Blog
5 min read

Whats the difference between us and the other guys?

Written by
Derek Cirillo
Published on
November 19, 2025

We talk to new clients every day and a lot of them are shopping around. Totally fair. When you’re about to buy a home halfway across the world, you should make sure you’re working with the most competent, trustworthy team out there.

I did the exact same thing when I started my own Japan home-buying journey and to be honest I wasn’t thrilled with my options. That’s what lead to the creation of YukiHomes.

So what actually separates us from everyone else?

Our co-owner nick on the left

First and foremost, when you work with YukiHomes, you’re working directly with me, Derek Cirillo, and my partner, Nick McLoota. From your very first inquiry to the day, you get the keys (and even long after), you’ll be dealing with us personally. Whether you’re buying a vacation home, setting up Airbnb operations, renovating a property, or navigating licensing, we’re with you every step of the way, talking to you multiple times a week and making sure everything runs smoothly.

On the ground in Japan, we have teams we trust completely and consider family.


Together, we form a small, tight-knit, and highly specialized team that combines Western client service with deep Japanese expertise. We don’t outsource. We don’t hand you off. We handle everything ourselves because your experience, and your dream home, matter to us.

Most other services hand you off to someone else after the first call. We don’t. You get a tight-knit, full-service team that lives and breathes this process, Americans who’ve gone through it ourselves, and Japanese professionals who know the system inside and out. Together, we cover every angle: legal, logistical, renovation, design, and management.

And that brings us to another huge difference, what happens after the purchase.

We don’t just help you buy a home; we help you make it thrive.

We can renovate, furnish, and license your property as a ryokan or Airbnb, then manage it for you remotely. I’ve personally managed Airbnbs in the U.S. for over eight years, and we’ve built a team that combines that hands-on global experience with deep local knowledge. We even have an in-house designer to help turn your property into something truly special.

There’s no other team in Japan offering this kind of end-to-end service with this level of personal involvement.

At YukiHomes, we don’t just sell homes, we help people build a life and investment in Japan that actually works.

Browse opportunities yourself: Check out current listings at Nipponhomes.com

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Derek Cirillo
November 10, 2025

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Snow-covered mountain ridge with scattered leafless trees under a clear blue sky.

Our team

Meet the founders.

Man wearing a brown beanie and sunglasses standing in front of a pond with the Golden Pavilion temple and forested hills in the background.
Derek Cirillo
Co-founder

Derek has been working in the Airbnb space for the past 10+ years and recently purchased a home in Japan. He is excited to bring this investment opportunity to others in the States & abroad.

Group of skiers standing on a snowy ridge overlooking a snow-covered mountain with other skiers in the distance.
Nick McLoota
Co-founder

Nick has a passion for adventure and has always dreamed of owning a property in Japan. His dreams finally came true when Derek brought him in on a deal of a lifetime in Hokkaido, Japan - one of Nick's favorite places on Earth.