Expanding Diverse Accommodation Services

This year has been one of full-speed advancement for OKINI Home. In just over half a year, we have participated in major travel exhibitions in Hong Kong, Seoul, Taiwan, and Singapore. Our goal is simple: to introduce OKINI and the comprehensive management services of Chief of Homes (COH) to a wider audience of travelers.

Reflecting on over two years ago, our initial purpose for developing OKINI was quite simple: to provide FMI property owners with the latest rental and lease-income updates, while making it easy for guests to share property details with friends and family for bookings. Back then, who could have imagined that two years later, OKINI would not only handle bookings but also feature a membership program, alongside collaborations with data-SIM providers and airport transfer fleets? Even more encouragingly, companies from various sectors have proactively approached us to discuss partnerships. Therefore, we refuse to slow down and are actively upgrading our features—such as adding Korean language support. With guests even suggesting the inclusion of Thai, Spanish, and restaurant discounts, we take all feedback seriously. We are continuously enhancing OKINI's versatility with the vision of transforming it into a globally facing travel platform.

In fact, OKINI has undergone an upgraded transformation starting this year. Beyond booking short-term vacation rentals, we have introduced multiple new options, including OKINI Long Stay (monthly and mid-to-long-term accommodations) and OKINI Student (housing for international students). Why did we decide to venture into the long-stay and student markets? Having operated in Osaka for a decade, we’ve noticed that demand in these sectors is growing rapidly. Today, the guests booking FMI rentals are no longer just from Asia; we also attract long-haul travelers from the UK, France, the Netherlands, Germany, and beyond. Unlike Asian travelers who typically stay for short trips of four or five days, these visitors stay for two to three weeks to thoroughly explore the Kyoto-Osaka-Kobe region. Recently, a European couple rented our property at The Peak Bentencho for an entire year—combining a holiday with enrollment in an Osaka language school for a true "study holiday."

Beyond Western travelers, many visitors from Asian regions—including South Korea, Taiwan, Hong Kong, and Macau—love enrolling in language schools in Osaka for courses lasting a few months to one or two years. When these students first arrive in Japan, many are forced to endure expensive temporary hotel stays because the traditional Japanese rental process is notoriously slow and has high entry barriers, especially for foreigners. First, due to language barriers, many local Japanese landlords simply refuse to rent to foreigners. Moreover, renting an apartment in Japan requires paying "rekeying fees" (reikin), security deposits (shikikin), securing a local guarantor, and providing a mountain of paperwork. How is an ordinary tourist or student supposed to handle all of that? Even if they successfully secure a lease, tenants must purchase their own furniture and set up utility accounts for water, electricity, and gas—a process that is both tedious and time-consuming.

As those who have navigated these challenges ourselves, we deeply understand the daily living needs of foreigners in Japan. That is why we have designed flexible housing solutions with a streamlined process: no key money, no security deposits, and no guarantor required. Every apartment comes fully furnished with beds, wardrobes, desks, chairs, a washing machine, a refrigerator, a microwave, and high-speed Wi-Fi. It is truly a move-in-ready home where tenants only need to bring their luggage, while all other daily hassles are managed by our Chief of Homes (COH) team. Most importantly, we provide multilingual customer service to help tenants resolve everyday issues—even assisting with opening a Japanese bank account or acquiring a local Japanese SIM card.

COH manages over 50 properties across various districts in Osaka. Whether tenants prefer to live near school districts, business hubs, or shopping centers, we have an ample supply of housing inventory. Lease terms start from as short as one month, with greater monthly discounts for longer stays. Perfectly suited for students, business professionals, families, and corporate housing, we serve as the ultimate support system for foreigners living in Osaka.

In addition to short-term vacation rentals, OKINI Home now offers mid-to-long-term accommodations starting from a one-month lease.