5 of the best · Tokyo, Japan
Japan lets foreigners buy land and homes freehold; how registration and licensed agents work, the reporting rule for non-residents, and the agents with English-speaking staff. We never publish prices.
Our 5 favourites, listed A–Z · Updated October 2026
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Three Tokyo moments we keep going back to: Sensō-ji before the shops open, a bowl of soba in Kagurazaka, and the Shibuya crossing from the rooftop at dusk.
Open to foreign buyers
Foreigners may buy land and buildings in Japan, freehold, with no general nationality restriction.
Licensed agents
Agents must be licensed, and must explain the important matters of a property in writing before you sign.
Open to foreign buyers: how buying works, and where people live.
The back story
Japan lets foreigners buy homes and land on the same terms as its own citizens, with a few reporting rules: how buying works, and where in Tokyo people buy.
What foreigners may own.
Open to foreign buyers
Foreigners may buy land and buildings in Japan, freehold, with no general nationality restriction.
Licensed agents
Agents must be licensed, and must explain the important matters of a property in writing before you sign.
English-speaking agents in Tokyo.
Agent
Housing Japan, at 1-11-9 Azabudai, sells and lets homes in central Tokyo and in Japan’s resorts (housingjapan.com).
1-11-9 Azabudai, Minato-ku, Tokyo 106-0041Explore View on map
Agent
Ken Corporation is a Tokyo agency for sales and rentals of central homes, with English-speaking staff (kencorp.com).
Agent
Savills, the international property firm, has an office in Tokyo (savills.co.jp).
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