10 new Japanese ski resort homes for under US$500k

While the southern hemisphere winter may be just around the corner, the interest in winter 2024/25 in Japan is off the charts. Reports from friends and colleagues in the land of Japow show that the weak yen continues to stoke demands for the ultimate snow stoke!

So we reached out to Chris Pickering, owner and founder of Uchi, to see what is going on in the real estate market. “While 2023/24 was probably a record-breaking year in terms of the number of transactions in Japanese ski resort real estate, the fascinating thing right now is that the real estate agents are almost as busy in June as they were in January,” states Chris.

“With the Japanese yen at historically weak levels, but Japanese snow guaranteeing epic ski adventures that Europe and America are increasingly struggling to provide, the level of investment in ski homes and properties in Japan continues to grow.

“Perhaps most interesting is the increase in transactions outside of the traditional heartland of Hirafu in Niseko. More and more people are happy to look a few minutes outside the main development zones given that Japan is a safe and easy place to drive, except for the daily grind of clearing snow off the car – a good problem to have for skiers!

“Today I’ve picked out 10 properties for sale across Japan’s top resorts – all of them are under $500,000 USD listing price and offer some very cool options for international investors. If you are looking for something a bit different – head to uchijapan.com/properties where we have almost 1,000 listings online and more added daily.”

Stargazer Ridge

Location: Hakuba
Price: 76m JPY ($480k USD)

Stargazer Ridge – Misorano. View more images

Details: 3 bedroom, 2 bedroom, 105sqm house completed in December 2023!

Royal Town Ski Lodge

Location: Niseko Area
Price: 72m JPY ($460k USD)

Royal Town Ski Lodge. View more images

Details: 2 bedroom home, just under 100sqm and only 1,500m from the lifts.

Snowball Studios

Location: Madarao
Price: 25m JPY ($160k USD)

Snowball Studios. View more images

Details: Traditional Japanese edo-era design on these newly renovated 38sqm apartments.

Nature

Location: Niseko-Hirafu
Price: 78m JPY ($500k USD)

Nature. View more images

Details: 3 bedroom home in Asia’s most popular ski resort village – what more can you ask for?!

Iwanai 6 Bedroom House

Location: Iwanai, Hokkaido
Price: 18m JPY ($110k USD)

Iwanai: 6 Bedroom House. View more images

Details: just a couple of minutes from the awesome CAT-skiing resort of Iwanai, this 6 bedroom home is in fantastic condiition

Kondo Country Home

Location: Niseko Area
Price: 32m JPY ($200k USD)

Kondo Country Home. View more images

Details: price reduction on this 2 bedroom home on a double-sized plot in the popular Kondo area of Niseko.

Appi Kogen House

Location: Appi
Price: 27.5m JPY ($180k USD)

Appi Kogen House. View more images

Details: cute 2 bedroom cabin in the heart of Appi Kogen, home of the brand new Harrow International School.

The Vale Niseko 119

Location: Niseko-Hirafu
Price: 72m JPY ($460k USD)

The Vale Niseko 119. View more images

Details: ski-in ski-out studio apartment in the iconic Vale Niseko onsen-hotel in Niseko-Hirafu

Midori Cottage

Location: Hakuba
Price: 57m JPY ($360k USD)

Midori Cottage – Misorano. View more images

Details: 3 bedroom home, just under 100sqm and sitting on a well-sized plot of land only 5-10 minutes from some of Hakuba’s top ski hills

Izumikyo Log House

Location: Niseko area
Price: 72m JPY ($460k USD)

Izumikyo 2 Log House. View more images

Details: 90sqm 2 bedroom home within walking distance of Hirafu and convenient access to restaurants and the village shuttle

As always, head to uchijapan.com for the latest ski resort listings and news from all across Japan’s top snow destinations!