This week: We've spent most of our time on one stretch of coast. Three of the five homes are in Shimoda, at the tip of the Izu Peninsula, so you can compare a fixer-upper by the beach, a bargain with a big catch, and a finished villa in the same town. We also have our first home in Hokkaido, at a price that needs explaining, and our first in Kansai, a small cabin above Kobe.

Shimoda sits at the southern tip of the Izu Peninsula, about two and a half to three hours from Tokyo by limited express train. It's a town with a population of about 19,000, with white-sand beaches on one side, a deep natural harbor on the other, and more history than its size suggests. Three of this week's homes are here, from a ¥6.5M (US$41,000) bargain to a ¥45M (US$285,000) villa, so you can see what the same town buys at three very different prices.

In 1854, after Commodore Perry's Black Ships forced Japan into its first treaty with the United States, Shimoda became one of the first two ports opened to American ships, alongside Hakodate. Perry's squadron spent about 70 days here, and the treaty's detailed rules were signed at Ryosenji temple. His sailors marched there to a military band along what is now Perry Road, a canal-side lane of black-and-white tiled walls, antique shops and cafés. In 1856 Townsend Harris arrived as the first US consul and set up Japan's first American consulate at Gyokusenji temple in Kakisaki, a few minutes from Home 3. The port was open for only about six years before the action moved to Yokohama, but the town still celebrates it every May with the Black Ship Festival, held since 1934.

JR's Odoriko limited express train and the all-first-class Saphir Odoriko run from Tokyo Station to Izukyu-Shimoda; the Saphir takes about 3 hours. By car it's around 3 hours from Tokyo, and longer on summer weekends when the peninsula's few roads are regularly congested. Once you're here, you'll want a car: all three Shimoda homes are a bus ride from the station, and only Home 1 has shops within walking distance. Given access to a car, Mishima is another option for a Shinkansen (bullet train) stop, between 90-120 minutes away given you great access to different parts of Japan.

Shimoda is the shopping and medical centre for the southern Izu area, with a large Tokyu supermarket, banks, the city hall and a hospital. It's an old port town of namako-kabe walls, seafood restaurants, cafés and surf shops. It's also aging fast: about 43% of residents are over 65, and the population has fallen from 31,700 in 1975 to 19,282 in 2025. Expect a relaxed pace, busy summers and quiet winters.

All three Shimoda homes are connected to private septic tanks on the property, which need a yearly inspection and regular emptying. Homes 1 and 2 use propane, which costs more than city gas; Home 3 is all-electric. The coastal salt air is hard on metal, paint and decking, so budget for upkeep. Add fixed asset tax and, plus rented parking for Home 1.

Shimoda is where we'd point someone who wants a real beach town with history, within weekend reach of Tokyo.

The life. This house is in Shirahama, the beach district just north-east of central Shimoda, a 6-minute walk from Shirahama Ohama, a long white-sand beach with clear green water and one of Izu's most popular for swimming and surfing. Being this close means you can wander down in the late afternoon, after the heat and the day-trippers have gone, and stay until dark. From the big upstairs deck you see green hills to the south and the sea to the east. A 7-Eleven and a FamilyMart are both under 600 m (about 650 yd) away and there are restaurants on foot; Shimoda Station, the supermarket and banks are about 10 minutes by car.

The house. ¥12.8M (about US$81,000) · 4K, 94.2 m² (1,014 sq ft) · 189 m² (2,034 sq ft) of sloping land, freehold · built March 1975, two floors, wooden · Japanese-style rooms, Western-style rooms, very nice traditional bath, counter kitchen · 15 m² (161 sq ft) balcony, a large upstairs wooden deck and a second deck at the entrance · two toilets · septic tank, mains water, propane · holds a ryokan (inn) license · outside the landslide and tsunami warning zones · owner living there. See the listing

The catch. It's a 51-year-old house, built well before the 1981 earthquake standard, and even the agent says it needs a repaint, new decking and interior work. There's no parking, so you would rent a space nearby. The land is on a slope and registered as forest, not residential. The ryokan license is a big part of the guesthouse pitch, but in Japan these licenses usually don't pass to a new owner with the house, so don't count on it until it's confirmed. The agent's fee would be about ¥488,000 (US$3,100).

Who it suits. A beach-loving couple or family who want a weekend house they can walk to a white-sand beach from, and might run as a small guesthouse later.

The life. Up the hill behind Shirahama, among the trees, this house looks straight out over the Pacific; the agent says you can watch the first sunrise of the year from the living room. It's quiet, and it's outside any managed estate, so there are no estate fees. Shirahama's central beach is about 4 minutes by car, and the agent pitches it at surfers and anyone drawn to life by the ocean. Without a car, it's a 12-minute walk to the bus stop and a 14-minute bus ride to Shimoda Station.

The house. ¥6.5M (about US$41,000) · 4SLDK, 137.1 m² (1,476 sq ft) · 3,180 m² (34,228 sq ft, nearly 0.8 acre) of sloping land, freehold · built August 1982, two floors, light steel frame · entrance on the upper floor, 20-mat living-dining-kitchen (22 m²/ 256 sq ft) with a sea view, three Japanese-style rooms, one Western-style room and a storeroom · kitchen, bath and toilet replaced about two years ago · two toilets, three-burner stove · septic tank, mains water, propane lines · parking for two cars in front. See the listing

The catch. The land is inside a landslide special warning zone (土砂災害特別警戒区域), the strictest of Japan's landslide hazard categories. It can mean building restrictions if you ever want to rebuild or extend, harder lending and insurance acquisition, and a concerning risk in heavy rain. That is a large part of why so much land costs so little. The house was built in August 1982, close to the 1981 earthquake standard, so check the permit date. It faces west, the land is steep, and it's a car life.

