We’ve helped so many people buy homes in Japan, over 200 at this point, and we kept bumping into the same issue.
People have these amazing Japanese homes that they only use part of the year.
They don’t want to go through the lengthy process of getting it licensed as a ryokan or minpaku… either because it’s too long, too costly, it’s in the wrong zone, or they just simply can’t be bothered.
And WITHOUT that license, you can’t rent your home on Airbnb, VRBO, Booking.com, Rakuten, etc.
You NEED to upload the official license document and number you received from your local government to these platforms. They review it and then (hopefully) approve you. The whole process can take a few days on Airbnb, to a week or more on Rakuten and Booking.
There was always the second option of renting it month to month on a traditional lease. For anything a month or longer, you don’t need a license to rent. And it’s common in ski towns across America, and even tropical beach spots, to rent for a month, two, or even three. So I was confident the demand was there in Japan.
But the issue is getting eyes on those rentals and building a system streamlined enough to actually rent them.
You have Facebook groups, Instagram, even Reddit, but it’s a lot of work for little reward unless you already have a big following.
And then, like everything else in Japan, you have lots of rules. Even for monthly rentals.
Tenants have very strong protections, leases need to be drafted a certain way, and often you need an EIM, or Explanation of Important Matters call… someone who gets on a Google Meet and walks you through what you’re signing before you sign it.
So after a few months of work, we finally built it out on Nipponhomes.com. The whole system, from booking, to the lease, to the EIM call, is streamlined into one easy process on a well-built platform. So you can easily search for monthly stays in Japan, click a single button, put your credit card in, and book.
Our developer Angelo, as always, crushed it and built an amazing interface.
Here’s how it works. It’s honestly really simple.
You find a house you like on Nipponhomes and pick your dates. A month, two months, the whole ski season, whatever works for you.
You book and pay right there on the site.
You get a welcome email, and you book your EIM call with someone on our team. They hop on a Google Meet and walk you through the lease in plain English.
Then you sign the lease online… and you show up. That’s it.
No hunting through Facebook groups, no sending money to a stranger, no trying to translate a Japanese lease with your phone camera.
We tried to make it as simple as possible…
When you visit somewhere for a week, you feel like a tourist. Everything’s new, you’re eating out every night (I still do that on week 4), you’re in vacation mode.
When you stay for a month, you start living there. You find your grocery store. You make friends with a local barista. You start picking up a few Japanese words. You figure out how long the drive to the mountain really takes on a storm day. You see what the snow is actually like in January. You find out whether you still love the neighborhood after that vacation honeymoon wears off.
And that’s exactly the stuff you want to know before you drop 30,000 USD on a house in a foreign country.
And finally, our first monthly rental in Japan is officially live! It’s our coworker Miu’s house, right in the heart of Otaru, Hokkaido, in an amazing location.
Walking distance to downtown… beautiful mountain and city views out the window… and of course a parking spot for your car so you can get around to ski resorts like Kiroro, Asarigawa, and Teine, or out to the beach.
The price is super affordable, and it’s a great way to spend a month in Japan and really get to know the place you’re thinking about buying in.
Her house is well designed with a ton of personal and local touches. Miu was born and raised in Hokkaido and knows Otaru inside and out.
And Otaru in winter is something else. Snow piled up along the canal, fresh sushi everywhere, Cod sperm if your feeling adventurous, and Sapporo is right down the line by train when you want the big city. I own a house in Otaru myself, so I’m a little biased… but I think it’s one of the most underrated places to spend a winter in Japan.
And if own a home in Japan you can list it with us.
No ryokan license. No minpaku registration. We handle the listing, the booking, the lease, and the EIM call, so your house actually gets used instead of just sitting there.
And in a place like Hokkaido, having someone living in your house through the winter is a great thing. The heat stays on, the snow gets dealt with, and someone’s keeping an eye on the place.
So if you’re looking to come stay for a month this winter in a beautiful place and a beautiful home, check out Miu’s house… and there are sure to be more in the coming months.
And if you have a house you want to list on our platform, reach out and we’ll make it happen :)
Ready to buy a house?: Book a call here
Browse opportunities yourself: Check out current listings at Nipponhomes.com
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This content is for informational and educational purposes only and reflects my personal opinions and experience. I am not a licensed financial advisor, tax advisor, or attorney. Readers should conduct their own due diligence and consult qualified professionals before making any investment decisions.
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