Houses for sale in Japan
Houses for sale in Japan start at $0, and the median asking price is $66,773. Every house here comes from a Japanese real-estate agency, translated into English with the total cost and the official hazard maps. Foreigners can buy any of them on the same terms as Japanese citizens: no visa or residency is needed, and you own the land.
Open map view5,713 houses · Updated
Six-room house with earthen storehouse and field, Takahashi
Century-old kominka with large barn and rice paddy in Mitoyo, Kagawa
Century-old 8LDK house on 713 m² of freehold land in Kyoto
7DK 1932 kominka with rice fields and barn in Higashihiroshima
8SDK house on a 3,311 m² lot beside a stream in Taka, Hyogo
150-year-old farmhouse with an 1868 storehouse on 1,479 m² in Echizen, Fukui
Single-story 9LDK on a 3,512 m² lot, 16 min from Kashimadai Station
Thatched-roof farmhouse with irori hearth and storehouse in Sonobe, Nantan, Kyoto
Vacant 7DK house on 638 m2 of land in Watari, Fukushima City
4LDK house with Seto Inland Sea sunset terrace in Kure, Hiroshima
Kominka-style 7SDK house, a former traditional restaurant, in Kikuyo, Kumamoto
Grand single-storey 5LDK with landscape garden on 1,141 m² in Nagato, Yamaguchi
Large 11-room house with garden and 3-car parking in Kesennuma, Miyagi
Single-storey 7SLDK house with garden on 1,189 m² in Sagae, Yamagata
Spacious 8LDK house built in 2003 on 918 m² in Amino, Kyotango, Kyoto
7LDK house on a 533 m² lot with parking in Chino-machi, Nanao, Ishikawa
Team Zoo-designed villa on 1,809 m² of land in Juriki Highlands, Susono
Renovated Meiji-era 7DK farmhouse with pond garden on 1,669 m², Minakami
Renovated Japanese-style house with kura on 1,450 m² in Oamishirasato
9DK house with Japanese garden and 495 m² field on 2,425 m² in Shinshiro, Aichi
8LDK mansion with large garden and 8-unit apartment block on 2,806 m², Imizu
Sea-view 3LDK concrete house with terrace in Toyohama, Kanonji
Custom-built 12SLDK house with 2 annexes and 9 parking spaces in Nara
Curved-roof concrete villa with private pool in Karimata, northern Miyako
2022 designer villa overlooking Sagami Bay on 2,379 m² in Kawana, Ito
Never-occupied 2025 designer wooden house on 1,544 m² in Hotchi, Karuizawa
1935 farmhouse with storehouse on 1,082 m² near Oarai beach, Ibaraki
Tiled-roof farmhouse with kura, rice paddies and 3.2 ha of forest in Aogaki, Tamba
8DK house on a 1,512 m² lot, 9 minutes from Sukagawa Station, Fukushima
1936 six-room timber house with separate parking lot in Kamijo, Kashiwazaki
Vacant 6DK house on a 645 m² lot in Nishiaizu, Fukushima
Small 1950s house with a roof terrace near Kotogahama beach in Nima, Oda
Farmhouse with annex, storehouse and about 21,000 m² of forest in Tsuyama, Okayama
12SDK house with a separate steel annex on an 800 m² lot in Shikano, Tottori
Eleven-room house on 1,689 m² with potential for a kominka cafe
Century-old 4LDK farmhouse with three outbuildings in Kamogawa, Chiba
1909 farmhouse and former restaurant with a mountain view in Takaharu, Miyazaki
Hilltop farmhouse with barn and cafe-ready annex in Kochi, Higashihiroshima
Thatched-roof kominka 6 minutes on foot from Hizen-Kashima Station, Saga
1986 eight-room house with free parking near Kokuei Station, Tottori
Two-storey 10DK farmhouse with garage on 667 m² in Aogaki, Tamba, Hyogo
1916 retro machiya-style house with renovated bath, Hirose, Yasugi, Shimane
Traditional 7SLDK Japanese house on a 619 m² lot in Fukui
9DK house 8 minutes from Echizen-Takefu Shinkansen station
5LDK Japanese-style house with garden and storehouse in Usa, Oita
Single-storey 9LDK house with garden on 1,093 m² in Yoshiumi, Imabari, Ehime
10SDK house with garage and kura on 594 m² of land in Kotoura, Tottori
1933 old house with 9 rooms on 526 m², Nishiarie, Minami-Shimabara
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Houses for sale in Japan: prices by region and age
Almost every house on this page is a second-hand detached house (chūko ikkodate) sold through a Japanese real-estate agency. Prices depend first on where the house is and second on how old it is: across all listings, half of the houses cost between $31,161 and $133,545, and 38% cost under $50,000. The tables below show the median, so a few very expensive or very cheap houses do not distort them.
