www.adfwebmagazine.jp/en/architect/impact-of-japanese-building-code-revisions-from-april-2025-on-renovation/

00:37 Introduction & Koen on the 2025 World Expo

03:04 The April 2025 Building Standard Law Revision

07:44 Permitting & the Japanese government’s enforcement power

12:07 Bathrooms & moisture damage

13:09 Environmental restrictions

18:24 Are Pre-1981 homes safe to live in?

23:05 Are earthquake safety inspections necessary for akiya buyers?

24:57 Earthquake resistant materials: Drywall

27:39 The permitting process & tips on working with contractors & local government

32:29 How are updated codes announced and distributed?

33:48 Joey & Take’s new build - wood vs. steel

35:11 Japanese housemakers - Customizations & how they work

Could It All Collapse? Architect Koen Klinkers on Earthquakes, Permits, and Japan’s New Building Codes

We’re Joey & Take—two friends who dreamed of owning a cheap home in Japan. So we bought one...and then three more!

Dreaming of owning property in Japan? We cover everything you need to know and more. Highlights include:

 * Pros and cons of purchasing in Japan
 * How to identify high-value properties
 * The complexities of Japan’s real estate market
 * Challenges for foreign buyers
 * Interviews with locals, expats, and experts
 * All the mistakes we’ve made (so you can avoid them!)

Find your Japanese dream home: www.akiya-mart.com [https://www.akiya-mart.com/]

Serious about buying? Let’s chat! https://www.akiya-mart.com/buy [http://www.akiya-mart.com/how-to-buy/]

Take a video tour of our Beppu Akiya: https://vimeo.com/878142072

Take a video tour of our Tokyo Akiya: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ils4PSA8kqg

Drop us a line! contact@akiya-mart.com

Buying a House in Japan

Hi! My name is Garrett aka Scooter. I'm a musician and a speech pathologist, and I just want to introduce these two rad emotions to you, awe and wonder. Each week I want to share some tiny snippets of awe with you -- a quote,  fun facts, some awe anecdotes, along with some researched and practical ways to cultivate more awe and wonder in your life.

If you've wanna chat or you have some awe anecdotes, I'd love to hear from you! email me at garrett@oyamaslp.com

Also, if you want to support the show, I'd greatly appreciate it: https://buymeacoffee.com/goyama  [https://buymeacoffee.com/goyama]

Take Kurosawa

Shows