For some house hunters, the thought of sharing a home with a ghost is enough to send them running.
In Japan, however, the prospect of living in a property associated with death can be an opportunity to secure affordable accommodation in an increasingly expensive housing market.
Ryua, a young Japanese entertainer who works as an aidoru, says she has been sharing her Tokyo apartment with a ghost since moving in four years ago.
In an exclusive interview with The BBC, she claims she first encountered the mysterious presence during a viewing of the property, when she noticed a man standing inside and glaring at her.
“When I visited the place for a viewing, there was a man standing there, glaring at me,” she recalled.
After realising that the estate agent could not see the figure, Ryua concluded that she had encountered a ghost. Rather than abandon the apartment, she decided to embrace the unusual experience.
“I’m a bit of a contrarian, so I decided I wanted to become friends with this glaring male ghost,” she said.
Ryua, who has chosen not to disclose her surname, claims that unexplained activity has continued in the apartment, including persistent footsteps and voices she attributes to her supernatural housemate.
She was informed that a previous occupant had died by suicide in the property. That history placed the apartment in a category of Japanese real estate known as jiko bukken, a term used for properties associated with incidents or deaths that may make prospective tenants reluctant to move in.
In Japan, beliefs about spirits remain part of the cultural conversation throughout the year, extending beyond the Halloween season. One term associated with these beliefs is yuurei, referring to ghosts or spirits traditionally believed to linger because of unresolved circumstances surrounding their deaths.
In popular Japanese folklore, such spirits may be associated with violent deaths, suicide or people who died alone. Some beliefs hold that when a person dies in a home under tragic circumstances, their spirit may remain there.
These beliefs have created a distinct market for properties carrying a history that could discourage prospective buyers and tenants.
Under guidelines introduced by Japan’s government in 2021, estate agents are generally required to disclose certain deaths, including suicides and murders, as well as cases in which a body was not discovered for an extended period.
For rental properties, disclosure is generally required for three years following certain incidents, while properties offered for sale are subject to disclosure requirements without the same three-year limit. The rules contain exceptions, and disclosure obligations depend on the circumstances.
The approach differs from that of other countries. In the United Kingdom, there is generally no specific legal requirement to disclose that someone died in a property, while regulations in the United States vary by state.
For people willing to overlook a property’s history, Japan’s market for incident-linked homes can offer substantial savings.
Ryua, for instance, says she pays 45,000 yen, approximately $285 or £213, a month for her 25-square-metre bedsit in Tokyo’s fashionable Setagaya ward. She estimates that the rent would otherwise be about 62,000 yen, giving her a discount of almost 30 per cent.
Tokyo-based estate agent Erik Oskamp says Japanese renters can be particularly reluctant to live in properties associated with death or other distressing events.
Even living close to a cemetery can discourage some prospective tenants, he explained, particularly when graves are visible from the home.
A suicide inside a property can be especially difficult for landlords, he said, while serious crimes and deaths that go undiscovered for long periods can also affect a property’s appeal.
The financial benefits of buying a property with a troubled history can be even more significant outside Tokyo.
Diane Tincher, a 79-year-old American who has lived in Japan for nearly four decades and works as a tour guide, bought a three-bedroom house in Kagoshima, southwestern Japan, for about half the price of comparable properties.
Tincher paid 20 million yen for the house, although similar properties in the area could reportedly sell for as much as 45 million yen.
The estate agent explained that an elderly woman had died alone in the house, leaving the property with a stigma that reduced its market value.
Tincher said she does not believe in ghosts but understands that cultural attitudes towards death can influence the housing market.
“I don’t believe in ghosts. But I know that the Japanese are very superstitious,” she said.
She added that she remains grateful for the opportunity to own such a spacious home at a significantly reduced price.
“If there is a ghost I’m thankful to her every day… to live in such a splendid and affordable home,” she said.
Tincher had discovered the property through Oshimaland, a website that catalogues Japanese homes associated with deaths and other incidents that may affect their desirability.
Launched in 2005 initially to cover Tokyo, the platform subsequently expanded across Japan and internationally. Its listings are crowdsourced, allowing members of the public to submit properties and information about incidents linked to them.
The website’s founder, Teru Oshima, said such homes were historically viewed as unattractive options for many Japanese buyers and tenants.
However, rising housing prices and the increasing cost of living appear to be changing attitudes. A survey conducted in 2025 found that more than half of respondents in Japan would consider renting a jiko bukken property if the price were sufficiently low.
For prospective tenants and buyers, the decision to occupy a property associated with death often comes down to personal beliefs, cultural attitudes and financial circumstances.
While some people may be uncomfortable with a home’s history, others see an opportunity to obtain accommodation that might otherwise be beyond their budget.
For Ryua, the decision is also rooted in how she views the dead.
“I believe that ghosts were once living human beings, so they deserve our respect,” she said.
Whether her experiences are supernatural or have another explanation, Ryua appears comfortable with her unusual living arrangement.
In a housing market where affordability increasingly shapes decisions, Japan’s incident-linked properties offer a striking example of how a home’s history can influence its value, and how some people are willing to look beyond its past to secure a place to live.
