Header image: AI-generated illustration, not a property listing.
First published 12 September 2026. Revised 6 October 2026: rechecked Mokomoko's plans and homepage, and added a fee table, a cost example for a ¥3 million house and our current count of houses under US$100,000.
Mokomoko (Formerly Akiya Mart) vs Buy Houses Japan: Fees and Houses Compared
On 6 October 2026, Mokomoko's homepage picks included a house in Wakayama for US$11,000. Its Buyers Club, the service that runs a purchase for you, costs US$5,000 plus US$25 in consultations. On that house, the help would cost close to half the price. On a ¥15 million house (about US$97,000), it is about 5%.
Mokomoko is the new name of Akiya Mart: akiya-mart.com redirects to mokomoko.com, and the site's banner says "AkiyaMart is now Mokomoko". It runs a property map with a free and a Pro plan, and the separate Buyers Club. Source: Mokomoko.
Choose Mokomoko if you want someone else to run the purchase from overseas and US$5,000 is small next to your budget. Choose Buy Houses Japan if you want to find and shortlist detached houses yourself, starting free, before you pay anyone.
Published by Buy Houses Japan, one of the services compared. First checked on 12 September 2026 and rechecked on 6 October 2026 against the public pages linked below. We have not purchased Mokomoko's paid services; this compares published offers with our product and is not an independent customer review.
USD equivalents of yen figures are approximate, using ¥154 per US$1 for illustration. Actual exchange rates and card charges vary.
Browse current houses in Japan without an account.
Mokomoko and Buy Houses Japan at a glance
| Mokomoko | Buy Houses Japan | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A property map plus a paid purchase service (Buyers Club) | A house search tool. Not a real estate agent |
| Free | Map Free: limited access to listings and 100 wishlists | Every public house page and your first search, no account. After sign-in, Explorer: 5 starter searches, then 1 a day up to 5 |
| Paid search | Map Pro: US$30 a month billed monthly, or US$15 a month billed yearly. 7-day trial | Homebuyer: ¥2,980 a month (about US$19). Investor: ¥6,980 (about US$45) |
| Help buying | Buyers Club: US$25 for two calls, then US$5,000 one-time for the purchase process | None. You deal with the listing agent or your own professional |
| Listings it states | "170K+ properties under $100K USD" | 24,401 detached houses with a price, photos and a source check in the last 14 days |
| Site languages | English | English, Japanese, Spanish, Korean, Chinese |
| Risk data | Tsunami and landslide risk data on Pro | The search map overlays Japan's official hazard maps: flood, storm surge, tsunami, debris flow, steep slopes and landslides |
| Price data | Historical sales data on Pro | Median asking price, price range and house age for each of the 47 prefectures, public |
Mokomoko figures come from its homepage and pricing page, checked with both billing options on 6 October 2026. Prices were the same as on 12 September. Ours come from our pricing page and our listings on 6 October 2026 at 16:10 UTC.
What a ¥3 million house costs through each route
Take a house listed at ¥3,000,000 (about US$19,500). Mokomoko describes its US$5,000 fee as "separate from any property purchase costs". Its pricing page does not say whether a brokerage fee from the agent who handles the sale comes on top, so ask before you book.
| With Mokomoko Buyers Club | Directly with the listing agent | |
|---|---|---|
| House | ¥3,000,000 | ¥3,000,000 |
| Mokomoko fees | US$5,025 (about ¥774,000) | None |
| Agent brokerage fee | Ask Mokomoko | ¥154,000 by the standard formula, or up to ¥330,000 if you agree to the low-cost rule |
| Taxes, registration and scrivener | Same either way | Same either way |
Since July 2024, an agent selling a house or land priced at ¥8 million or less may charge up to ¥330,000 including tax, above the normal percentage cap, if they explain it and you agree before signing (MLIT summary, in Japanese). Our guide to the full cost of a cheap house lists the taxes and fees that apply on either route.
Going direct is cheaper on paper, but it is not free. You need Japanese, or paid help such as an interpreter, and usually a visit or a power of attorney for the signing. On a ¥3 million house, Mokomoko's fee is about a quarter of the price. On a ¥15 million house, it is about 5%. The cheaper the house, the more that fixed fee weighs.
How many houses under US$100,000 can you see?
