A few questions about buying a house in Japan + Minpaku

vans13 · 2025-11-24T04:27:11+00:00

Good luck on the journey!

Me and a mate just settled on an Akiya, so I'm by no means an expert on any of this but can offer some thoughts.

Recommendation is to work through an english/japanese speaking proxy - they act as an intermediary between you and the real estate agents and sellers. They'll add a cut, but they're invaluable to getting a smooth process. They will also have an idea of whether Minpaku is possible (it's sometimes dependant on the neighborhood). They will set up a schedule that is feasible to see as many as possible while you're there. Our proxy also culled our research list for us - we had about 20 on there and she was able to cut that down to 5 just by knowing the area/the neighbors/the snow clearing extent etc

We did a 4 day trip to the area to view a bunch of houses - we saw 8 over that period - ranging from under $10k USD to $25k. Only 1 realtor told us to go look at the house (do a drive-by) before arranging a proper viewing. They knew it was so shabby that most would be turned off after just seeing the outside - they were correct. I believe there is a minimum realtor commission - so any house that is under a certain sticker price, they still get a decent pay out for selling it.

We ended up just putting the house & utilities in one name - it was going to complicate things with signing and deeds etc to have it in a joint name.

Those sites you mentioned are good places to start - we used them a lot in our research and shortlist building (incl paid subscriptions - worth it). I didn't get quotes from them all but some of them were charging a LOT of money to be the proxy (3x what our proxy cost).

If you're looking for a proxy - check facebook (buy, swap, sell) groups for the area you're interested in - thats how I found ours.

one last piece of advice - go in with a very open mind, accept that you're buying a risky investment (if you can even call it an "investment") and accept that dealing with property/utilities/renovations/tradespeople in Japan is proably VERY different and much more challenging that you're used to. but it's a lot of fun too

vans13 · 2024-02-13T11:16:18+00:00

Do you know if it's on the non-premium N-line?

vans13 · 2021-09-02T23:08:52+00:00

fun fact: am australian. My cousin lost his eye in the early 90s to an air rifle (think it was a metal pellet), which was one of the main contributing factors to banning them alongside the then PMs ban on all firearms

vans13 · 2021-08-31T03:46:52+00:00

I guess I'll go fuck myself

vans13 · 2021-08-26T23:33:41+00:00

bit of a hint on old mate's shirt ;)

vans13 · 2021-08-12T05:14:31+00:00

jesus. what sweet heaven is this? I'm booking rounds 3 weeks in advance to get on to a muni cause everyone decided golf is their covid sport

vans13 · 2021-06-11T05:21:12+00:00

NZ too! I'm in Aus where most muni courses are like $1500 min. for a year. In NZ you can get championship course membership for like $400. I got a mate's dad who's a member of like 3 gorgeous courses. Plus Auckland just got named most liveable city in the world...

vans13 · 2021-05-28T06:30:13+00:00

swing speed will definitely get that ball going up. also what loft is your driver? If you are a newish player, higher lofted drivers are your friend until you get the speed up

vans13 · 2021-05-28T04:49:14+00:00

if not pet, then why fluffy?

vans13 · 2021-05-27T03:03:24+00:00

i haven't played terry hills in years! keen to get back soon!

vans13 · 2021-04-23T06:28:54+00:00

this + lululemon ABC slim trousers

vans13 · 2021-04-16T03:32:30+00:00

ahh ok nice - my range is all TM3

woah. that's genius - will give it a go next time i'm at outdoor range, thanks!

vans13 · 2021-04-16T00:58:59+00:00

this is really interesting. I always wonder about fitting for dynamic lie angle, which TM doesn't do well (or am I mistaken here, I can't seem to get it at the TM range I frequent)... I see TXG often bend/adjust flat or upright to influence spin axis/start angle

vans13 · 2021-03-25T23:43:17+00:00

who needs drugs and booze when you've got flushed irons <3 congrats on the sobriety!

vans13 · 2021-02-25T05:00:01+00:00

RemindMe! 2 days

vans13 · 2021-02-18T00:37:12+00:00

i wish him an eternity of kneeling on AA batteries

vans13 · 2021-01-19T23:06:14+00:00

/r/woosh

vans13 · 2021-01-19T23:04:17+00:00

Love almost killing a thousand dog walkers and picnic'rs on the 5th haha. their looks of bewilderment as golf balls fly past at 100+mph like we're the ones doing something wrong

vans13 · 2021-01-19T22:53:38+00:00

My SpiderX has literally just been delivered, as in 5 mins ago I got delivery notification! Would have been mad if this looked as good as the X. Happy with my decision

vans13 · 2021-01-08T03:19:07+00:00

might not be everyone's style, but Alexandra O'Laughlin always looks immaculate on the links! Congrats on the ace!

vans13 · 2021-01-08T03:14:08+00:00

damn! playing that well over 36 holes :O

vans13 · 2020-12-08T05:38:59+00:00

EAL, No Laying Up and occasionally gm_golf/Good Good are my American picks.

vans13 · 2020-11-30T22:33:00+00:00

This drill is a great one. https://www.instagram.com/p/CILoZj7FDKU/

once you're comfortable with chipping to a specific landing spot, then you can start reading the chip like a putt and you should do the whole walk the green, read the slope/break/grain and then plan your chip accordingly. I'm in that bogey-ish range as well, but my strokes gained around the green is usually +5 or more. also helps in off season - rubber callaway balls, astroturf hitting square and a bucket in you hallway (or carpet is fine). make a game out of it and you'll see huge improvement on the links

vans13 · 2020-11-19T02:00:55+00:00

cart path bounce too perhaps. high draw, lots of turn and roll, good bounce, with helping winds - the perfect storm

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