Home affordability has decreased for the average income earner in Japan for the last several years. If you are thinking about buying a home in Japan, you may want to start with getting answers to even more basic questions:. There are no legal restrictions on buying property in Japan for foreigners. Foreigners are only responsible for providing a written notification to the Bank of Japan within 20 days of purchase of real property. There is no need to have citizenship or even a residence visa to buy a house in Japan. However, buying property in Japan does not entitle the purchaser to receive a Japan residence visa.