Buying a house in Japan used to mean combing through sometimes dozens of multiple listings just to get an accurate picture of a property. With AkiyaMart v4, we solved that problem. Let us tell you how we did it.

Unlike in the US, where the MLS aggregates property details into singular cohesive listings, Japan's REINS system operates almost like a series of Craigslist ads. We wanted to simplify the home search process for you, so we built our own way to provide aggregate listings with a real-time price history so that you get the full picture right away.

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

First time subscriber? Use promo code V4BABY for $50 off AkiyaMart Pro annual.

Want a free 1:1 consult with Take & Joey, recorded as an episode? Apply: https://0oopfg486ij.typeform.com/to/bTKUZmqy

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts are Take Kurosawa  and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production Team is Carlos  Gutierrez, Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

Making the Search Process Simpler With AkiyaMart v4

This week, Take and Joey run through the ten most frequently asked questions from AkiyaMart consultation calls. After three years and thousands of consultations, they identified your top questions and hope this episode can help you prep for your Japan home buying journey.

They cover whether foreigners can buy property in Japan, how the buying process actually works end to end, why loans are not available in almost all cases, what Airbnb zoning looks like and where to check eligibility, how property taxes are assessed, what renovation realistically costs, and why reaching out to a seller's agent before working with a buyer's agent can complicate a deal significantly.

Want free 1:1 coaching with Take & Joey, recorded as an episode? Apply: https://0oopfg486ij.typeform.com/to/bTKUZmqy

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production Team is Carlos Gutierrez, Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

Answering Your Top 10 Japan Home Buying Questions

This week, Take and Joey break down what's next for AkiyaMart and why they're repositioning toward a broader Japan real estate platform. The most immediate change is that they've decided to stop using the word "akiya." For foreigners it's shorthand for cheap, abandoned homes in Japan. But for many people in Japan, the word carries real cultural and economic weight. For the team, this business has always been about more than just cheap homes. It's about connecting people to Japan, and this choice reflects that vision.

This episode also covers three weeks on the road through Tama, Otaru, Fukuoka, and Beppu, the AkiyaMart team gathering, and what two and a half years of building a Japan real estate company from scratch actually looks like.

Want free 1:1 coaching with Take & Joey, recorded as an episode? Apply: https://0oopfg486ij.typeform.com/to/bTKUZmqy

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production Team is Carlos Gutierrez, Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

What's Next for AkiyaMart + Spring 2026 Recap

Can a foreign family actually build a life in suburban Japan? Linda moved from Europe to western Tokyo with no Japanese, no prior visit, and a toddler. Ten years later, her daughter is fluent, she knows the whole neighborhood, and they can't imagine leaving.

This episode covers moving to Japan with kids, international schools vs. the Japanese public school track, raising a multilingual child in Japan, and what daily life looks like for a foreign family outside central Tokyo.

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts  are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production Team  is Carlos Gutierrez, Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

Linda's Journey from Europe to Western Tokyo

Is a year at a Japanese language school your ticket to living in Japan?

Kristian is an AkiyaMart consultant and former Melbourne real estate agent who moved to Fukuoka to attend Japanese language school. He joins Take and Joey to walk through the visa process, what a year of daily study actually produces, and tips for those wanting to buy an akiya at the same time.

Are you considering moving to Japan to study Japanese? This is the episode for you.

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production Team is Carlos Gutierrez, Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

Kristian's Journey from Melbourne Real Estate to Fukuoka Language School

In this episode, Take and Joey sit down in Fukuoka with Carlos, who  recently relocated from Los Angeles on a Business Manager Visa. He  breaks down the full process: which visa to apply for, why Fukuoka's  immigration bureau is faster than Tokyo, how to find an apartment as a  foreigner when 80% of landlords say no, and what the first couple months  on the ground actually look like.  If you're thinking about moving to Japan, this is the episode for you.  

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts  are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans.

The AkiyaMart Production Team is Carlos Gutierrez, Devin Silvernail,  and Lukas Fotty.

