Differences Between Real Estate in the U.S. and Japan – Vol.2

One major difference is that in Japan, a license (known as takken) is not necessarily required to engage in real estate work. As far as I know, one license can even cover multiple people working in the same office.

In contrast, in the United States, every individual real estate agent is required to have their own personal license. The exam structure also differs: in Japan, it consists of around 50 questions, whereas in the U.S., it's 100 questions for agents (and 150 for brokers, plus over 4 years of real-world experience).

That said, the licensing exam doesn’t always teach knowledge that’s directly useful in actual work. The curriculum mainly includes law, contracts, finance, and current events, and sometimes even covers topics that have little to no practical use.

But learning doesn’t stop after getting licensed. I’ve attended sales training sessions 3–4 times a week and have continually worked to improve my knowledge and skills.

Thanks to that effort and process, I’ve become the agent I am today. The knowledge I gained from the exam and the hands-on skills I developed through training have been incredibly helpful in real-life transactions. It’s this foundation that allows me to provide accurate advice to my clients.

This experience is what I consider my greatest asset in the real estate business. Helping others—especially with something as significant as buying or selling a home, which is one of life’s biggest milestones—is exactly why I love what I do.