My Journey to Owning a Home in Japan

Guest Post By Corey Crail

In this guest post, Corey shares his story of finding, buying and renovating his house in Osaka. He also shares his cost figures, which came out very reasonable!

In 2015, I stumbled upon a surprising discovery: homes in Japan were far more affordable than I ever imagined. That single moment sparked an obsession. Like a madman, I dove headfirst into Japanese real estate law, determined to understand every detail. For years, I nurtured the dream of one day owning a home in Japan.

I often asked myself: Where should I buy? It had to be somewhere well-connected, livable, and not in such disrepair that I’d sink more than just money into it. For a long time, I thought Toyama would be the place. It’s quiet, not overrun by tourists, full of easygoing people, and blessed with the stunning Japanese Alps. But, as fate would have it, my journey eventually led me to Osaka.

At first, Osaka wasn’t my top choice. But when I lived there for six months in 2019, the city grew on me. The people were genuine and friendly—refreshingly real compared to Tokyo’s polished façade. Tourists mostly stuck to Dōtombori and Shin-Sekai, leaving the suburbs peaceful. Slowly but surely, I fell in love with Osaka.

By late 2024, after years of saving, I was finally ready to make my move. Because of all the research I had done, I decided not to go through a traditional real estate broker.

In Japan, many homes are purchased in cash. This makes the process quick, reduces the risk of deals falling through, and—most importantly—gives you leverage to negotiate a lower price. To prepare, I had a bank statement verifying that my funds were legitimate. I also visited the U.S. Consulate in Osaka to obtain two notarized documents: one verifying my identity and signature, the other confirming my intent to purchase property.

Other small but crucial steps followed. I bought a SIM card with a working phone number, since Japanese real estate companies won’t return calls without one. And the moment I landed, I had a hanko (personal seal) made—an absolute necessity for signing documents.

Armed with all this preparation, I spent two months searching for a home. I toured more than 30 houses in the Kansai region, making mistakes along the way and losing out on a few good opportunities due to indecision. But eventually, I found the one.

My future home was a wreck, but being only a twenty-minute train ride to Tennoji, I could look past the damage. The tiled siding had completely fallen off the balcony, leaving a gaping hole where rainwater poured into the entryway. The corrugated plastic roof over the balcony had deteriorated, letting water pool and seep through. Inside, the house had seen far better days. Built in the early 1950s, it was almost untouched since then—aside from the toilet room, everything looked frozen in time.

The staircase groaned noisily with every step. Grease coated the kitchen counters. The bathroom was a patchwork of quick fixes: cracked mortar around the tub, epoxy-filled fractures across the floor, and decades of wear left untended. The living room was a shrine to decades of cigarette smoke, its walls yellowed and stained by years of exposure.

But there was one blessing—the house was completely empty. No clutter, no baggage. Just a blank slate.

That’s when negotiations began. I decided to work with Century 21. Being an American company, communication was easier, and their size and experience made the process move quickly. Once I made my intent to purchase clear, it took no more than four days to finalize the deal.

Because I was paying in cash, I was able to negotiate the price down from $11,000 to $8,000. With the purchase complete, I turned my focus to the renovations.

“I often asked myself: Where should I buy? It had to be somewhere well-connected, livable, and not in such disrepair that I’d sink more than just money into it”

The Renovations

So began the legwork. A close friend and I first tackled the most immediate hazards, pulling down all the loose tile and corrugated plastic outside before they could cause damage or injury. Then we walked through the house, carefully assessing everything that needed attention—and it was a long list.

The bathroom required major repairs. Both AC units were beyond saving and had to be replaced. The flooring downstairs was in such poor shape that it needed a full replacement. The kitchen was coated in decades of grease, demanding a deep clean and a complete remodel. Every wall in the house cried out for fresh wallpaper. And, just when I thought the worst was over, I discovered the hard way that the exterior pipes were failing and would need to be completely replaced.

It was more than I could handle alone, so I turned to professionals. After speaking with several companies, I hired ROOM INTERIOR ENOMOTO, a trusted local contractor. While I had originally planned for them to handle just the wallpaper, their team ended up taking on nearly the entire renovation, transforming a neglected shell into a livable home.

