Japan has consistently ranked high on the bucket lists of foreign visitors in recent years. While Japan is a wonderful place to visit year-round, it boasts some of the best snowboarding and skiing in the world, making it a must-visit destination for winter sports enthusiasts.

Almost all snowboarders and skiers have heard of the world-famous Niseko ski resort, but there is a lot more to Japan’s skiing scene. Today, Real Gaijin introduces a pair of Americans who know Japan’s backcountry well.

Meet Derek Cirillo and Nick McLoota, the co-founders of Yuki Homes.

These young entrepreneurs fell in love with JAPOW and some of the best snowboarding and skiing resorts in Hokkaido. Together with a third partner, they decided to invest in their own property in Otaru to use as a home base for long visits (40 or 50 days at a time, for example). When they are not in town, they rent out the property on Airbnb, Rakuten Travel, and other online travel agencies (OTAs).

After learning how many other foreigners had similar dreams and having a Reddit post about their own experience go viral, Derek and Nick decided to start their own real-estate consulting agency. Their agency connects overseas skiers and investors with Japanese real-estate brokers and other support services, such as local property managers, remodeling construction contractors, and tax accountants. Now, Yuki Homes helps foreign clients take advantage of Japan’s growing stock of affordable homes near some of the world’s best snowboarding and skiing destinations.

Yuki Homes is now a full-service provider and expanding across Japan

You might recall that we first met the team at Yuki Homes last summer, well before the snow had fallen in Hokkaido this winter. ICYMI, see here:

That didn’t stop the pair, though, from expanding their network across Japan (when they weren’t surfing in Miyazaki). Yuki Homes now has many more satisfied clients, and their Instagram following has ballooned. They now have a full team handling property tours, renovations and short-term rental management throughout Japan for buyers from the US, UK, Australia and Canada — with a special focus on Otaru, Asahikawa, and Miyoko. Despite the fact that most of their clients do not have long-term visas or local bank accounts, business is booming. Yuki Homes currently has seven remodeling projects underway, for example.

Key takeaways (from our conversation on 29 MAR 2026)

* From Snowboard Trip to Scalable Real Estate Venture: The business model behind Yuki Homes was born from a clear arbitrage opportunity: inexpensive rural Japanese properties, particularly those near ski resorts, combined with strong international demand for seasonal stays. After all, Japan currently offers the only affordable world-class ski locations. Derek and Nick found that comparable ski homes in North America were too expensive, but Japan offered similar or better snow conditions at a much lower price. They didn’t just decide to purchase property themselves; they also developed a process to help others do the same. Thus, Derek and Nick turned their personal experience into a brokerage-plus-advisory service that guides foreign buyers through the process of acquiring, renovating, and monetizing property.

* Operational Complexity—and Resulting Value—of Local Execution: The business is not just about sourcing properties. It depends heavily on a distributed network of local experts across Japan. This includes licensed real-estate agents who handle legal compliance, local contractors who manage renovations, property checkers, and even neighbors to mitigate friction. The founders split responsibilities, with one handling front-end acquisition and client advisory and the other handling post-purchase execution and income optimization. This hybrid model—part concierge and part project manager—is essential in a market where language barriers, regulatory nuances, and local trust networks are decisive factors.

* Handling Japan’s Regulatory Complexity on Your Behalf: Regulatory structure—particularly Japan’s minpaku (short-term rental) versus ryokan (hotel) licensing regime—fundamentally shapes investment outcomes. Minpaku properties face strict limitations, often capped at 180 rental days or further restricted locally, while hotel licenses allow for full-year operation, though they require higher compliance costs, such as fire safety measures, inspections, and proximity requirements for emergency contacts. Yuki Homes actively steers clients toward hotel-compliant properties to ensure long-term viability, especially amid tightening enforcement driven by concerns about overtourism. In effect, regulatory arbitrage, not just property price, is central to the investment thesis.

Timeline

Substack does not yet have the functionality to allow you to use a link to jump to a specific section like YouTube’s “chapters.” Please refer to the times listed below to navigate through our hour-long conversation. Thank you for your understanding.

Key contacts

* Yuki Homes’ Instagram (Just DM them via IG for the fastest response): https://www.instagram.com/yukihomesjapan/

* Yuki Homes’ Website: https://www.yukihomes.com/

* Yuki Homes’ Substack (check out “The Bento Box” released every Friday for a showcase of a few select properties):

* NipponHomes Dot Com (Zillow-like Tool): https://www.nipponhomes.com/

* Kiroro Snow World: https://www.kiroro.co.jp/

* PowderHounds: https://www.powderhounds.com/

#JapanRealEstate #SkiProperty #Japow #Hokkaido #JapanRealEstate #Akiya #SkiJapan #ExpatLife #JapanInvesting #スキーリゾート #ジャパウ #北海道 #不動産投資 #空き家 #スキー日本 #YukiHomes #RealGaijin #リアル外人

Please note that you can subscribe to Real Gaijin for free. If you are so inclined, you can also purchase an annual subscription for a relatively small fee.

However, I understand that even the lowest level of annual subscription allowed by Substack may seem too high for many. If you just want to buy a coffee for Real Gaijin (or maybe a green tea), you can also make a small donation here:

https://buymeacoffee.com/realgaijin

All levels of support - including just liking a particular article and/or leaving a comment - are very welcome. Thanks again for reading.

While Real Gaijin lives in Substack, you can also find Real Gaijin on a few other platforms (listed in alphabetical order).

https://www.instagram.com/real_gaijin_on_substack/

https://www.threads.net/@real_gaijin_on_substack

https://www.tiktok.com/@real.gaijin

https://x.com/Real_Gaijin_

https://www.youtube.com/@RealGaijin

https://www.linkedin.com/in/mark-wilt-kennedy/