Akiya Japan Library

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77 articles

A passport — the starting point for anyone planning to live or work in Japan long-term.

Featured

guides · 7 min read · Audio

Does Japan Actually Want You to Stay?

Japan's immigration system frustrates many would-be residents. Here's an honest look at who Japan is actively recruiting, what the visa thresholds actually are, and which paths are genuinely accessible.

May 22, 2026

The heart icon lets you save properties to your personal list for easy comparison and sharing.

New

Buyer Guides · 5 min read · Audio

How to Use Your Saved Properties List on Akiya Japan

A complete guide to the Saved Properties feature: saving listings, organising your shortlist with tabs, search, and filters, sharing with agents, and exporting to CSV.

May 22, 2026

Tokyo at night, with Tokyo Tower at the centre — Japan offers one of the most accessible property markets in the developed world across dozens of distinct prefectures. Photo: Pexels

New

Market Analysis · 8 min read · Audio

Best Prefectures to Buy Property in Japan (2026): A Data-Driven Guide

Best prefectures to buy property in Japan, ranked by listing volume and buyer value. From Okinawa beaches to Fukuoka city apartments, find your ideal location.

May 21, 2026

A surfer walks along the Shonan coast with Mount Fuji in the background

Regional Guide · 10 min read · Audio

Japan's Best Coastal and Surfing Towns: A Buyer's Guide to Life by the Waves

From Olympic surf venues in Chiba to palm-lined breaks in Miyazaki, Japan's Pacific coast offers world-class waves, affordable coastal living, and a growing community of surfers turning beach towns into permanent homes.

May 13, 2026

Tsushima Island from the International Space Station — closer to South Korea than to the Japanese mainland, at the heart of all three proposed tunnel routes. Photo: NASA / ISS

Market Analysis · 8 min read · Audio

The Tunnel Japan Can't Quit — and What It Means for Kyushu Property

The Japan-Korea tunnel has resurfaced in headlines after a 2025 political scandal. Here's what it would actually mean for Kyushu property values — and what's already growing without it.

May 5, 2026

Exterior of a traditional Japanese wooden house in Wazuka, Kyoto — the kind of characterful property that performs well as minpaku accommodation. Photo: Pexels

Legal & Tax · 13 min read · Audio

Minpaku: The Airbnb-Style Law Changing Japan's Akiya Market

How Japan's 2018 minpaku law — and the 2025-2026 regulatory wave — is reshaping akiya demand, and why location now determines everything for investors.

May 4, 2026

Toyota Woven City aerial view at dusk — the Phase 1 prototype community in Susono, Shizuoka Prefecture, with Mount Fuji silhouette. Photo: Toyota Motor Corporation

Market Analysis · 14 min read · Audio

Where Japan Is Building Next: Projects That Could Reshape Property Values

From the $8.9 billion Osaka casino resort to TSMC factories doubling land prices in Kumamoto, Japan has major projects underway that foreign buyers should know about. Theme parks, airport expansions, shinkansen extensions, semiconductor hubs, and foreigner-friendly municipal programs — mapped against where to buy.

May 2, 2026

An abandoned property in Japan — the starting point for every serious akiya search. Photo: Unsplash

Practical Guide · 14 min read · Audio

Unlock Japan's Hidden Property Market: A Power User's Guide to Akiya Data

Five government databases, 1,000 municipal akiya banks, and a subsidy stack worth millions. Here's how to use all of it.

April 28, 2026

Tokyo Tower at dusk — Japan's property market continued rising through the 2026 oil crisis — Photo via Unsplash

Market Analysis · 6 min read · Audio

Same Crisis, Different Decade: How Japan Spent the Last 50 Years Preparing for Today's Oil Shock

What does daily life actually look like in Japan when oil prices spike back home? Lower mortgage rates, no car, better housing, and a country that spent 50 years preparing for exactly this.

April 25, 2026

Dotonbori at sunset, Osaka — the entertainment district that draws millions of visitors a year and anchors one of Japan's most active property markets. Photo: <a href="https://www.pexels.com/photo/28544608/" target="_blank" rel="noopener noreferrer" class="underline">Lucas Costa / Pexels</a>

Market Analysis · 11 min read · Audio

Japan Property Market Report 2026: What International Buyers Need to Know

Japan property market 2026: 9 million vacant homes, 251,000+ listings, new foreign buyer rules, yen advantage, and regional snapshots for international buyers.

April 24, 2026