In the second episode of the Housing Japan Podcast, we sit down with Harumi, a Housing Japan sales agent who spent two decades in the United States before bringing her international real estate experience back to Tokyo. Her cross-border perspective offers a rare lens on what foreign buyers should actually expect when purchasing luxury property in Japan.
Born and raised in Japan, Harumi met her American husband and relocated first to London for five years before settling in Connecticut, just outside New York City, where she eventually moved from being a stay-at-home mom into a career as a real estate agent. After working in one of America’s most saturated markets, where she notes, California sometimes has more agents than listings, she joined Housing Japan six months ago, bringing with her a comparative understanding of how luxury property markets operate on both sides of the Pacific.
The conversation tackles the misconceptions that keep many foreign buyers on the sidelines, starting with the biggest one: the belief that you need a visa to purchase property in Japan. Harumi explains that foreign nationals have the same purchasing rights as Japanese citizens, and addresses common concerns about earthquake safety, noting that modern buildings, and even many older ones built before current standards, remain structurally sound. She shares why she favors Minato Ward for its energy while living in Setagaya and weighs in on the appeal of Jiyugaoka and Daikanyama, which are just 15 to 20 minutes from central Tokyo yet feel worlds away. Harumi also previews an upcoming Housing Japan listing: a rare 10-year-old single-family home in Minato Ward with four bedrooms, 165 square meters across three stories, two separate bathrooms, and private parking, an unusually large, detached property for central Tokyo. She closes with practical guidance on what to prioritize when buying, from station proximity for rental investments to the flexibility of buying for personal use.
Listeners will come away with a clearer understanding of how foreign buyers can confidently enter the Tokyo market and what separates a smart purchase from a sentimental one.
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