JapanSOHO Guide

Renting in Japan, and working from it.

Rent a place you also intend to work in and a set of questions appears that ordinary flat-hunting never raises: office use, company registration, what the lease is actually for. These are the parts that trip people up. Not sales copy.

Getting the lease

3 Aug 2026Renting a Japanese apartment before you landYou can sign a Japanese lease while still abroad — but only for certain properties, and only if you line up four things first. Here is what actually gates it.Read

Working from home

3 Aug 2026What "SOHO" means in Japanese rental listingsSOHO is a real search category in the Japanese rental market, but it is not a regulated term and it means at least three different things. How to read it, and what to ask.Read
3 Aug 2026Can you work — or register a company — from a Japanese rental?"事務所使用不可" does not mean you cannot open a laptop. It means something specific, and it is different from whether you can register a company at the address. Here is the actual distinction.Read