They were angels sent from heaven—or at least it felt that way. Jokes aside, the team was eager to work with me and even picked up a bit of English to make communication smoother during the remodeling.

“Then we walked through the house, carefully assessing everything that needed attention—and it was a long list.”

Furnishing the Home

Since I was on a tight budget, most of the furniture I bought came from secondhand stores, while larger items—like the air conditioners—were purchased through the e-commerce site Mercari. Thankfully, because the house had been completely empty when I bought it, I didn’t need to spend extra money having old furniture or appliances hauled away. Even better, the house had no termite damage and no roof leaks—two of the most common issues with older homes that I thankfully avoided.

The bathroom, however, I tackled myself. I removed the crumbling mortar, scraped off the epoxy that had been smeared into the cracks on the floor, and treated the walls so I could finally begin painting. Having worked as a carpenter’s apprentice years ago, much of the renovation work came naturally to me. All the tools and materials I needed came from Japan’s largest construction supply store, where I became a regular fixture. I went so often that the staff simply came to know me as “the American.”

Once the wallpaper was finished throughout the house, I began furnishing it. I wasn’t aiming for anything extravagant—just the basics. I was thrilled to find a table and chair set at Treasure Factory for only $30. Kitchen appliances were equally affordable: a microwave, toaster oven, refrigerator, and induction burner altogether cost about $110.

One thing I’ll never understand is how little value the Japanese place on secondhand goods. My best find was a washing machine I bought online for just $10. It was only a year old, but the previous owner was moving and couldn’t take it along. At a big-box store, the exact same model was selling for $200.

Originally, I had hoped to replace only the upstairs air conditioner and refurbish the downstairs unit, but after a closer inspection, both needed to be replaced. I bought two brand-new units on Mercari for $250 and $300 each—an incredible bargain, considering the same models were listed for $1,000 apiece elsewhere.

Tatami replacement turned out to be just as affordable. Back home, replacing even a small amount of flooring would have cost upwards of $1,200, but in Japan it was only about $300. The same went for wallpaper: hiring painters back home would have run around $5,000, but here the entire house was done for $350. The kitchen remodel cost another $400.

Everything was going smoothly—until disaster struck.

“Since I was on a tight budget, most of the furniture I bought came from secondhand stores, while larger items—like the air conditioners—were purchased through the e-commerce site Mercari.”

The Pipe Problem

One day, a pipe burst outside. I hadn’t noticed during my initial inspection that the exterior plumbing was made of old PEX tubing. The plastic pipes had been left exposed to the elements, and they began failing one after another.

I’d call the contractor, they’d fix a pipe, and then another would burst. Eventually, it became clear that all of the exterior pipes had to be replaced. To prevent future disasters, I had shut-off valves installed so that if one pipe failed, I could still keep water running to the rest of the house.

The Finishing Touch

As I mentioned earlier, the exterior of the house had been in disarray. My friend and I removed all the damaged pieces, sealed the cracks and openings with spray foam, and taped everything up. It was the rainy season, so no real repairs could be done at first. But when the sun returned, so did the contractors. Finally, the outside of the house matched the inside—complete and ready for new memories to be made.

To say the house is unrecognizable would be an understatement. It became something far more than I could have ever imagined.

If someone were to ask me now whether I’d do it differently, the answer would be an emphatic yes. I wasted money and time, made countless mistakes, and bought materials for projects that were canceled at the last minute. There will be paint cans collecting dust for years to come.

But even with all of that, I wouldn’t trade the experience. The journey—the frustrations, the lessons, the small victories—was worth every headache.

This coming January, my family and I will finally stay in our new home for several months. I can’t wait for my little boy to run up the noisy staircase and see his new room for the very first time. The house might still be a little empty, but it will continue to grow with us, just as our memories will, for years to come.

And if anyone is curious, the total cost of everything—repairs, furnishings, and all—came to a little over $5,000, but still comfortably under $6,000.

You can see a full walkthrough of Corey’s house here.