OK OK we know you’re dying to know… HOW MUCH DID THIS ALL COST??! 😨
Ready for the rundown? Stick with us. 🤓 This is what we paid when we purchased in USD, but ya know the current rate is changing daily. So prices will vary if you’re buying too!
Bryson is the money guy in our family and is always finding the best value and vetting out everything we invest in. Swipe through to see how much everything was and his three “If-you-wanna-buy-in-Japan” tips based on what we learned so far. 💴
THE HOUSE
4LDK (four bedrooms, a living space, dining area and kitchen one stop from city center and totally renovated!)
$223,000 and it was 32.8 million yen when we bought.
IKEA
Bed frames, mattresses, dining table, chairs, sofa, coffee table, mirrors, shelves, clock, patio set, plants galore!
$15,000
NITORI
Kitchen nook, genkan mirror, chairs and lights
$2500
YAMADA
Refrigerator, washer/dryer, ACs
$8000
SERIA/DAISO/AMAZON
Cleaning supplies, dishes, hooks, kitchen gadgets, sconces
$350
FEES
Realtor Fee: 3% of purchase price
Judicial Scrivener: ~$1000
Taxes: 1-3% of purchase price
Property Management: $220/month
Maintenance Fee: $110/month
BRYSON’S TIPS
Narrow down where and what you’re buying, set a budget and stick to it!
“List location first, then write up your non-negotiables like distance to train, number of rooms and how far to city/beach/mall or whatever you want to be close to. Do this before you begin searching, it’s easy to get overwhelmed.”
Now that you have a budget, multiply by 1.5x and either save or have that much in cash before you buy.
“This likely isn’t your primary home and you don’t want to stress out if anything goes sideways. Plus, you’ll want to at least have 10% more of the purchase price to account for fees and taxes. Currency exchange rates have been fluctuating and that can impact the initial price of what you see since you have USD but will be paying in JPY.”
Open a wise account online.
“We’re lucky because the yen has been on a slide against the dollar for the past nine months. 1M yen used to be $7k in April 2025. Now that same 1M yen is only $6.3K! Look into Wise since that’s the best way we’ve found to convert USD to JPY. You can save tons on currency exchange fees instead of using local banks and wiring, plus you can bank yen and use for your future home purchase. We saved thousands using Wise and are starting to bank Yen as it gets closer to 160 per USD.”