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

This week, Take and Joey are joined at Tama base camp by Erik, an early  AkiyaMart customer and current AkiyaMart Direct Sales Manager, who has  purchased three akiya in Japan, including the viral $69 home he is  currently rehabbing as a traveler-friendly Snoopy-themed stay. The group  covers some of the unwritten rules that lead to headaches during car  registration, home buying or renovation, and the realities of navigating  daily life 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.



Navigating Japan's Unwritten Rules, ft. Erik Buhrow

This week, Joey and Take are joined at Tama Base camp by Lukas is an  AkiyaMart consultant from Alberta, Canada, currently living in rural  Hokkaido In the group covers what people actually need to know before  committing to a purchase in Japan: visas, realistic budgeting, property  condition, and why visiting your target area before you buy matters more  than most people expect. Lukas also shares what daily life in a small  rural town with almost no other foreigners actually looks like, and  where he is thinking about buying himself.

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: 

00:36 Meet Lukas 

01:53 Life in Hokkaido 

05:10 Visas and Moving Plans 

09:42 Content Creator Journey 

14:52 Consulting on Akiya 

20:03 Japan Frustrations Bureaucracy 

22:37 Rural Hokkaido Life 

31:00 Gen Z Homeownership Dreams 

34:45 Buying Akiya With Partners 

39:47 Consultation Prep Tips 

40:35 Final Wrap and Outro

A Canadian's Real Take on Rural Hokkaido, ft. AMD Consultant Lukas

This week, Take and Joey are back in Japan, recording from Tama Base Camp, and a lot is happening for the duo this spring: Joey moved to Ishigaki in Okinawa, things are moving with the Tama house, and we've got another Japan speed run through Tokyo, Otaru, Fukuoka, and Beppu, where the guys are finishing up Jissoji Lux to put on the market as a turnkey starter-kit home.

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:

00:40 Podcast Intro And Format

02:16 Tokyo Sprint Plans

06:17 Why Tama Base Camp Works

07:15 Upgrades And Local Support

11:04 Joey Moves To Ishigaki

14:18 Island Life And Taiwan Proximity

17:32 Otaru House Updates

21:19 Jissoji Lux Farewell

24:10 Healthier Japan Routine

26:38 Wrap Up and Upcoming Episodes

Dear Diary Series: Back in Japan + Selling Jissoji Lux

Want to buy an akiya in Japan but the idea of earthquakes keeping you up  at night? We get it. Japan shakes, so we made a tool to help you figure  out where to look.  

This week, Joey and Take catch up with university friend Keita, the  geospatial software engineer who built AkiyaMart's new earthquake  overlay filter. He explains how it works, why Shindo (felt intensity)  matters more than magnitude for property buyers, and the key limitations  of 100–120 years of historical data.  

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 Japan Quake Reality Check

00:31 Meet Keita From Yakushima

02:21 Why Move Off Tokyo

03:31 Avocado Farm Dream

04:49 Earthquake Overlay Launch

06:33 How The Map Is Built

09:05 Testing Famous Quakes

11:13 Data Limits And Controversy

14:44 Shindo Vs Magnitude

16:45 ICU Tokyo Example

18:07 Wrap Up And Where To Find Keita

19:53 Podcast Outro And Links

We Mapped 100+ Years of Earthquake Data to Create a New Akiya Search Tool, ft. Keita

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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