Mokomoko says its map has more than 170,000 properties under US$100,000. We cannot check how it counts them, for example which property types it includes or how often it rechecks a listing.
Our count is narrower. On 6 October 2026, 10,419 detached houses at ¥15.4 million (about US$100,000) or less had a yen price, photos and a successful check of the source listing within 14 days. Their median asking price was ¥7.78 million (about US$50,500), and every one of the 47 prefectures had some. The most were in:
Each prefecture page shows its median asking price, the middle half of prices and the share of houses built before 1981. For the cheapest tier, see what ¥5 million buys in Japan, or compare house prices across all 47 prefectures. For houses at ¥10 million (about US$65,000) or less, each rechecked at its source in the last 14 days, see cheap houses in Japan.
What else is different?
Finding homes
Mokomoko: a map of properties across Japan. Full listing access, alerts, the ownership-rights and layout filters, satellite view, Airbnb eligibility insights and tsunami and landslide data are on Pro.
Buy Houses Japan: detached houses from supported Japanese listing sources. Without an account you can browse public selections, run your first natural-language search and open the original listing behind any house; an account lets you keep searching beyond the free search and save homes. It is not a complete catalog of every Japanese property or municipal akiya bank.
Checking a shortlist
Buy Houses Japan publishes its availability-check method. Public pages need photos, a yen price and a successful source check within the last 14 days. That checks the listing source, not the building's condition or a seller's promise. Each house page shows official zoning data where we have it; hazard screening is not filled in for every house yet. Paid plans add saved-search alerts and side-by-side comparison: two homes on Homebuyer, ten on Investor, plus CSV export. See the current plan limits.
Getting the purchase completed
Mokomoko Buyers Club pairs you with a licensed Japanese agent, supports buying remotely, and helps set up utilities, internet and tax representation. Mokomoko says it has helped more than 200 people buy and that a purchase takes 88 days on average.
Buy Houses Japan is a search tool, not a real estate brokerage. A subscription does not include representation, viewings, negotiation or closing. Arrange those with the listing agent or a suitably qualified local professional, and ask for a written fee breakdown before you choose.
Which should you try first?
- You are still choosing a region or budget: start with our public house selection or akiya-focused listings. You can inspect the properties before creating an account.
- You have specific house requirements: try Buy Houses Japan's free Explorer search. A useful starting brief is "a detached house in Wakayama under US$65,000 with parking." Review the returned facts and missing details before saving candidates.
- You want help coordinating a purchase from overseas: review Mokomoko's Buyers Club and compare its written scope with local-agent options. Ask who performs each step and which fees are additional.
- You already use Mokomoko: use Buy Houses Japan as another discovery source. Compare the same area, budget and property type, and check whether apparently different ads describe the same home.
Questions about Mokomoko and Akiya Mart
Is Akiya Mart the same as Mokomoko?
Yes. Akiya Mart now operates as Mokomoko. The old akiya-mart.com address redirects to mokomoko.com, and the site's banner says AkiyaMart is now Mokomoko. Check plans and services on the current site.
Is Mokomoko free?
Partly. The Map's free plan gives limited access to listings and 100 wishlists. Full listing access, new-property alerts, historical sales data, the extra filters, Airbnb insights and tsunami and landslide data need Pro: US$15 a month billed yearly or US$30 billed monthly, with a 7-day trial.
How much does Mokomoko charge to help you buy?
The Buyers Club costs US$25 for two 30-minute calls, then US$5,000 as a one-time fee for the purchase process. Mokomoko says the fee is separate from property purchase costs, so budget for the house, taxes, registration and any agent fee on top.
Is Buy Houses Japan free?
Public house pages and your first search are free and need no account. Explorer gives a limited free search allowance after sign-in. Explorer also includes one weekly email alert on one saved search. Unlimited search, daily alerts and comparison are on paid plans with different limits.
Does a listing check mean an akiya is ready to buy?
No. Source availability, legal rights, road access, rebuilding restrictions and repair needs are different questions. Ask for current documents and an appropriate inspection before committing. Our home viewing checklist helps you prepare questions for the agent.
Start with a house you can investigate
Open the photos, compare the location and price, then follow the original source. A useful shortlist is a better starting point than choosing a platform from its headline listing count.
Explore current akiya and older houses, or browse all detached houses. Your first search needs no account; create one when you are ready to keep searching and save homes.
Prices and service details can change after the review date.