wagaya Japan, Inc.

Company overview

As the number of foreign nationals moving to Japan increases, the need for housing searches is rising. Against this backdrop, wagaya Japan, Inc. plays the role of providing this support. Based on "wagaya Japan," one of Japan's largest real estate portal sites for foreign nationals, the company introduces rental and sales properties. A key feature is that the main entity is a real estate management company.
"One of the reasons why the provision of housing to foreign nationals is not progressing is the lack of acceptance systems at management companies. By being a management company ourselves and also supporting other management companies, we are expanding housing options for foreign nationals," says Masahiro KUSANAGI (director).
Recently, the company has also started recruitment services targeting foreign nationals. The company aims to provide "total support from day 0 of arriving in Japan to year 3 of living here." The company started as a business division of Nihon Agent Inc., which operates a real estate business in Ehime Prefecture. Initially, operations for handling foreign nationals were based on English support by Japanese staff and machine translation. However, believing that native speakers were essential to carefully convey differences from their home countries, the company decided to hire foreign staff.
"Explaining details in their native language at the time of contract deepens the tenants' understanding of the contract details, leading to the prevention of trouble after moving in," says Kusanagi.
Abner TUHIN, a foreign employee of the company who is of Indian nationality and raised in the United States, studied in Japan during his university days. After working in the United States, he came to Japan again and joined wagaya Japan. Tuhin comments: "It is very rewarding to be able to support customers from scratch while utilizing my living experience in Japan and my language skills."
The business gradually expanded after that, and currently, employees from a total of eight countries have joined. In July 2025, the company became independent from Nihon Agent Inc. and was spun off as wagaya Japan.

Work-life balance initiatives

What the company values is creating a "place in Japan" for foreign nationals. The company is conscious of creating an environment where conversation arises naturally, rather than forcibly increasing interaction.
For example, in the shared office where the office is located, a beer server is available for use in the evening, enabling casual interaction over drinks. In the "morning assembly" held at the start of work, activities such as "Dice Talk," where employees talk about a theme determined by rolling a die, are held to encourage relationship-building among employees even during work. In addition, the company provides places where foreign nationals who have just arrived in Japan can feel at ease, such as "Heya Commu" (Tenant Exchange Party) for customers who have signed contracts, and "wagaya Connect," a Japanese-culture experience-learning event targeting foreign customers within one year of arrival in Japan. These events seem to be places that deepen connections not only among customers but also among employees. "By talking to customers other than those I am in charge of, I am able to learn how other employees proceed with their work," says Tuhin.
It seems that a culture of going to theme parks or snowboarding together on holidays and celebrating each other’s birthdays has also taken root. Tuhin also changed jobs to another company once saying he "wanted to increase remote work" but that he missed these human relationships and rejoined the company.
"Who you work with is very important in a job. I thought I wanted to work with my colleagues at wagaya Japan after all," says Tuhin.
"Since the company was just spun off, we will continue to introduce various internal systems tailored to the needs of foreign employees," says Kusanagi.

Human resource development initiatives

"In the real estate industry, trust in the person in charge is often the deciding factor, so we hire with an emphasis on personality rather than track record or skills," says Kusanagi.
Although many employees join with no industry experience, the company has established an environment where they can grow in stages through training, a proprietary business manner book, and monthly skill-up seminars. Among these, the support system for acquiring Takken qualifications (Japan's national real estate broker license exam) is unique. In addition to subsidizing examination fees and providing qualification allowances, the company provides reference books, manages study time, and even conducts regular interviews. Based on the idea that "individual growth leads to improved company performance," studying is permitted during part of work hours. Tuhin comments: "It is difficult to study on your own, but since I learn with my colleagues while being managed, my motivation goes up."
There is also a substantial award system to reward efforts. At the annual "Agent Awards," representatives from each department, including Nihon Agent Inc., give presentations on their initiatives, and the winner is commended. Furthermore, excellent posts are selected every month from the "Business Blog" in daily report format and are evaluated in categories such as the "Customer Pain Points Award" and "Customer Delight & Satisfaction Award."
"As vertical segmentation progresses with business expansion, the purpose is to create a place where all departments are spotlighted and to promote interaction," says Kusanagi. Moreover, career paths are highly flexible, as seen with Tuhin, who moved from the leasing division to the sales department. "In any case, what is important is to challenge yourself as many times as possible. Since there are many chances, I want employees to challenge themselves without fear of failure," says Kusanagi.

Message from our top executive

Director / Masahiro KUSANAGI

Our goal is for foreign nationals to live with peace of mind for a long time. We would like to continue conveying living rules to foreign nationals while also conducting awareness-raising activities and psychological care for those accepting foreign nationals. Eventually, we plan to expand our business areas and connect with regional revitalization. To those who can broadcast the charm of each region from viewpoints unseen by Japanese people, let's work together!

Message from foreign talent

Sales / Abner TUHIN(India)

I am currently aiming to expand sales as the person in charge of the real estate sales team. Although it is difficult to provide support tailored to the characteristics of the members, I feel a sense of fulfillment different from when I was pursuing my own goals alone. I have lived in Tokyo for over 10 years, but there are still many places I haven't been to, so I never get bored. If you take the plunge and come to Japan, you should be able to involve yourself in various stimulating experiences.