Real Estate Glossary

A traditional Japanese unit of area. One tsubo equals approximately 3.305785 square meters. Commonly used to express land and building areas in Japan.

The price of land. Typically expressed as price per square meter. Official land prices published by the national or prefectural governments, such as appraised land prices and standard land prices, serve as reference.

Standard land prices announced by MLIT as of January 1st each year. Prices are shown for survey points nationwide and serve as indicators for land transactions.

Land prices announced by prefectures as of July 1st each year. Used similarly to appraised land prices as an indicator for land transactions.

Price per tsubo unit. Commonly used when comparing land and condominium prices. Calculated as 1 tsubo = approximately 3.305785 sqm.

Total floor area of a building. In Japan, this refers to the area enclosed by the center lines of walls and pillars. The registered area may differ from the actual usable area.

The area exclusively usable by each unit in a condominium or other collectively owned building. Common areas (corridors, stairs, etc.) are not included.

Area shared by all units in a condominium. Includes corridors, stairs, entrance, etc. The allocated portion is added to each unit's exclusive area.

The ratio of building footprint area (first floor area) to the site area. Maximum limits are set based on zoning regulations.

The ratio of total floor area (sum of all floors) to the site area. Maximum limits are set based on zoning regulations.

Areas designated under the Urban Planning Act that restrict building use, building coverage ratio, floor area ratio, etc. There are 13 types including residential, commercial, and industrial zones.

Areas where construction is restricted under the Urban Planning Act. In principle, residential construction is not permitted in urbanization control areas.

Types of rights to land include ownership, leasehold rights, and superficies. Ownership is the strongest right, while leasehold is the right to borrow land from a landlord.

The right to lease someone else's land to build and own a building. There are two types: leasehold by contract and superficies.

The process of preparing land for use as a building site. Includes earthworks such as filling and cutting.

Planning for the healthy development and organized improvement of cities. Defines land use, urban facility development, urban development projects, etc.

A parcel of land divided by boundary lines. Refers to lot numbers in the registry or plots prepared through land readjustment projects.

Classification based on land status and usage. There are 22 types including residential land, rice fields, farms, forests, grasslands, and pastures. Recorded in the registry.

The floor area of a room. Studio apartments are often displayed as "XX sqm". May also be expressed in tatami units (1 tatami ≈ 1.65 sqm).

Traditional Japanese matting used on floors in Japanese-style rooms. The size of one tatami varies by region: approximately 1.65 sqm in Kanto, 1.82 sqm in Kyoto. Also used as a unit for room area.

Standard land prices announced by MLIT as of January 1st each year based on the Land Price Appraisal Act. Widely used as an indicator for land transactions.