Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The Tokyo 2020 Olympic Village Building Boom: If you build it, will buyers come?
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games will commence about two years from today, on July 24th, 2020, and construction of competition venues and the Athletes’ Village is proceeding at a feverish pace. Among the questions being asked about the... More
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Area Guides
Harajuku Area Guide - Living Guide for Foreginers
Harajuku in Shibuya Ward, Tokyo is made up of bustling world famous fashion centers wrapped inside quiet, cozy residential areas. The neighborhood’s vibe differs drastically depending on whether you live there or whether you see it as a destination. Main... More
Sakai Osaka Guide - Living Guide for Foreigners
Sakai's proximity to Osaka but relatively inexpensive real estate makes it ideal for families looking for more space or for those looking for somewhere peaceful that’s not too far from the beaten track.
Shibuya Area Guide - Living Guide for Foreigners
Shibuya is everything to everyone. Every little neighborhood around the station has its own vibe. It runs the gamut from low cost single-room micro-apartments to massive, luxurious seven-bedroom manors. Street food to Michelin-starred gourmet dining. Back alley smoking areas to young, fashionable vape cafes. Mass market department stores to one-of-a-kind designer boutiques. It’s every aspect of Tokyo life distilled into one location.
Guides to Tokyo Residential Neighborhoods
Tokyo area guides to residential neighborhoods popular with foreigners.
Azabu Juban Area Guide
Home to numerous embassies, excellent public and international schools, quiet narrow streets, expat-dense, international influences vie with Edo-period appeal. Popular with expats and cosmopolitan Japanese alike, this family-friendly suburb boasts top-class amenities.
Jiyugaoka Area Guide
Jiyugaoka is a neighborhood and train station on the southern edge of Meguro Ward. With its leafy tree-lined streets, fashionable boutiques, and many small restaurants and cafes, it is known as Tokyo’s Little Europe and is synonymous with “calm and sophisticated.”... More
Hongō Area Guide
Hongō is a neighborhood located in Bunkyo Ward, Tokyo, west of Ueno Park and north of the Imperial Palace, that is synonymous with Japan’s top institution of higher learning, Tokyo University. It is also home to Juntendo and Toyo Gakuen... More
Chitose Area Guide
Chitose City, with a population of about 96,500, is located about 45-km southeast of Sapporo. Its main claim to fame is its proximity to New Chitose Airport, the main airport serving Hokkaido, but it is also known for being surrounded... More
Ōokayama Station Area: Tokyo Neighborhood Guide
Ōokayama (大岡山) Station in Ota Ward, Tokyo is a relaxed and student-friendly neighborhood. Near the station is the area's most famous landmark, The Tokyo Institute of Technology. Not to be confused with Okayama Station in Okayama Prefecture.
Kyobashi Area Guide
Kyobashi is as central as you can get in Osaka. It has the distinction of being one of the city's largest business districts while being close to many tourist attractions, most notably Osaka Castle Park. It is known for its shopping and nightlife, especially its numerous izakayas and tachinomi, or standing bars.
Kyobashi Area Guide
Osaka is the second largest metropolitan area in Japan after Tokyo and one of the largest in the world with a population of more than 19 million. It is located in the southern portion of Honshu, Japan’s main island, on... More
Living in Roppongi
Famous for its iconic nightlife scene and more recently the upmarket Roppongi Hills and Tokyo Midtown mega-complexes. Home to many foreigners living in a microcosm of Tokyo's many urban delights.
Living in Nagoya
Nagoya is situated about midway between Tokyo and Osaka. Many foreigners who have lived in both Tokyo and Nagoya will tell you that Nagoya offers everything Tokyo does, only on a much more liveable, convenient, and affordable scale.
Living in Kichijoji
A youthful and creative neighborhood situated in Musashino City, just west of Tokyo. Close enough to the central wards to be convenient but far enough away to have a relaxed and bohemian atmosphere. Its diverse and vibrant shopping center is surrounded by peaceful residential areas and home to the famed Inokashira Park.
Living in Meguro
A residential area that’s as well connected and convenient as anywhere in the world’s largest city can be. But distinctly calmer, quieter and far more liveable than many other parts of Tokyo.
REJ Room Finder
Finding the perfect apartment in Japan can be stressful. Let the REJ Room Finder do the work for you!
REJ Room Finder
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Tokyo 2020 Olympics
The 2020 Tokyo Olympic and Paralympic games will commence about two years from today, on July 24th, 2020, and construction of competition venues and the Athletes’ Village is proceeding at a feverish pace. Among the questions being asked about the... More
Renting in Tokyo
If you want to live near the bright lights and frenetic energy of Shibuya without paying Shibuya prices, this article is for you! Below we highlight some neighborhoods and properties located within one to five stops of Shibuya, which you... More
Real Estate and Taxes
By Jeff Wynkoop The National Tax Agency (“NTA”) recently published its 2018 Roadside Land Values (路線価 or rosenka) for calculating inheritance and gift tax when ownership in land is transferred, and values were up 0.7% on average nationwide in the... More
Local Guides to Neighborhoods Around Japan
Nishi Shinjuku Go-Chome is a station on the Toei Oedo metro line in Nishi (West) Shinjuku. It is centrally located just west of Shinjuku Chuo (Central) Park and the Nishi Shinjuku skyscraper district. It’s also just one stop from Shinjuku... More
Living in Japan
As of January 1st of this year, the highest number ever of foreigners, 2,497,000 (a 7.5% year-on-year increase) has been recorded living in Japan, according to a survey of population dynamics recently announced by Japan’s Ministry of Internal Affairs and... More
Living in Japan
By Jeff Wynkoop The number of people taking out variable rate mortgage loans in Japan has hit a new all-time high. In the second half of the fiscal year 2017, 56% of all new mortgages were variable rate loans, which... More
Living in Japan
In a recent post, we explained how to prepare for the typhoon season in Japan, and noted that typhoons are dangerous not only because of high wind speeds: many deaths in typhoons are caused by flooding and landslides. As of yesterday... More
AirBnB in Japan
By Jeff Wynkoop Recently some commentators have been taking the Japanese authorities to task for how they dealt with implementation of the June 15th Minpaku law. They say poor planning and heavy-handed regulation led to thousands of foreigners losing their... More
Living in Japan
In this post, we take a look at the most popular places for foreigners to live in Osaka. The data comes from the Osaka Prefectural Government. 1. How many foreigners live in Osaka? In 2016, there were 217,656 foreign nationals (from... More
Buying a Home in Japan
In this installment of our series on “what can you buy” in cities throughout Japan, we head to Osaka, the unofficial capital of western Japan! The average price of a re-sale apartment in central Osaka is about 33 million yen... More