Most listings in Japan are one house, one lot, one use case. This one isn’t. Two full homes sit side by side on a hilltop in Ichinomiya, Chiba — the town that hosted Olympic surfing — along with two rentable cabins, a shed, and parking for more than a dozen cars. It’s never been listed before, and the price has just dropped from a ¥59.5M ask to ¥44.9M, non-negotiable. Family compound, boutique guesthouse, or base for visiting sports teams — this one’s worth a closer look.

The Morine House

Two Homes, Two Very Different Personalities

The main house, nicknamed Morine, was imported from the U.S. and built in 2005 — noticeably sturdier than a typical Japanese timber-frame home, with basement storage most local houses simply don’t have. The original owner ran a café on the second floor and lived on the first, and that layout is still intact: two bedrooms, one bathroom, and a separate toilet on each floor. The one-car garage has already been converted into a third bedroom, and a large loft adds even more space. Big windows and two decks frame the mountains — registered floor area is 130.8 sqm.

The Log Cabin

Next door, a 1999-built log cabin was home to the seller’s mother — and it’s not roughing it. The bathroom is really a wellness suite: twin custom soaking tubs (one hot, one cold), a shower built for three to five people, and a sauna. The living room doubles as a homeopathic treatment space, known locally as a Holmesis Room — a wellness feature that can run upwards of ¥5,000,000 on its own when purpose-built. A master log-cabin carpenter recently redid the exterior and roof, and a front deck looks out over the same mountain views. Cabin floor area: 102.5 sqm.

Room for 12+ Cars, Two Bonus Rentals, and a Fresh Well

Beyond the two houses, the property includes:

• • Two one-room cabins with A/C, sized for bunk beds or hostel-style stays

• • One small storage shed

• • Parking for 8–9 cars across two lots, plus a driveway that holds 2–4 more

• • A shared well (recently redone) and septic system serving both homes

• • New toilets and A/C throughout, including both small cabins

• • Owned Wi-Fi and security equipment in both homes, compatible with providers like Starlink and included in the sale

💡 NTI Insight: The seller is open to financing the purchase directly — around 6% interest, up to 15 years. That’s unusual in Japan, where most sellers expect cash or a bank-approved buyer. For a foreign buyer who can’t easily get a Japanese mortgage, seller financing like this can be the difference between an interesting listing and an actual path to ownership. Always have any financing terms reviewed independently before signing.

Built for More Than One Business Model

This isn’t a fixer-upper looking for an idea — the seller has already mapped out several paths, from reopening the café and living on-site while renting the cabin, to long-term or monthly rentals of each home, to short-term rental by the room (each room already has its own lock, with preliminary licensing groundwork done). Given the location and the local shortage of multi-room accommodation, the seller’s original intent was corporate and sports-team rental — hosting the teams that already train in the area off-season.

Location: 10 Minutes from Olympic Surf

Ichinomiya sits on Chiba’s Kujukuri coast, home to Tsurigasaki Beach — the venue for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic surfing debut, which now draws roughly 600,000 surfers a year. From the property, it’s about 10 minutes by car to the beach and the nearest JR Sotobo Line station, 60–70 minutes to Tokyo Station via limited express, and roughly 90 minutes to Narita Airport. A golf course, country club, and fishing spots are nearby too — and because the property sits alone at the top of a hill with no neighbors, noise from gatherings or outdoor events isn’t the concern it would be almost anywhere else in Japan.

Price and Terms

• • Price: ¥44.9M (roughly $276,000 USD at current exchange rates) — non-negotiable

• • Seller financing: Available, ~6% interest, up to 15 years

• • Furnishing: Unfurnished

• • Rental option: The seller will also consider renting the homes month-to-month on 6-, 12-, or longer terms to tenants or prospective buyers who want to try before they buy

This post is for informational purposes only and doesn’t constitute legal, tax, or financial advice. Financing terms, short-term rental licensing, and closing costs should be confirmed independently before you make an offer.

The Takeaway

Three things make this listing stand out: it’s two complete, income-ready homes on one hillside lot rather than a single house; it comes with a rare seller-financing option that sidesteps the usual mortgage hurdle for foreign buyers; and it sits minutes from one of Japan’s best-known surf breaks in a town that’s short on multi-room accommodation. Properties like this — never previously listed, with this much flexibility built in — don’t come up often. Want to see the full numbers, floor plans, and financing structure? Book a free 30-minute consultation For additional photos, visit our website here.