What your budget buys: one real house at each level
Under $20,000
Usually an older countryside house sold for little more than its land, often needing repairs.
1935 farmhouse with storehouse on 1,082 m² near Oarai beach, Ibaraki
$20,000 to $60,000
The most common budget: rural family houses, many in usable condition, often with a garden or a field.
Tiled-roof farmhouse with kura, rice paddies and 3.2 ha of forest in Aogaki, Tamba
$60,000 to $150,000
Newer or renovated houses, or older houses in commuter towns and near the coast.
Japanese-style 7LDK house of over 60 tsubo on a corner lot, Hongo, Mihara
$150,000 to $400,000
Recent houses, architect-designed homes, resort areas and the outer suburbs of big cities.
8DK house on a 1,512 m² lot, 9 minutes from Sukagawa Station, Fukushima
| Region | Median price | Under $50,000 | Typical year built | Typical floor space | Most listings in |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Hokkaido | $78,792 | 32% | 1988 | 143 m² | Hokkaido |
| Tohoku | $62,321 | 41% | 1981 | 199 m² | Yamagata, Fukushima, Akita |
| Kanto (Tokyo area) | $75,040 | 36% | 1984 | 123 m² | Gunma, Chiba, Saitama |
| Chubu | $63,593 | 39% | 1978 | 181 m² | Nagano, Shizuoka, Yamanashi |
| Kansai | $62,321 | 39% | 1980 | 161 m² | Hyogo, Kyoto, Nara |
| Chugoku | $60,413 | 44% | 1979 | 169 m² | Hiroshima, Okayama, Shimane |
| Shikoku | $60,413 | 41% | 1980 | 181 m² | Kagawa, Tokushima, Ehime |
| Kyushu | $73,132 | 35% | 1981 | 159 m² | Oita, Kumamoto, Fukuoka |
| Okinawa | $254,308 | 3% | 1980 | 148 m² | Okinawa |
Among the houses listed here, the median price is lowest in Chugoku and Shikoku and highest in Okinawa. Outside Okinawa, the regional medians are close to each other because most listings, everywhere, are older family houses outside city centres; city houses are a different market, and inside Tokyo itself the median is $113,196. Each prefecture page lists every house with the same filters.
| Built | Share of listings | Median price | Typical floor space | Typical land |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Before 1981 (old earthquake code) | 51% | $38,156 | 159 m² | 501 m² |
| 1981 to 1999 | 38% | $88,998 | 171 m² | 452 m² |
| 2000 or later | 11% | $202,226 | 165 m² | 449 m² |
Japanese wooden houses lose most of their book value after 20 to 30 years, so the price of an older house is mostly the price of its land. That is why houses built before 1981 are the cheapest group, and why they often sit on larger plots. Houses built from 2000 follow Japan's current rules for wooden structures and are usually ready to live in.
How to read a Japanese house listing
Every listing on Japan Houses is translated, but some Japanese terms are worth knowing, because they decide what you can do with the house:
- Layout (4LDK, 5SDK…): the number is the count of rooms besides the living spaces; L = living room, D = dining room, K = kitchen. S is a "service room" that does not meet the window rules for a bedroom, often used as storage or an office.
- Floor space and land: given in square metres. Older listings and agents sometimes use tsubo: 1 tsubo = 3.3 m².
- Land rights: shoyūken means you own the land (freehold). Shakuchiken means you own the building but rent the land, with a monthly ground rent.
