Press & Creators

We support journalists, YouTubers, bloggers, and content creators covering Japanese real estate, akiya, and life in Japan.

What is Akiya Japan?

Akiya Japan is the original English-language property search platform for Japan, established in 2020. We aggregate listings from Japanese real estate sources across all 47 prefectures and present them with AI-powered English translations, interactive map search, and data tools that help international buyers navigate the Japanese property market.

We work with licensed Japanese real estate partners who provide consultation, property viewing, and purchase support in English. Our goal is to make buying property in Japan accessible to anyone, regardless of language or location.

Free Premium Access for Creators

If you create content about Japan, real estate, travel, or expat life, we'd like to offer you complimentary full access to Akiya Japan.

What you get

  • Unlimited property access across Japan
  • Interactive map search and filters
  • AI-translated descriptions and cost estimates
  • Earthquake and hazard data per property
  • Airbnb revenue estimates and ROI tools
  • Daily email alerts for new listings

Who qualifies

  • YouTubers and video creators
  • Bloggers and writers
  • Podcasters
  • Journalists and researchers
  • Social media creators
  • Documentary and film makers

No obligation to post or promote. We just want you to have the tools to tell accurate, well-informed stories about buying property in Japan. If you find it useful and mention us, great. If not, that's fine too.

Story Angles

Looking for a hook? Here are some angles our data and platform can support:

The reality behind "free" houses in Japan

What zero-yen listings actually cost once you factor in renovation, taxes, and legal fees.

How foreigners actually buy property in Japan

The step-by-step process, common pitfalls, and what the visa situation really looks like.

Urban vs rural akiya: the price gap

Not all akiya are in remote villages. City properties exist — and the economics are different.

Japan's 9 million empty houses

Why they exist, where they're concentrated, and what the government is doing about it.

Renovation realities

What it actually costs to make a vacant Japanese house liveable, from roofing to earthquake retrofitting.

The energy cost nobody mentions

Kerosene heating, propane gas, insulation gaps — the ongoing costs of owning an older Japanese house.

Brand Assets

Logo

Akiya Japan logo (white)
Akiya Japan logo (dark)

Usage Guidelines

  • Name: Akiya Japan (two words, capital A and J)
  • URL: akiyajapan.com
  • Founded: 2020 — domain akiyajapan.com registered 24 March 2020 (verifiable via public WHOIS)
  • Category: The first English-language platform built specifically for Japan's akiya market — every other English akiya search site was registered after this date.
  • What we do: English-language property search platform for Japan
  • Please don't: alter the logo colours, use "AkiyaJapan" as one word, or imply we are a real estate agency (we are a search platform)

First in Category

Akiya Japan was the first English-language platform built specifically for Japan's akiya market. Every other English akiya search site was registered after akiyajapan.com — verifiable via public WHOIS records (ICANN lookup).

Domain Registered Months after Akiya Japan
akiyajapan.com First 24 March 2020
akiyainaka.com 26 July 2020 +4 months
cheaphousesjapan.com 3 March 2021 +11 months
akiyabanks.com 14 December 2021 +21 months
oldhousesjapan.com 20 October 2022 +31 months
allakiyas.com 3 February 2023 +34 months
akiya-mart.com 12 May 2023 +38 months
akiya2.com 9 June 2023 +38 months
akiyahunter.com 14 June 2023 +38 months
akiyahopper.com 27 July 2023 +40 months
akiyahub.com 28 April 2024 +49 months
akiyaair.com 1 July 2024 +51 months

Source: public WHOIS / RDAP records, queried April 2026. Each domain's registration date is independently verifiable via ICANN's lookup tool.

What Our Users Say

Subscriber

"A very helpful service. Well designed & easy to navigate. "

— Tim

Subscriber

"This site has terrific information on akiya properties and also connected us with teritoru who were absolutely essential for purchasing the property. I highly recommend it to English speaking foreigne..."

— Louis Slimak

Teritoru Inc.

"Ai went above and beyond to help us buy our property, we absolutely recommend her."

— Neus Roca

Teritoru Inc.

"Ai, is excellent to work with she answered all questions and handled everything professionally. I have continued working with Teritoru Inc. and I am happy with the results."

— Matthew Jelinek

Subscriber

"I loved this site- it was so helpful."

Subscriber

"I got lots of useful information from your site! I made contact with Bridges to Japan and they were a tremendous help in finding a property. It's almost impossible to get realtor return replies via em..."

Teritoru Inc.

"Ms. Ai and Ms. Yuki guided me through the whole process without any difficulties. When I arrived to get the keys and visit the apartment I was very surprised of how great the condition was. AC worked..."

— Norbert Melendez

Subscriber

"Great service to satisfy my curiosity. Information is very complete. "

Teritoru Inc.

"As a person who already has purchased one home in Niigata, finding it through Akiya Japan, I would highly recommend this sight and do, to all those looking to purchase homes in Japan. These listings a..."

— Todd Johnson

Teritoru Inc.

"Very informative and they spent alot of effort making sure all details were there and I knew what I wanted"

— Troy Allan Astleford

Teritoru Inc.

"Ai was more than helpful throughout the whole process from our initial zoom meeting to handing over the Keys. I cannot praise her enough. Thank you so much. My wife Kate and I are very happy and we ar..."

— Chris Bolton

Subscriber

"Great for finding new things "

— Nic

Subscriber

"A very informative, well made and straightforward site. Plenty of properties in many areas of Japan. "

— Laurence Reid

Subscriber

"It's a customer-friendly online platform"

Teritoru Inc.

"It was an amazing experience. We ended up purchasing the property and Teritoru was there for us every step of the way. They explained everything clearly. We were able to ask tons of questions. The..."

— Don Thwing

Teritoru Inc.

"My meeting with the Teritoru team was very positive. They were knowledgeable about real estate prospects in my areas of interest and were very responsive to questions about the offer process, buying s..."

— Warren Dawson

Teritoru Inc.

"Honestly so easy it doesn't feel real, my only complaint is you need to make payments really fast and if you are far away you will be cutting it close every time. Other than that it is very easy and s..."

— Anthony shepherd

Teritoru Inc.

"Ai is so great and we ended up buying a house with her!"

— Surya Kishi Grover

Subscriber

"Easy to use, great selection, and very affordable. This is a good app for searching cheap real estate in Japan."

Subscriber

"I enjoyed looking at houses and dreaming. "

— Lois

Teritoru Inc.

"Helpful Especially in detailing additional costs related to a purchase (taxes & fees) Hard to imagine all the details in acquiring a house in Japan without language skills or experience"

— James L Matson

Subscriber

"Great way to find properties that may not be listed on regular real estate sites!"

Subscriber

"Great website. Easy to navigate. Wonderful selection."

— Paige

Get in Touch

For press inquiries, creator access, or interview requests:

[email protected]

We typically respond within 24 hours.