Making Your Way in Fukuoka, ft. Carlos Gutierrez

This week, Take and Joey sit down with Tomoa, a Japanese friend, to  answer a question we get all the time: "why didn't a Japanese person buy  this akiya first?"  

Tomoa breaks down how kegare shapes Japanese attitudes toward used  homes, why rural properties rarely appeal to Japanese buyers, and what  foreign buyers need to understand about owning property responsibly in  Japan. 

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com  

Hosts  are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans.   

The AkiyaMart Production Team is Carlos Gutierrez, Devin Silvernail,  and Lukas Fotty.

Why Aren't Akiya More Attractive to Japanese Buyers? ft. Tomoa Ishihara

Take and Joey are wrapping up three years of work on Jissoji Lux, their first-ever akiya in Beppu, Japan's top onsen city, and gearing up for a major launch in Otaru this spring. Both projects represent what it looks like when an akiya renovation reaches the finish line.

In this episode, they record from inside Jissoji Lux and walk through what three years of work actually looked like. The house is a two-bedroom property walking distance from Hyotan Onsen, one of Beppu's most well-known bathhouses. Total investment was around $80K.

Their Otaru property is a two-unit duplex, currently completing its ryokan license, and targeting a May launch. Otaru, a skier's paradise, is also a huge domestic draw for food tourism.

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts  are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production Team  is Carlos Gutierrez., Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

Chapters:

00:00 Intro: Back at Jissoji Lux

00:32 Where It All Started

02:13 Gear Talk and First Beer

04:12 Joey's Solo Otaru Trip

05:29 Why Otaru Works

08:43 The Scallop Story

11:37 Otaru Property and Sale Timeline

13:40 Why Having a Tokyo Base Matters

15:45 Getting Around Japan With an Akiya

18:10 Fukuoka as a Japan Base

19:48 The Van and the Drive to Beppu

20:28 Jissoji Lux Today

22:04 How We'd Grade the Renovation

23:13 Why We're Selling Now

24:15 Beppu Walkability

25:05 Hyotan Onsen

27:17 Onsen Etiquette for Newcomers

28:57 Beppu Travel Tips

30:37 Community Onsen Life

32:36 The Exec Retreat Angle

34:37 Taking Profits on a Project

37:14 How Beppu Started the Business

39:59 Who Should Buy This House

42:46 Farewell to J. Lux

Dear Diary Series: We finished work on Jissoji Lux

Ever heard of the Highly Skilled Professional (HSP) visa? The HSP is a  points-based visa. 70 points to qualify, 80 to accelerate permanent residency. Joey scored 95, built up through two decades of school, career, and two years running a business in Japan. Could HSP be the right visa for your move to Japan? Joey breaks down all  you need to know in this episode.

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production Team is Carlos Gutierrez., Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

How Joey Qualified for the Highly Skilled Professional Visa

This week, Joey and Take are joined by Ryan, AkiyaMart's representative director in Japan to talk about Joey's recent move to Ishigaki, and to cover just how hard it can be for a foreigner to rent in Japan. It might be easier just to buy a place after all. Find out why.

Follow us on Instagram [https://www.instagram.com/akiyamart] and YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/@AkiyaMa]!

Buying a House in Japan is a production of AkiyaMart. Find your Japan dream home at akiya-mart.com [https://akiya-mart.com/].

Questions? Email podcast@akiya-mart.com

Hosts   are Take Kurosawa and Joey Stockermans. The AkiyaMart Production    Team is Carlos Gutierrez., Devin Silvernail, and Lukas Fotty.

Renting an apartment in Japan is harder than we thought, ft. Ryan Kubozono

We’re Joey & Take - two friends who dreamed of owning a cheap home in Japan. So we bought one...and then five 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
 * 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/?utm_source=podcast]

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

Take a video tour of our Beppu Akiya: https://youtu.be/M7Hb6ENxm_0

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

Take video tour of our Nagasaki Akiya:
https://youtu.be/Snd_KXz7VBw

Drop us a line! podcast@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

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