By Fatma Younis
In Japan, apartments and houses where deaths have occurred — known as jiko bukken or stigmatised properties — are being snapped up at steep discounts by renters and buyers willing to overlook supernatural reputations.
Ghostly flatmate in Tokyo
Ryua, a young entertainer known as an aidoru, moved into a 25-square-metre bedsit in Tokyo's fashionable Setagaya ward four years ago after being told a man had taken his own life there. She pays 45,000 yen ($285) a month, roughly 30% below the market rate of 62,000 yen. Ryua says she hears daily footsteps and voices but chose to befriend the spirit, believing ghosts deserve respect as former human beings.
Cultural roots and disclosure rules
Japanese folklore holds that yuurei — troubled spirits of those who died violently, by suicide, or alone — linger at the site of their death. Government guidelines issued in 2021 require estate agents to disclose suicides, murders, fire deaths, and undiscovered bodies for three years on rentals and indefinitely on sales. In contrast, the UK has no such legal requirement, while US rules vary by state.
Superstition drives deeper discounts
Tokyo estate agent Erik Oskamp says Japanese tenants are particularly averse to stigmatised homes; even an apartment overlooking a cemetery struggles to find renters. A suicide in the unit, or even someone jumping from the roof, often prompts existing tenants to leave. Lonely deaths, which barely affect prices elsewhere, also depress values in Japan.
American buyer in rural Kagoshima
Diane Tincher, a 79-year-old American tour guide living in Japan for nearly 40 years, purchased a three-bedroom house in rural Kagoshima for 20 million yen — about half the typical 45 million yen asking price — after an elderly woman died alone there. Tincher does not believe in ghosts but says she is thankful for the discount that made the spacious home affordable.
Growing acceptance of stigmatised properties
The website Oshimaland, founded by Teru Oshima in 2005, crowdsources listings of jiko bukken across Japan and internationally. A 2025 survey found that more than half of Japanese respondents would now rent a stigmatised property if the price was right, reflecting rising housing costs and shifting attitudes.
