Maintenance

2 articles

Getting Your Short-Term Rental Ready for Japan's Rainy Season

May 20, 2026 · 6 min read Intermediate

Every year, sometime in late May, I open the Japan Meteorological Agency’s forecast and check the same thing: when does tsuyu start? Because from that moment, a three-week countdown begins for our Tokyo properties, and there’s a lot to get done.

Japan’s rainy season isn’t just inconvenient for guests — it’s genuinely risky for properties. If you manage short-term rentals in Japan and haven’t built a pre-tsuyu routine yet, this post is for you.

Getting Contractor Quotes in Japan When You Don't Speak the Language

April 8, 2026 · 6 min read Intermediate

There’s a particular kind of stress that comes from getting a plumber to your Tokyo property. Not the burst pipe itself — that part is almost relaxing by comparison. The hard part is what comes after the emergency is fixed: explaining what happened, asking about preventative work, requesting a quote for the next job. In Japanese. Over the phone. While the plumber is already putting his shoes back on.

If you manage property in Japan and aren’t fluent, you know exactly what I mean.

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