- Road access: to rebuild, a plot must touch a road at least 4 m wide along at least 2 m. If it does not, the listing says saikenchiku fuka (cannot be rebuilt). If the road is narrower than 4 m, part of the plot along the road may have to be given up (setback).
- Zoning: the land-use zone (yōto chiiki) and two ratios limit any extension: the building coverage ratio (kenpeiritsu, how much of the plot the house may cover) and the floor area ratio (yōsekiritsu, total floor space allowed). In an urbanisation control area (shigaika chōsei kuiki), building and rebuilding are strictly limited.
- Current state: kūka means the house is empty and can usually be handed over quickly; kyojūchū means someone still lives there. Genkyō watashi means sold as it is, without repairs.
- Year built: listings give the completion year. For the earthquake standard, what counts is the date of the building permit: June 1981 is the line between the old and the new code.
What the asking price includes
The asking price covers the house and its land. On top of it come the agent's fee, registration and acquisition taxes, the judicial scrivener and, after the purchase, a yearly property tax: roughly 6–10% of the price for a typical house, more in proportion on very cheap ones. Each listing shows its own estimate, and the full breakdown is in our guide to houses in Japan. The asking price is not final: buyers make a written offer (kaitsuke shōmeisho) through the agent, and the seller can accept, refuse or counter.
Where these listings come from
Japan Houses gathers public listings published by licensed Japanese agencies, removes duplicates when the same house is listed by several agents, translates each one and adds the official hazard maps when the location is known. Houses are checked again regularly: when a listing is withdrawn, the house is taken out of this page and its own page says it is no longer on the market. The default order, "Recommended", puts houses with good photos, recent listings and a fair price for their size first; you can sort by price, size or year instead. How every check works is explained on how we check a house.
Questions
How much does a house in Japan cost in US dollars?
On Japan Houses the median asking price is $66,773, and half of all houses cost between $31,161 and $133,545. About 38% cost under $50,000, mostly in the countryside; inside Tokyo the median is $113,196. Budget another 6–10% for taxes and fees.
Can a US citizen buy a house in Japan?
Yes. Japan has no nationality or residency rule for buying a house or land, and Americans get the same full ownership as Japanese buyers. A buyer who lives abroad files a short report to the Ministry of Finance, through the Bank of Japan, within 20 days of the purchase. Owning a house does not give you a visa: Americans can stay up to 90 days at a time as visitors.
Is it cheap to buy a home in Japan?
In the countryside, often yes: old wooden houses lose most of their book value after 20 to 30 years, so many are priced close to the value of their land. Houses in Tokyo, Osaka and resort areas are not cheap. Very cheap houses usually need repairs, so compare the total cost, not only the price.
Can you buy a house in Japan for $50,000?
Yes. About 38% of the houses on our site cost $50,000 or less, most of them older houses in rural prefectures. They are grouped in our cheap houses in Japan collection.
Where is the cheapest place to buy a house in Japan?
By median asking price on our site, the cheapest regions are Chugoku and Shikoku, and among the larger prefectures Yamaguchi, Wakayama, Mie. Rural areas losing population are cheapest everywhere in Japan.
How much money do I need to buy a house in Japan?
The asking price, plus 6–10% for the agent's fee, taxes and the judicial scrivener, plus a repair budget for older houses. Japanese banks rarely lend to non-residents, so most foreign buyers pay cash. If you live abroad, also plan for a tax representative to handle the yearly property tax.
What does 4LDK mean on a Japanese listing?
It means four rooms plus a living room (L), a dining area (D) and a kitchen (K). An S, as in 4SLDK, is an extra service room without enough window light to count as a bedroom.
Are the houses on Japan Houses still for sale?
They were for sale when we last checked the agency's listing. We check houses regularly and remove the ones that are withdrawn, but good houses can sell within days, so ask us before you plan a trip: a licensed agent answers and we translate.
Sources: Statistics Bureau of Japan, 2023 Housing and Land Survey · Real Estate Information Library, Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism · Hazard Map Portal, Geospatial Information Authority of Japan · J-SHIS seismic hazard maps, NIED. Listing data: Japanese real-estate agencies, translated by Japan Houses.
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