Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko, Tochigi
Photo: Shinkyo Bridge, Nikko, Tochigi · Roméo A. / Unsplash

Otawara City Housing Market Report 2025

Data updated 2026-11-10 · Source: MLIT transaction price survey, 2005 Q3–2026 Q2

Key figures for 2025

Median house price (land + building)
¥19.0M
Residential land per m² (sales)
¥14k/m²
+55.6% over 5 years
Transactions in 2025
112
#8 of 17 areas in Tochigi by price per m²

What the data says

The trend has turned down

After rising earlier, house prices per m² have slipped by about 2.8% a year over the last five years. That often reflects weaker local demand, so check vacancy and population trends before buying.

Moving with Tochigi

Per m², houses here are 11% below the Tochigi average. That position has barely changed in ten years, so it moves with the wider market.

Sales are thinning out

Transactions are down about 14% on the previous three years. Fewer sales mean less choice and slower resale, so allow more time to sell later.

What a typical purchase costs

Half of all house sales last year were between ¥5.3M and ¥26.0M. Listings outside that range are either unusual properties or worth a closer look.

A shrinking population

The population fell 5.1% between 2020 and 2025 (−3.5% for the wider area). More people moved out than in during 2025 (about 4.5 per 1,000 residents), which weakens long-term housing demand. Households still grew 1.1% as people live in smaller households, which supports demand for smaller homes even as the population shrinks.

Typical vacancy

15.3% of homes were empty in 2023 (16.9% for the wider area), and 7.5% were empty without being for rent, for sale or used as second homes. The level of abandoned homes is around the national norm.

Lower earthquake risk

The government's seismic model gives a 10% chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or stronger in the next 30 years (17% for the wider area). This is low by Japanese standards, although no part of Japan is free of earthquake risk.

Official land prices are edging up

On the government's fixed benchmark sites, which are valued the same way every year, residential land prices changed +0% in the year to January 2026 and 0% over five years. Because these sites don't change, this is the cleanest measure of land value trends.

Some flood or landslide exposure

Of the official land-price benchmark sites here, which sit in typical neighbourhoods, 43% are inside the worst-case flood zone. Most worst-case flood zones are shallow (under 0.5 m) at the edges, so depth matters as much as the share. Check the hazard map for any specific address before buying.

Living in Otawara City: people, homes and risks

Population 2025
68,438
-5.1% since 2020
Tochigi: -3.5%
Net moves in 2025
-310
-4.53 per 1,000 residents
Tochigi: -1.08
Vacant homes (2023)
15.3%
7.5% empty and not for rent or sale
Tochigi: 16.9%
Median rent (2023)
¥39k
per month, all rented homes
Tochigi: ¥48k
Strong earthquake risk
9.9%
chance of shaking of intensity 6-lower or more within 30 years
Tochigi: 16.5%
Official land price 2026
¥26k/m²
+0.1% in a year · -0.3% in 5 years
Tochigi: ¥29k/m²
Flood exposure
42.9%
of 7 benchmark sites in a worst-case flood zone (0.0% 3 m or deeper)
Tochigi: 31.1%
Landslide exposure
0.0%
of 7 benchmark sites in a landslide warning area
Tochigi: 0.7%

Check flood, landslide and tsunami zones for a specific address on the government hazard map ↗

Sources: 2025 Census (preliminary), 2025 Internal Migration Report, 2023 Housing and Land Survey (Statistics Bureau of Japan); J-SHIS seismic hazard model (NIED, 2024); Land Price Publication (MLIT). Earthquake probability is measured at the municipal center.

Example sales in Otawara City

Real transactions from the last four quarters, picked near the lower (20th percentile), middle and upper (80th percentile) price points. Locations are shown at district level, as published by MLIT.

