Ocean View Properties in Japan: Incomparably Cheaper Than in the U.S.

Article written by Yoshiaki Maekawa

How Much Does a Home with an Ocean View in California Cost?

It has been about 35 years since I permanently moved to the United States. One of my dreams is to have family meals in a dining room with an ocean view, but I haven’t been able to make that dream come true yet. A single-family home with an ocean view in Southern California is prohibitively expensive. For example, let’s say I want to buy a home with an ocean view in the town where I live. A 2-bedroom, 63 square meters property with a 69.5 square meters land area would cost $1,699,000.

In contrast, a detached home in Yokohama with a panoramic view of Sagami Bay has about 3,800 sq ft of land and 2,900 sq ft of building space with 3 bedrooms, and costs approximately $626,000. Buying a property of a similar size in my area in the U.S. would cost around $2,700,000. — more than four times the price.

Even in rural areas in the U.S., home prices tend to be lower, but ocean-view properties in prime locations remain expensive due to high demand.

High Cost Performance of Japanese Real Estate

The Yokohama property mentioned earlier is priced as it is because it is conveniently located just a 13-minute walk from the train station. However, for example, in Katsuura City, Chiba Prefecture, near Tokyo, you can buy a 5-bedroom detached house with a building area of about 1,220 sq ft, just a 3-minute walk from the sea, for about $81,000. Did you know Japanese houses can be this affordable?

This location is just a little over two hours by train or about 1 hour and 40 minutes by car from Tokyo. It’s not some isolated island in the South Pacific. It is located only about two hours from the major global city of Tokyo. This is the very popular Chiba Prefecture neighboring Tokyo. There are also many ocean-view and hot spring properties in Kanagawa and Shizuoka Prefectures, located southwest of Tokyo. These are locations where you can fully enjoy both mountains and sea.

Unfortunately, due to Japan’s aging population and stagnant population growth, there are many areas with low demand for used properties. Therefore, property prices are low.

Isn’t it wonderful to be able to buy a detached house with an ocean view for about the price of a luxury car? Even if you don’t surf or fish, it’s not bad to spend time relaxing in a hideaway, watching the Japanese sea change its expressions with the seasons. You could also rent it out to travelers from overseas.

There aren’t many places in the world where you can be close to a big city, enjoy fresh food, and escape the hustle and bustle of urban life. To put it simply, Tokyo is like New York, and Chiba and Kanagawa Prefectures are like the beach towns of Southern California. When you get tired of working in the city, you can retreat to the countryside to refresh yourself. Properties in such locations can be purchased at affordable prices.

Why not make your dream of owning your ideal home come true in Japan?