Housing

Kyoto to introduce “empty home tax” for vacation houses and unused homes

First-of-its-kind tax would bring in nearly one billion yen, but government says it’s not about the money.

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Collapsed shed at our cheap countryside house reveals unusual Japanese gems from the past

Dilapidated outbuilding at the SoraHouse contains some surprise items that could tell a story or two.

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Home-hunting in Japan changes as people eye new communities in wake of COVID-19

How the search for a home sweet home is going through these uncertain times.

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Winner of NASA’s Mars residence design contest releases Japan’s first 3D-printed house prototypes

The announcement suggests you can print your own futuristic home sphere for the price of a car!

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Which Japanese city is gaining interest among families and renters? Hint: it’s not in Tokyo

A breakdown of search result data by one Japanese apartment hunting company reveals a big surprise.

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Survey ranks the most desirable neighborhoods to live in Japan’s Kansai region

Here’s where to live the dream in Japan’s western region.

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Hong Kong real estate developer builds new super micro condos smaller than a parking space

Ends up selling only two of its 73 units.

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Buying a house in Tokyo? This town is giving away brand new homes to applicants in Japan

People are scrambling to get in on the exciting new housing scheme.

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Why are people in their 20s moving outside of Tokyo to Yokohama and other areas?

Expert dishes on important factors that are leading young people to shun living in certain areas of the capital in favor of other suburban centers. 

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Survey finds roughly one in four all-night Internet cafe customers in Tokyo is homeless

Not having enough money to pay rent each month isn’t their biggest problem is securing permanent housing, though.

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Five of the worst areas to live in and around Tokyo

While they might look appealing to visitors, according to residents, these suburbs can be hell to live in.

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Real estate company creates a “Let’s Enjoy Bikini Size! video that shows off more than just their rooms.

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These two Tokyo boarding houses are just for anime fans, and they’re looking for new tenants

If you love anime and you’re looking for affordable housing in Tokyo, your search may be over.

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China could give 100 million people new identities in a bid to save its economy

Chinese officials are set to discuss ways to stimulate the country’s sputtering housing market during its Central Economic WorkingConference later this month, according to Chinese state media.

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Four things to hate about looking for an apartment in Japan as a foreigner

Seeing as how the entire English-language RocketNews24 team is composed of people who at some point moved to Japan, we’re pretty big proponents of living here. One unpleasant part of the package, though, it that since you can’t claim the whole country as your residence, living in Japan means finding an apartment in Japan, which is generally agreed upon as one of the least enjoyable parts of the expat experience.

Why? For the following four reasons.

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Shimane Prefecture will give you a house…but only if you promise to stay for 25 years!

As you may have heard, the population of Japan is getting older and smaller. While other (smarter) people have debated the problems and complexities of this issue, we do know one thing: It’s left a lot of prefectures without many young people. Some places are celebrating when the community has even a single wedding, but Tsuwano in Shimane Prefecture thinks they’ve hit upon an idea for injecting some new, young blood into their town. They’re giving houses away for (kind of) free! Of course, there are a few stipulations…

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Here’s what $5 million buys in housing markets across the globe

If you’re looking for a pricey vacation home for the end of summer, we’ve checked out what $5 million can get you in real estate around the world. Our friends at Point2Homes helped us find everything from a tiny apartment in Monte Carlo to a 16,000-square-foot mansion in Qatar. Needless to say, $5 million should get you pretty far no matter what city you live in.

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Man buys and remodels trashed home, astounds us with before and after pictures

There was a point in time when you could turn on the TV at any time of day and find at least three home remodeling shows playing. I personally had no idea why they were so freaking popular…but I think I’m finally starting to get it after seeing these photos.

One ambitious Japanese man, named Makoto, bought an old, junked-out house with rotten floorboards, clogged pipes, and filled with trash for 1,950,000 yen–about US$19,500–and over the course of six months turned into one of the most beautiful homes I’ve ever seen. And I’m not the only one who thinks so. Japanese Internet users were amazed by the transformation–and you will be too!

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Some Japanese apartments are incredibly sparse. In the most extreme cases, your lease gets you four walls, a kitchen sink, bathroom, and that’s it. Oh, you want lighting fixtures, a stove, and air conditioning? Sorry, you’ll have to purchase all that on your own.

As a result, savvy apartment hunters are always on the lookout for properties that include some of these amenities. And while it’s incredibly convenient to find a place that already comes with ceiling lamps, it still can’t match the thrill some animal lovers in Japan experience when they find a new pad that comes with a cat.

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This might be the skinniest house in Tokyo…and it’s on sale now!

Housing in Tokyo is notoriously cramped, but this is ridiculous! With a total of 7.2 ㎡ (77.8 square feet) per floor (that’s smaller than the inside of Japan’s famously crowded train carriages), this towering five-story house packs a lot of rooms into a petite frame. So if you’ve ever fancied living in a tiny triangle, now’s your chance because this baby is on sale now!

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