House

Lower-priced2026 Q1

¥7.0M

¥42k/m²

  • Asaka
  • Nishi Nasuno
  • Land 170 m² · floor 165 m²
  • Built 2003 (23 yrs) · Wood
Typical2026 Q1

¥16.0M

¥76k/m²

  • Usuba
  • Nozaki(Tochigi) · 10 min walk
  • Land 420 m² · floor 210 m²
  • Built 1991 (35 yrs) · Wood
Higher-priced2025 Q4

¥28.0M

¥350k/m²

  • Murasakizuka
  • Nishi Nasuno
  • Land 340 m² · floor 80 m²
  • Built 2021 (4 yrs) · Wood
Median transaction price by yearA jump driven by what sold — The median house price rose 52% between 2023 and 2025. Per m², prices rose only 28%, so most of the jump comes from larger or higher-end properties changing hands, not from the same homes getting that much more expensive. With only 65 house sales in 2025, a handful of expensive deals can move the median a lot.
¥0¥5.0M¥10.0M¥15.0M¥20.0M2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearHouse
2007¥13.0M
2008¥14.5M
2009¥13.5M
2010¥13.0M
2011¥12.5M
2012¥18.0M
2013¥17.0M
2014¥17.0M
2015¥14.0M
2016¥16.5M
2017¥14.5M
2018¥14.0M
2019¥20.0M
2020¥15.0M
2021¥18.0M
2022¥15.0M
2023¥12.5M
2024¥14.0M
2025¥19.0M
Median price per m² by year
¥0¥50k¥100k¥150k¥200k2007200920112013201520172019202120232025
Show data table
YearHouseLand
2007¥92k/m²¥17k/m²
2008¥150k/m²¥14k/m²
2009¥103k/m²¥14k/m²
2010¥70k/m²¥13k/m²
2011¥96k/m²¥20k/m²
2012¥130k/m²¥15k/m²
2013¥133k/m²¥16k/m²
2014¥150k/m²¥15k/m²
2015¥109k/m²¥13k/m²
2016¥129k/m²¥12k/m²
2017¥126k/m²¥9k/m²
2018¥115k/m²¥11k/m²
2019¥152k/m²¥6k/m²
2020¥120k/m²¥9k/m²
2021¥117k/m²¥11k/m²
2022¥103k/m²¥14k/m²
2023¥106k/m²¥13k/m²
2024¥100k/m²¥18k/m²
2025¥136k/m²¥14k/m²
Price per m² by building age (2021–2025 sales)
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k05101520253035404550
Show data table
Building age (years)House
0¥244k/m²
1¥235k/m²
32¥82k/m²
50¥24k/m²
House price per m² by construction period
¥0¥100k¥200k¥300k200720092011201320152017201920212023

Each line follows buildings from one construction period over time. 1981 is when Japan's current earthquake-resistance standard (shin-taishin) took effect.

Show data table
Year1981-20002011-2020
2007¥84k/m²–
2011¥74k/m²–
2013–¥227k/m²
2014¥73k/m²¥204k/m²
2015¥67k/m²¥209k/m²
2016–¥235k/m²
2017¥63k/m²–
2018¥70k/m²¥225k/m²
2019–¥209k/m²
2020¥57k/m²¥204k/m²
2022¥75k/m²–
2024¥47k/m²–

Prices near train stations in Otawara City

Sales from 2023–2025, grouped by nearest station.

StationMedian used condo priceCondo price per m²Median house price (land + building)Walk (min)Sales
Nishi Nasuno (西那須野)––¥19.0M24136
Nozaki(Tochigi) (野崎(栃木))––¥15.5M840
Nasushiobara (那須塩原)––¥3.0M–11

How much does a house cost in Otawara City?

The median house sale, including the land, was ¥19.0M in 2025 across 65 sales.

Are property prices in Otawara City going up?

Over the five years to 2025, residential land prices changed +55.6%.

About this data

Figures are medians of real transactions reported to Japan's Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) through its quarterly price survey. House prices per m² divide the total price (land and building) by the floor area. Medians based on fewer than 20 sales are not shown. The latest quarters are preliminary and are revised as more survey responses arrive.

Information only, not investment advice.