Who it suits. Someone after a cheap sea-view retreat who has studied the hazard map, accepts the risk, and has no plans to rebuild.

The life. Quiet green headland east of Shimoda, where the Imperial family has its seaside villa. From a new terrace in the garden you look out over Shimoda Bay and watch the black-ship sightseeing boat come and go. The fishing spots at Suzaki port are about 5 minutes by car, the winter daffodil fields at Tsumekizaki are close by, and Shimoda Station is about 8 minutes' drive. Shops and the hospital are around 10 minutes away.

The house. ¥45.0M (about US$285,000) · 5LDK plus two storerooms, 153.5 m² (1,652 sq ft) · 789.6 m² (8,500 sq ft) of flat land, freehold · built July 2005, two floors, wooden · 18-mat living-dining room (29.16 m² · 314 sq ft) with folding windows that open the whole wall onto the lawn · walnut floors and diatomaceous-earth walls · walk-in closet, two toilets · all-electric · septic tank, mains water · parking for three · outside the landslide and tsunami warning zones. See the listing

The catch. It's the most expensive home we've featured, at more than three times Athome's average asking price for a used house in Shimoda (¥12.8M, about US$81,000). A big lawn in a warm, wet climate is weekly work, and all-electric bills can climb in winter. The road in is private. The agent's fee would be about ¥1.55M (US$9,800). And the resale market for a ¥45M (US$285,000) house in a town of 19,000 is thin, so buy it to keep.

Who it suits. A family, or retirees with visiting grandchildren, who want a finished villa by the sea with nothing to renovate.

The life. Ashibetsu is a small former coal-mining town in central Hokkaido, between Takikawa and Furano. This house is on a quiet residential street, a 9-minute walk from JR Ashibetsu Station, with a park 210 m (690 ft) away and the supermarket, a hospital, the post office and a kindergarten all about 1 km (0.6 mi) off. The elementary and junior high schools are 1.2 and 1.9 km (0.7 and 1.2 mi) away. In winter the town has its own ski hill, and Furano or Kamui Ski Links’ lifts are within easy reach.

The house. ¥500,000 (about US$3,200) · 5LDK, 110.4 m² (1,188 sq ft) · 264.5 m² (2,847 sq ft) of land, freehold · built July 1983, two floors, wooden · south-facing, with a garden · parking for two (depending on car size) · mains water and sewer, propane · residential zoning. See the listing

The catch. It's sold as is: the seller repairs nothing, clears nothing on the land, and takes no responsibility for defects after the sale. The boundaries aren't marked. Snow slides off the roof, so check where it lands. The retaining wall leans and crosses the boundary, which could be an expensive repair and a conversation with the neighbors. It has been on the market since June 2023. On a home this cheap, agents can legally charge up to about ¥330,000 (US$2,100), nearly two-thirds of the price, and fixing it right could cost many times what you pay for it.

Who it suits. A handy buyer who wants a cheap Hokkaido base near Furano and will budget for the wall, insulation and heating, or who sees it as a plot with a house on it.

The life. Mt. Rokko rises straight up behind Kobe, and its summit was Japan's first mountain retreat for foreigners: the British merchant Arthur Groom built a summer house up here in the 1890s and laid out Japan's first golf course, Kobe Golf Club, in 1903. This one-room cabin is near the top station of the Rokko Cable Car, which climbs 493 m (1,617 ft) in 10 minutes. From the balcony you look down on the lights of Kobe and Osaka Bay, the view the city calls its "ten-million-dollar night view". Up top there's Rokko Garden Terrace, an alpine botanical garden, a small artificial ski slope that opened in 1964, and a ropeway down the back of the mountain to Arima Onsen.

The house. ¥17.8M (about US$113,000) · one room, 39.7 m² (427 sq ft) · 119.7 m² (1,289 sq ft) of leasehold land · built July 1965, single story, wooden · fully renovated May 2026: kitchen, bathroom, toilet & washroom, wall & ceiling, and the exterior walls · balcony with the view · sold directly by the owner, so no agent's fee. See the listing

The catch. You don't own the land. It's leased under Japan's old superficies law (旧法地上権) for 30 years at ¥1,810 (about US$11) a month, so ask how many years are left and what renewal costs. The land is in an urbanization control zone (調整区域), which can restrict rebuilding. The house dates from 1965, before the modern earthquake standard, and the listing shows a cosmetic renovation, not structural work. No parking is listed. The summit is cooler and often in cloud, and the roads can ice in winter. The agent says minpaku (民泊, short-term vacation rentals) is possible with the neighbors' and the city's approval.

Who it suits. A couple or solo buyer who lives in Kansai or visits often and wants a small weekend hideaway with one of Japan's great views.

The newsletter is for inspiration. If you're serious about a home in Japan, our one-to-one consultation starts with a video call about how you want to live, then we send you 3 to 5 homes picked for you, written up like this issue. It's ¥30,000 (about US$190), separate from your subscription, and booking opens soon.

See you next Friday

Shogun Homes shares general information about homes in Japan. We are not a licensed real estate brokerage, lawyers, tax advisers or immigration specialists, and we don't take commissions or paid listings. Listings were for sale when we wrote this issue and may have sold or changed since. Prices in US$ are approximate. Confirm details with a licensed professional before you act.

This week's five homes

Shimoda deep dive