Real Estate2026-06-26·8 min read
Viewing a Japanese Property: The 40-Point Checklist That Catches What Photos Hide
E
Evelyn AI Editorial Team
Reviewed before publishing · Editorial policy
Before You Even Book the Viewing
- Hazard maps first. Japan publishes flood, landslide, and tsunami hazard maps for every municipality (MLIT's portal aggregates them). Agents must disclose designated zones in the Important Matters Explanation — but that comes at contract time; you want it before falling in love. A river-adjacent bargain often prices in a flood zone.
- Construction year vs. the seismic code line. Confirm whether the building permit predates June 1981 (and for wooden houses, the 2000 revision). This single fact drives insurance, financing, retrofit budgets, and resale.
- Sun orientation. South-facing main rooms are the Japanese market's gold standard for reason — winter sun and laundry-drying. Check the compass on the floor plan and what stands (or could be built) to the south.
- Walk the route from the station at night on Street View or in person — lighting, slopes, and distances that listings describe as "a pleasant 12 minutes" reveal themselves.
At the Building: Structure and Envelope
- Foundation: cracks wider than a business card's thickness, especially diagonal ones, deserve a professional opinion. Look for efflorescence (white mineral staining) signaling moisture.
- Walls and posture: stand at corners and sight along walls; use a marble or phone level on floors. Systematic tilt (傾き) is a structural conversation, not a cosmetic one.
- Roof from the ground: waving ridgelines, slipped or patched tiles, rusted flashing. Binoculars are not paranoid; they're cheap.
- Exterior wall condition: for mortar/stucco, cracks and hollow sounds when tapped; for siding, failed caulking lines — the repaint/recaulk cycle (every 10–15 years, ¥800,000–1,500,000 for a typical house) is Japan's most predictable big maintenance bill.
- Under the floor and in the attic if access exists: daylight where it shouldn't be, insect wings or mud tubes (termites), water staining on beams, insulation presence (many older houses simply have none).
Water: The Five-Minute Tests
- Run every tap hot until hot water actually arrives; note the wait and pressure.
- Flush toilets; listen to drainage speed and gurgles (slow drains hint at pipe scale or venting issues).
- Smell under every sink and around the bathroom — mold and sewer odors don't photograph.
- Check the water heater's manufacture date (sticker on the unit). Past ~12–15 years, budget replacement (¥150,000–400,000; more for eco-cute heat-pump systems).
- Ask the water source and drainage: municipal water or well; sewer, johkasou tank (annual service ¥30,000–60,000), or older arrangements.
Inside: Comfort and Honesty Checks
- Windows: single-glazed aluminum sashes = cold, condensation, and mold; count which rooms have been upgraded.
- Condensation history: black spotting on north-room walls, closet corners, behind curtains, tatami undersides.
- Fresh paint in one spot only is a question, not a feature — what did it cover?
- Electrical: breaker capacity (older homes at 30A struggle with modern loads), outlet counts, whether aircon plumbing exists per room.
- Smell the house closed-up. Ask the agent to arrive first without airing it out, or arrive early. Long-empty houses tell the truth in the first thirty seconds.
For Apartments (Mansion) Specifically
- The repair reserve fund (修繕積立金) balance and long-term plan — an underfunded building means special assessments; ask for the management association documents.
- Fee trajectory: management + reserve fees now, and the plan's scheduled increases.
- The big-ticket calendar: when was (or is) the large-scale repair (大規模修繕) — typically every 12–15 years?
- Sound: visit at evening; concrete slab thickness varies enormously by era. Talk to the bulletin board — notices about noise, garbage discipline, and vacancies profile the building's health.
- Vacancy/rental ratio: heavily rented buildings age differently than owner-occupied ones.
The Neighborhood Interview
Ten minutes of questions worth more than any renovation quote:
- Why is the owner selling, and how long has it been listed (and at what price history)?
- Neighborhood association (町内会) duties and fees; garbage station rules — genuine daily-life friction points.
- Snow load / typhoon exposure specifics for the area.
- What's planned for adjacent empty lots (check the city planning office's zoning: a quiet field zoned commercial is a future pachinko parlor).
- Mobile signal inside the house (test all rooms), and actual internet options at the address (fiber availability differs street by street in rural areas).
When to Pay for a Professional Inspection
A home inspection (ホームインスペクション, ¥50,000–150,000) is standard practice for pre-1981 buildings, anything visibly tilted or water-stained, long-vacant akiya, and any purchase you can't personally attend. Since 2018, agents must inform buyers about the inspection option on used homes — take them up on it. For remote purchases, an inspection plus an hour of video walkthrough is the minimum responsible substitute for your own eyes.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I negotiate based on findings?
Yes — itemized issues with repair estimates are the respectable route to price reduction in Japan's polite negotiation culture. "The water heater is 16 years old and the exterior needs recaulking; we'd like ¥800,000 considered" works; vague lowballing doesn't.
How many viewings before offering?
For a house: twice, at different times of day (ideally one after rain). For an akiya bargain: once may be all the market allows — which is exactly when the checklist and an inspector earn their keep.
