Old House, New Trick: Japan's Housing Market Reimagined with Education and Technology

In this episode, Shotaro Fujisawa, founder of Yamori (ヤモリ), joins us to discuss how his Tokyo-based startup is reimagining Japan’s housing market.

Founded in 2019, Yamori tackles Japan’s growing vacant-home crisis by acquiring and rehabilitating underused properties, turning them into affordable rentals for overlooked groups such as foreign workers, single-parent families, and young renters. Beyond renovation, the company builds digital tools for landlords, offers beginner-friendly real estate education, and integrates smart home technology to improve safety and accessibility for elderly tenants.

In this conversation, Shotaro explains the economic and cultural forces driving Japan’s vacant-home problem and how Yamori’s data-driven, community-based model is restoring both housing supply and social trust. Yamori is leveraging a special purpose company (SPC) model, a form of public-private partnership with local municipalities, to finance its projects and deliver affordable housing at scale.

Shotaro’s story captures the courage, ingenuity, and resilience it takes to build from the ground up—showing how purpose-driven entrepreneurship can transform communities and redefine what housing means in Japan.

Interview by: Cherry Tang / MSRED Candidate 2026

Director: Denise DeLorey

Production: Cherry Tang / Lacey Cochran

Music from ⁠#Uppbeat⁠:⁠https://uppbeat.io/t/mark-july/dance-...⁠License code: KQAWWN4CWQXDF01E

Learn more: https://www.yamori.co.jp