Company Profile

“I wanted to use my own experience to make finding a home in Japan easier for others.”

Smart Relocate began with my own difficult experience of finding a home overseas.

I moved abroad with my young children, and because I did not speak the local language, even finding a suitable place to live was a challenge. When we finally found a home, new difficulties began. I could not read the notices posted in our building, I did not understand the local rules, and even something as simple as taking out the garbage correctly sometimes led to complaints from our neighbors.

Starting a new life in another country was much harder than I had imagined.

Seventeen years later, the time finally came for my family to return to Japan.

But once again, finding a home was not easy.

After living overseas for so long, we returned without a Japanese resident registration or a Japanese mobile phone number, which made applying for a rental property surprisingly difficult.

Even after we finally secured our new home, there was still so much to do—managing a large international move, taking care of my family, completing administrative procedures, and rebuilding our daily life in Japan.

Later, once our life had settled down, I began working at a real estate agency. What I saw there surprised me.

Foreign residents struggling to find housing simply because they could not speak Japanese.

People trying to find a home in Japan from overseas, only to discover how difficult it was to even submit an application.

I realized:

“There are so many people in Japan going through the same difficulties I once experienced.”

I wanted to use both my personal experience and my professional knowledge of real estate to help them.

That is how Smart Relocate was born.

Now in our ninth year, we have had the privilege of helping not only Japanese clients returning home from overseas, but also people from dozens of countries relocate to Japan and find a place to call home.

Nothing makes me happier than seeing our clients settle into their new lives and thrive in Japan.

Technology has changed enormously since my own international move. Translation tools have improved, and online viewings, electronic contracts, and remote communication have made it possible to accomplish much more from overseas.

Even so, relocating across borders—and particularly finding a home in Japan as a foreign national—can still involve many challenges.

At Smart Relocate, our role goes beyond simply finding properties.

We want to help you find the right home with as little stress as possible, so you can begin your new life in Japan with confidence.

We help bridge differences in language, culture, and business practices to make your relocation or return to Japan as smooth as possible.

That is what we strive to achieve every day.

If you are having difficulty finding a home in Japan, please feel free to reach out to us.

Drawing on my own experience of living overseas and returning to Japan, together with our professional real estate knowledge and years of supporting clients from around the world, we will be here to help you take your next step and start your new life in Japan.

Yoko Tokoro Founder & CEO Smart Relocate Inc.

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