Tokyo Real Estate News & Information
Tokyo's Property Market & Useful Tips for Property Owners
Stay informed on Tokyo land prices, redevelopment projects, taxes on Japanese real estate, real estate terms, and more. We provide useful news and information especially for foreigners (non-residents) interested in buying, selling, and owning properties in Tokyo.

Ordinary Lease Contract vs. Fixed-term Lease Contract
When renting out a real estate property to a lessee or renting from a lessor, you have the choice using either an “Ordinary Lease Contract” or a “Fixed-term Lease Contract” when making a contract. The “Act on Land and Building Leases” provides guidelines for midterm cancellations and contract renew…
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The Jonan Gozan - 5 hilltop brand residential areas in Tokyo
The Jonan Gozan (go= five, zan= mountain) is a term used to define the 5 hilltop areas in the Jonan (Jo= castle, nan= south) district of Tokyo - the area from Meguro Station to Shinagawa Station. The 5 mountains are respectively: Ikedayama, Gotenyama, Shimazuyama, Hanabusayama, and Yatsuyama. Each…
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The Amendment of the Civil Code – Regarding the Guarantor of a Lease Contract
The Civil Code has been greatly amended for the first time since its establishment around 120 years ago. Some of the new amendments will start being enforced as early as April 1st of 2020. Among the amendments made at this time, the rules regarding the protection of a guarantor have been reinforced…
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Housing Loan FAQ for foreigner’s real estate purchase
We receive many inquiries about getting a housing loan from a Japanese bank at a lower interest rate from foreign customers who are considering purchasing real estate in Japan. We contacted a bank loan representative–who has experience providing foreigners with housing loans–about some of the most…
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My Tenant Died In My Property - When Tenants Become Sick or Die
The following article was written by Ziv Nakajima-Magen – Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific Nippon Tradings International (NTI) When Tenants Become Sick or Die While Japanese tenants, from a landlord perspective, are normally extremely docile and headache free, and while tenancies are g…
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What to do if I can't find a tenant?
The following article was written by Ziv Nakajima-Magen – Partner & Executive Manager, Asia-Pacific Nippon Tradings International (NTI) The Income Stream Paradigm Investment properties are, generally, only as good as the rental income they generate. Sure, there are speculative markets and strat…
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Insurance for Flood Disaster (water damage) caused by heavy rain, typhoons, and others
Over the past few years, large-scale flood damages have frequently occurred in various parts of Japan due to typhoons and local heavy rains. Almost every year in some part of Japan there is heavy rainfall the likes of which is only seen once every few decades and due to this heavy rainfall, the ris…
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Renting vs Buying Which is better?
Which is better: living in a rental property and continuing to pay rent or buying a property for sale? This is a frequent question that many people are wondering about. It is very difficult to give you a clear answer because it depends on the person’s life plan, the way of thinking about his/her lif…
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What are Off-Market Properties? - Are these good bargains, or really bargain properties?
When searching for properties for rent or sale, you may often see the messages such as "There are off-market properties!", "How to find off-market properties", etc. However, many people may have questions such as “Is there really a real estate that is not on the market in these days when we can ea…
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Standard Land Price for Tokyo in 2023 – 4.5% Rise in the Commercial Areas, increase in rise in the Residential Areas
On September 19th, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism announced the standard land prices for their selected points nationwide. On the same day, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government also announced the land prices of their selected locations in Tokyo. The standard land price (*l…
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