PLAZA HOMES↗
EN
Tokyo's English-speaking agency for 50+ years; its guides are the best plain-English primer.
Best forFirst-time orientation
01
Understand how it actually works
Start Here
Japan plays by its own rules — agent fees, property registration (touki), and mortgages that rarely open up to non-residents. A little reading now saves a lot of trouble later.
Neutral, comparison-style guides to the major platforms and the buying process.
Best forComparing your options
02
Find a place to live
Rent
The simplest way in. These portals are built for foreign renters — many in several languages, and some let you skip the guarantor entirely.
Best-Estate.jp↗
Multi
The largest foreigner-focused rental portal; seven languages, virtual tours, guarantor-free options.
Best forNew arrivals
wagaya Japan↗
Multi
Search, viewing, and contract done online; strong multilingual support for students and professionals.
Best forRenting fully online
One of the longest-running English portals, covering both rentals and sales.
Best forBroad English search
03
Purchase a home for yourself
Buy to Live
Agencies that will walk you through a purchase in English, from the first viewing to the keys in your hand.
Built by expats for expats; focused on prime central-Tokyo neighborhoods.
Best forCentral Tokyo buyers
A large portal aggregating top agents and developers for foreign buyers.
Best forWide nationwide search
e-Housing↗
EN
Full-service Tokyo agency handling condos, houses, and one-stop support to handover.
Best forHands-on guidance
04
Build a property portfolio
Invest
For income and growth. International advisors for cross-border strategy, plus the domestic portal where the real deal flow lives.
Global network across 70+ countries; strong for cross-border tax and portfolio strategy.
Best forInternational investors
Tower-mansion sales and rentals with bilingual service and financing guidance.
Best forHigh-end yield
Japan's leading investment-property portal; unmatched volume, but Japanese only.
Best forDeep deal flow
05
High-end and second homes
Luxury & Resort
Prestige addresses in central Tokyo and ski-in homes in Hokkaido, handled by people who speak your language.
50 years serving expats, embassies, and corporates; many listings found nowhere else.
Best forCorporate relocations
Hokkaido's luxury and ski-resort specialist across Niseko and Furano.
Best forResort & ski homes
06
Cheap and vacant houses
Akiya & Rural
Japan has around nine million empty houses, and foreigners can buy them outright. The price of entry is low — the renovation budget is where the real story begins.
Akiya Japan↗
EN
The pioneer English akiya platform; over a million listings across all 47 prefectures.
Best forBrowsing everything
AkiyaMart↗
EN
Remote, English buying with licensed agents, hazard maps, and post-purchase care.
Best forBuying from abroad
Akiya Banks↗
Multi
Bilingual directory linking to every municipal akiya bank, plus hand-curated listings.
Best forGovernment bank deals
AllAkiyas↗
EN
Strong focus on traditional kominka farmhouses and machiya townhouses.
Best forTraditional homes
07
Most listings — but Japanese only
The Domestic Giants
This is where the listings actually are. The catch: little to no English. Bring a translator tab or a bilingual agent.
SUUMO↗
JP
Japan's most-visited property portal; the widest selection nationwide.
Best forMaximum inventory
Among the largest databases, especially strong on detailed listing data.
Best forData-rich listings
at home↗
JP
A major portal popular with local agents, with broad regional coverage.
Best forLocal agent reach