Inside Japan’s Disposable Housing Market

In a culture obsessed with newness, no one wants a “used” home—which makes the Japanese real estate market almost unrecognizable to an American. Philip Brasor just wanted a place to call home in Japan. The 58-year-old writer, born in a sleepy bayside suburb on the north shore of New York’s Long Island, had lived in the country for more than 15 years. He and his wife, Masako Tsubuku, 57, scoured th