TOKYO, 14 October 2026: ThirdHome, the global luxury private travel club for second-home owners, is preparing to enter the Japanese market after Founder, Chairman & CEO Wade Shealy attended the Japan & North East Asia Hotel Investors’ Summit (JHIS) 2026 late last month.
Founded in 2010, ThirdHome has grown from the ground up, expanding from North America to Europe and Australia. In 2025, the company officially launched its innovative home exchange programme in Asia, forging successful partnerships and gaining new members in Thailand, Singapore, Vietnam, Indonesia, China and Hong Kong.
This rapid growth is reflected in ThirdHome’s bookings, which are now nearing 100,000.
ThirdHome is now preparing for the next growth phase — its debut in Japan. As the world’s fourth-largest economy with an affluent population of well-travelled, high-net-worth individuals—including an estimated 2.9 million millionaires—Japan marks a logical step in the group’s international expansion, which counts 30,000 luxury second-home owners as members.
ThirdHome already offers a collection of residences in Japan, including chalets in popular ski resorts such as Niseko and Hakuba, and a spectacular mountain retreat in Hakone.
After officially entering the Japanese market, ThirdHome expects to significantly expand its nationwide portfolio, focusing on exclusive urban apartments in major cities like Tokyo and Osaka, ski-in, ski-out residences in Hokkaido and the Japanese Alps, culture-rich retreats in Kyoto, and even beachfront villas in Okinawa.
Part of this growth could come through ThirdHome’s hospitality partners, including The Ritz-Carlton Destination Club, Hyatt Vacation Club, and Minor Vacation Clubs. But much of the expansion will also be organic, driven by new Japanese members who offer their multi-million-dollar homes for rental.
(Source: ThirdHome)
