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GuideOpening a store in Japan: a practical guide for foreign companies
These notes are for companies from outside Japan that want to open a restaurant, shop, salon, clinic, or office in Tokyo and the surrounding area. They explain the property search, the interior works, and the official procedures that usually sit around a fit-out. The legal points are taken from government sources; the project steps and time guides are taken from this site’s published Japanese pages.
Who this is for
A store opening in Japan is not only a design project. You typically need a legal form that can sign a lease, a premises whose use is allowed, an interior that meets food-hygiene and fire rules where they apply, and permits in place before the first customer arrives. This guide walks through those pieces in English, with diagrams and tables rather than long prose alone.
Shop Design Laboratory works in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba. We design and build store interiors as one project, can join a property viewing, and can file required official applications on your behalf. We are not a law firm or an immigration office; for company registration, visas, and tax filings, please use the official contacts listed in each article.
- Five opening topics Property, fit-out, restaurant permits, fire and building rules, and a single checklist.
- Official sources Each article ends with links to the ministry, Tokyo, or fire-department pages we checked.
- No invented figures Fees, visa thresholds, and typical key money are omitted where they vary or were not confirmed.
Finding a shop property: inuki vs skeleton
What “inuki” and “skeleton” mean in Japanese commercial leasing, and what to check at a viewing before you sign.
Read the guide
Interior fit-out: process and timeline
Ten steps from inquiry to aftercare, plus published construction periods and the official filing windows that sit around the works.
Read the guide
Restaurant permits and health-centre consultation
Pre-consult the health centre before building a kitchen, then apply, inspect, and receive a permit before you open.
Read the guide
Fire and building rules for interiors
What the Fire Service Act and the Building Standards Act can mean for a fit-out, from seven-day filings to change of use.
Read the guide
Opening checklist for foreign companies
Legal form, registration, property, fit-out, permits, and opening preparations — in one checklist, with official sources.
Read the guideThis guide is not legal advice. It is general information for planning a store in Japan, checked against official sources on 13 November 2026 (JST). Laws, ordinances, fees, and forms differ by municipality and can change. Please confirm the current rules with the competent authorities — for example the local health centre, fire station, building official, Legal Affairs Bureau, or Immigration Services Agency — and with qualified professionals.
Talk through your opening plan
Shop Design Laboratory (Design Directors Co., Ltd.) provides store design and construction as one project in Tokyo, Kanagawa, Saitama, and Chiba. When you commission both design and construction, design, basic planning, and perspective drawings are provided at no charge. Consultations and estimates are free. We can accompany a property viewing and file required official applications on your behalf.
Phone hours: weekdays 9:00–18:00 (Japan time). International: +81-3-6279-3077. You may use the contact form, call, or email us.