Menu
Sign In Search Podcasts Charts People & Topics Add Podcast API Pricing
Podcast Image

Buying a House in Japan

Could It All Collapse? Architect Koen Klinkers on Earthquakes, Permits, and Japan's New Building Codes

02 May 2025

Description

Did you know? A majority of homeowners prefer their house doesn’t collapse while they’re inside of it!Earthquakes are a topic that permeates nearly every foreigner discussion around Japan—especially when it comes to purchasing an older akiya.So how safe is it?Japan-based Dutch architect Koen Klinkers walks through the key things to inspect and consider when buying a home in Japan, followed by a review of Japan’s latest round of building safety codes: why it exists, what it means for home buyers, how it affects renovations, tips on permitting, and so much more.Check out Koen Klinkers at Front Office Tokyo: https://frontofficetokyo.com/Read about Japan's new building codes here: https://www.adfwebmagazine.jp/en/architect/impact-of-japanese-building-code-revisions-from-april-2025-on-renovation/00:37 Introduction & Koen on the 2025 World Expo03:04 The April 2025 Building Standard Law Revision07:44 Permitting & the Japanese government’s enforcement power12:07 Bathrooms & moisture damage13:09 Environmental restrictions18:24 Are Pre-1981 homes safe to live in?23:05 Are earthquake safety inspections necessary for akiya buyers?24:57 Earthquake resistant materials: Drywall27:39 The permitting process & tips on working with contractors & local government32:29 How are updated codes announced and distributed?33:48 Joey & Take’s new build - wood vs. steel35:11 Japanese housemakers - Customizations & how they work

Audio
Featured in this Episode

No persons identified in this episode.

Transcription

This episode hasn't been transcribed yet

Help us prioritize this episode for transcription by upvoting it.

0 upvotes
🗳️ Sign in to Upvote

Popular episodes get transcribed faster

Comments

There are no comments yet.

Please log in to write the first comment.