Foreign investors in Japan view real estate differently from local buyers, valuing assets with enduring potential that can be redeveloped or branded rather than just current prices. In Kyoto, a 100-year-old dilapidated kominka sold for well above expectations, at more than triple the official price to an overseas buyer, illustrating that time and potential drive value. The piece argues that overseas capital is reshaping Japan's housing market by challenging traditional benchmarks and showing value lies in what endures as much as in bricks.