The whole journey of buying a vacant house in Japan, start to finish: the system, the search, the offer, the renovation, and the years after. Written from inside Japan, for buyers who'd rather do it themselves.

Buying an akiya is not one decision. It's a hundred small ones, in a system that was not built in your language and a process most foreign buyers walk into blind: which professionals you actually need, how to read a listing, what an offer really commits you to, what the property will cost to own long after you have the keys. The guide is the map of that whole process, in order, from the first listing you fall for to the year after you move in.

The Akiya Guide is a 358-page handbook for foreign buyers. 29 chapters across eight parts take you from the dream to long-term ownership, each grounded in how the process actually runs, with a glossary and a section of fillable worksheets and templates you use as you go.

What's inside

• The dream: what an akiya is, who buys them and why, whether it's right for you, and the myths worth dropping early

• Know before you search: how Japan's property system works, whether foreigners can buy (yes, with the caveats that matter), how you'll pay, and the full cost of ownership

• Build your team: the professionals you need, and how to work with a Japanese real estate agent and a judicial scrivener

• The search: where to find akiya, how to read Japanese listings, the property visit, and comparing candidates honestly

• The offer and contract: making the offer, the purchase contract, and the gap between contract and settlement

• Due diligence: the systematic checks to run before you commit

• Renovation: planning the work, and working with Japanese contractors

• After you own it: owning as a non-resident, remote management, community, rentals, tax, selling, succession, and the long view

• Back matter: a glossary of every Japanese term you'll meet, plus supplemental worksheets and templates, including a property visit inspection checklist, communication templates, and a first-year owner's guide

Who it's for

Foreign buyers who want to handle an akiya purchase themselves, from search to ownership, and would rather understand the whole process than hand it to a full-service agent and hope. If you want only the pre-purchase checks, the Due Diligence Kit is the shorter companion. The guide is the whole map.

What it isn't

This is an educational handbook, not advice. It won't value a specific property, tell you whether to buy, or replace a licensed agent, scrivener, tax accountant, or inspector. What it gives you is the map of what to do, in what order, and what to confirm at each step.

Instant PDF download. 358 pages. Read it start to finish, then keep it open as a reference through every stage. Print the worksheets or fill them on screen.