Multilingual Room Hunting for Foreign Residents
Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. supports foreign residents looking for a home in Japan in Japanese, English, and Chinese (Traditional and Simplified). Centered on Bunkyo and Myogadani, we sort out the procedures unique to Japan—such as confirming your residence status (visa) and using a guarantor company—and guide you in your native language, from tenant screening and the contract through to supplementary explanations of the important-matters disclosure. The preparation of the application documents for the residence status itself is undertaken under a separate contract by the affiliated 四葉行政書士事務所 (Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office).
For foreign residents, house hunting in Japan is supported by Yotsuba Real Estate Co., Ltd. in your own language. We assist you in Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese. Tenant screening, guarantor companies, the contract, and the procedures after moving in — we go through them together, one by one. Our representative, Joji Uramatsu, was stationed in China, Taiwan, and Thailand as the former China General Bureau Chief of the Mainichi Shimbun, and has himself been the one searching for a home in a foreign country. That is why we understand what worries you.
Can foreign nationals rent an apartment in Japan?
Yes, you can. That said, Japan has its own points to check — the type of residence status (visa), language, guarantor companies, emergency contacts — and it is true that many people stumble here. Yotsuba Real Estate sorts out in advance what the screening will require, and supports you through the explanations to landlords and guarantor companies.
Can I also consult about residence status (visa) or company formation?
Housing procedures are handled by Yotsuba Real Estate, and residence status (visa) and company formation procedures by our affiliated business, Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office. Each is engaged under a separate contract. Your first inquiry can start in one place.
Do you have content in Traditional Chinese (Taiwan / Chinese-speaking regions)?
Yes. We publish columns in Traditional Chinese for readers in Taiwan and Chinese-speaking regions (inheritance, investment, and procedures). Please choose 繁體中文 from the language switcher at the top right of the page → Column list
Three walls that stand in the way of a foreign resident's home search
Beyond the property itself, a foreign resident's home search faces three walls at once — residence status, guarantor screening, and language. Many property sites will show you rooms, but few can handle all three at a single window.
The residence status wall
At the contract and renewal stages, the type of residence status (visa) and the period of stay are always asked about. Housing and residence status are meant to be looked at together; proceeding with only one can mean redoing things later when the conditions do not line up.
The guarantor / screening wall
Guarantor-company screening, emergency contacts, explanations of your employer and income — there are moments where being a foreign national alone makes screening feel harder to pass. Yotsuba sorts out in advance what the screening will ask, and prepares the explanations to landlords and guarantor companies with you.
The language wall
The explanation of important matters (juyo jiko setsumei) and the contract are dense with technical terms. Signing without understanding them in your own language is risky. Yotsuba goes through the content with you in Japanese, English, Traditional Chinese, and Simplified Chinese.
Property portal sites can go as far as language support and listings, but they cannot handle the residence status procedure itself — only a qualified professional (a gyoseishoshi certified as an application agent) can take that on. Yotsuba holds both the property side (real estate brokerage) and the residence-status side (our affiliated Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office), so all three walls can be seen at one window.
This can be your starting point if you are…
Working or studying in Japan
We guide you in your own language, both for finding a home under a work or student residence status and for the entry point to residence procedures such as renewals and changes.
A foreign business owner or entrepreneur
Beyond housing: the Business Manager visa, company formation, and a business office. An office with genuine business substance is directly tied to the residence-status requirements.
A company welcoming foreign employees
You can consult us together about housing for arriving employees and expatriates (company housing / corporate leasing) and about organizing the groundwork for their residence procedures.
Considering Japanese real estate from Taiwan / Chinese-speaking regions
We handle consultations on purchasing, inheriting, and investing in Japanese real estate in Traditional Chinese, and can coordinate with a contact on the Taiwan side.
Why housing and residence status should be looked at together
The type of residence status and the period of stay change which properties you can rent, the contract conditions, and how easily the guarantor screening passes. Proceeding with housing alone, or residence status alone, lets this linkage slip through the cracks.
For the Business Manager residence status in particular, an office with genuine business substance is a requirement. A virtual office or a mere registered address may not be enough, so the choice of property is directly tied to whether the residence status is granted. That is exactly why it makes sense to look at property and residence status at the same window.
Moving and changing your address also affect residence procedures, such as reporting your place of residence for your residence card. When the windows are separate, this procedure tends to fall behind.
Chinese and English support, as someone who has been there
Our representative, Joji Uramatsu, is the former China General Bureau Chief of the Mainichi Shimbun. He studied at National Taiwan Normal University and was stationed in Chinese-speaking regions for years, negotiating in Chinese (Traditional and Simplified) — as someone who has been there himself.
