The Corner Unit With a Ski-Slope View: Steve's Otaru Condo
Steve bought a third-floor corner condo in Otaru with a clear view of the ski slopes – then put a deposit on a renovation a month before he actually owned it. Nine weeks after settlement the job was finished and signed off.
The Unit
Third floor, corner unit, Tomioka – a quiet residential pocket of Otaru seven minutes' walk from Otaru Park and eighteen from the station. The elevator sits right beside the door, there are no immediate neighbours on the other side of the wall, and guest parking is round the back.
Our inspection report got straight to the point: “Being a corner unit there is an amazing view of the ski slopes and mountains.” The previous owner had already put in new wallpaper. The carpet was another matter — stained and well past it — and the kitchen was small and dated. Big balcony windows, sliding partitions throughout, which means the layout can be reconfigured without touching a structural wall.
The Numbers
¥6,800,000, cash, no loan. All in with the deposit, brokerage fee, fixed asset tax and housing association fees, settlement came to ¥6,548,000. Contract signed 28 April; settled 19 June 2026.
The Renovation That Started Before He Owned It
Most buyers wait until the keys are in their hand. Steve didn't. In mid-May, a month out from settlement, he put a deposit down on replacing the carpet — roughly 55 square metres of it.
“Steve doesn't settle on his condo until June, but he has made a deposit on a carpet replacement!” — Nick
Hana sourced the contractor and came back with three options: new carpet at ¥488,400, wood flooring at ¥594,000, or a fuller package of recommended works at ¥742,632. Steve took the carpet. The job landed at ¥402,675 all in.
A footnote that says something about how tight this network is: the carpet contractor turned out to be the same man already working as the gardener on another YukiHomes client's property across town.
What Was Under the Carpet
Lifting the old flooring turned up what old flooring usually turns up — condensation had got into the felt underlay and the grippers, and none of it could be reused. Steve took it in stride.
“I kind of thought it would be hard to reuse it. No worries.” — Steve
And the Answers Nobody Writes Down
Owning in Japan comes with a hundred small questions no guidebook covers. Steve asked one of the good ones: can I have a BBQ on the deck? Matt went to the contractor and came back with a straight answer — no, and it's less about fire code than about the people living above you. Steve's reply: “Thanks Nick, I sort of expected that 😉”
Done
New carpet went in over four days in late July, along with new switches and outlets. On 31 July the contractor's update was two words long: “Lions Mansion is complete.” We shot matched before-and-after walkthrough videos from the same angles and sent them over.
Steve is coming to Otaru in October — partly to see it, partly because he wants to pick the new kitchen stove himself, in person. Fair enough. We think this means many more Japow runs for Steve's future!