We are also mindful of the differences between Taiwanese Mandarin and Mainland usage. Because there is no interpreter in between, even the nuances of the contract and of residence matters come across accurately.
From your home search to the life that follows
What Yotsuba walks with you through is not only the home search. From housing → residence status → company formation and the Business Manager visa → future inherited real estate, you can keep consulting the same window.
From the entry point of 'living in Japan' to the procedures for the rest of your life. Where needed, we help in coordination with our affiliated Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office and partner professionals (each under a separate contract, with no referral fees exchanged).
Labor matters and subsidies related to a company's employment of foreign staff fall into a separate specialty. Because licensed social insurance and labor consultant (shakai hoken romushi) work is before our representative's office opening (scheduled for September 2026), for now we introduce partner professionals in general terms.
What the field teaches — even here, careful dialogue is the shortest route
Guarantor companies, management companies, and the Immigration Bureau each operate a little differently. Getting close to the other side in their own language and checking each circumstance one by one — the stance of a reporter who has walked the field pays off here.
Important confirmations are done not only by email but also by phone and in person. The more the cultural and institutional assumptions differ, the more face-to-face dialogue prevents misunderstanding. More haste, less speed: careful dialogue is the surest shortcut.
Note: Individual handling differs depending on your situation. Concrete examples of actual screening and residence cases will be added to this page over time.
A checklist before you get in touch
Telling us the following as far as you know makes the first consultation smoother (we will sort out anything unclear together).
- Your current type of residence status and its period of stay (expiry date)
- Preferred area, move-in timing, and a rough budget
- Circumstances that may need explaining in screening — employer, school, income, and so on
- Whether you have an emergency contact or someone in Japan who can act as a point of contact
- If you are considering starting a business: the nature of the business and whether an office is needed
- The language you would like to use (Japanese / English / Traditional or Simplified Chinese)
Frequently asked questions
Can I rent an apartment even if my residence status is 'Student'?
Yes, you can. A lease is possible on a Student residence status, and many people do move in. That said, guarantor-company screening checks things like your period of stay, emergency contacts, and your income or remittance situation. Yotsuba Real Estate sorts out in advance what the screening will ask, and supports you through the explanations to landlords and guarantor companies in Japanese, English, and Chinese.
Is it all right if I don't have a guarantor?
In most cases, this can be handled by using a guarantor company. In Japan, contracts that use a guarantor company in place of an individual joint guarantor are common. We sort out in advance the points where foreign nationals tend to stumble, such as preparing an emergency contact, and prepare with you so the screening is more likely to pass.
Can you explain the contract and the important-matters explanation in Chinese or English?
Yes. At the important-matters explanation (juyo jiko setsumei) before signing, we proceed while supplementing the content in English and Chinese (Traditional and Simplified). It is precisely in scenes full of technical terms that confirming in your own language brings peace of mind. You can move to signing only after you fully understand the content.
I want to get a Business Manager visa — can I also consult about finding an office?
Yes. The Business Manager residence status requires an office with genuine business substance, and a virtual office or a mere registered address may not be enough. Yotsuba Real Estate handles the search for an office and home that anticipate the requirements, while our affiliated Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office handles company formation and the residence-status application — each under a separate contract. Your first inquiry can start in one place.
I'd like to buy real estate in Japan from Taiwan — can you help?
Yes. We handle consultations on purchasing, selling, inheriting, and investing in Japanese real estate in Chinese (Traditional and Simplified). For those living overseas, we support online consultations, and we carry out the on-site checks ourselves. Because the necessary documents and procedures differ depending on your situation (country of residence, residence status, and so on), we proceed while confirming each point individually.
If I move, do I also need residence procedures?
When your place of residence changes, residence-related procedures such as reporting the new address on your residence card may be required. Because a change of home and residence procedures are linked, a single window helps prevent things from slipping through. The specific procedures are guided by our affiliated Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office under a separate contract, and the latest handling should also be confirmed at the Immigration Bureau or your local government office.
Related pages you may also want to see
Note: The descriptions of systems and procedures on this page are general information as of July 2026. Please confirm individual circumstances and the latest handling at the Immigration Bureau, your local government, or the relevant window. Preparation of the residence-status application documents and the procedures themselves are engaged by our affiliated Yotsuba Gyoseishoshi Office under a separate contract (a separate, independent business, with no referral fees exchanged).
What our company cannot handle: representation and negotiation in contested inheritance disputes (we will connect you with an attorney); filing real estate registration on your behalf (we will connect you with a Judicial Scrivener (司法書士)); and inheritance tax filing (we will connect you with a Tax Accountant (税理士)). Licensed social insurance and labor consultant (社会保険労務士) services cannot be accepted until our office opens in September 2026. Each specialist is engaged under a separate, individual contract, and our company does not receive any referral fee.