Your roots in Japan,
traced to their source.
We follow your family’s koseki—Japan’s official household registers—to reconstruct your ancestry back to the 1800s, then deliver it as a beautiful, fully bilingual family tree. Wherever you live, with nothing to ship.
Reply within 1 business day · Free initial consultation · 100% remote
- Worldwide & fully remote
- Bilingual: English + Japanese
- All-inclusive USD pricing
- Secure digital delivery
Japan’s family records are disappearing.
Removed registers—the older koseki that hold your ancestors’ names—are kept by law for only 150 years. The earliest registers, created in the Meiji era around 1872, have already begun passing that limit. Each year that goes by, more records are discarded for good.
For families who left Japan, there is a second clock running. With every generation, the language fades, the handwriting becomes unreadable, and the people who remember the old hometown grow fewer. The thread back to Japan thins—until one day it is gone.
Your great-grandparents’ names, their birthplaces, the shape of your family—all of it is still recoverable today. Waiting is the one choice that cannot be undone.
Three reasons families choose us
Bilingual, by a native
Your tree and source records are read from old Japanese script and rendered fully into English—romanized names, dates, and ancestral hometowns. Understand and share your history even if you don’t read a word of Japanese.
One clear price
A single all-inclusive fee in US dollars. Official record retrieval in Japan, transcription, English translation, and design are every bit included. No hidden charges, no Japan-side fees, ever.
Remote & digital
No trip to Japan, and nothing to ship across borders or clear through customs. You receive museum-quality, print-ready digital files through a private, secure download—anywhere in the world.
A complete record of your lineage—ready to keep and to share.
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A designed family treeHigh-resolution, print-ready PDF in an elegant, heritage layout.
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A bilingual registerSource records transcribed and translated—names, births, marriages, and ancestral hometowns, in English and Japanese.
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A written lineage summaryA clear overview of your ancestry, in English, explaining what we found and how far back it reaches.
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Private, secure deliveryEverything arrives via a private download link, available for one month. No shipping, no customs.
Simple, all-inclusive pricing
A “family line” is a single surname traced through the generations. One line follows, say, your father’s family; four lines follow all four of your grandparents’ families.
One Family Line
A single line, traced to the late Edo / early Meiji era.
- 1 surname traced
- Bilingual tree & records
- Digital delivery
Two Family Lines
Your paternal and maternal lines, side by side.
- 2 surnames traced
- Bilingual tree & records
- Digital delivery
Four Family Lines
All four of your grandparents’ family lines.
- 4 surnames traced
- Bilingual tree & records
- Lineage summary included
Complete Lineage
Extended to your great-grandparents’ generation, as far as surviving records allow.
- 8+ lines, fullest reach
- Premium designed tree
- Lineage summary included
Every price is in US dollars and fully inclusive—official record retrieval in Japan, transcription, English translation, and design are all included. You pay no Japan-side fees. If some records cannot be found, we build your tree from everything we do find, at no extra cost. Installment plans available on request.
From first message to finished tree
Free consultation
Tell us about your family lines, what you already know, and your goals—by email or our contact form. We’ll reply honestly about what’s possible.
Agreement & authorization
Once you decide, we guide you step by step through the simple authorization needed to request your family’s official records from Japan.
Research & creation
We request registers from municipalities across Japan and carefully trace your ancestors. Typically 4–8 weeks, depending on the number of lines.
Digital delivery
Your finished bilingual family tree, records, and summary arrive through a private, secure download link—ready to keep, print, and share.
For Nikkei families, near and far
For yourself
- Discover where your family in Japan began
- Reconnect with a heritage that feels distant
- Preserve your ancestry for your children
- Put names and faces to the generations before you
As a gift
- A profound gift for parents or grandparents
- Perfect for a milestone birthday or anniversary
- Share the cost among siblings
- The gift for the person who has everything
Let’s begin with a conversation.
Not sure where to start—or whether your family can even be traced? That is exactly the moment to reach out. Tell us a little about your family, and we’ll reply within one business day with honest, no-pressure guidance.
Free, no-obligation consultation. We never use pushy sales tactics.
Questions, answered
My family isn’t from a famous lineage. Can you still trace it?
Yes—almost any family can be traced. Japan’s modern household-register system began in the Meiji era, so the great majority of families can be followed back to the mid-1800s, regardless of social standing.
I live outside Japan and I’m not a Japanese citizen. Can you still help?
Yes. The entire process is handled remotely. As long as we can establish your connection to a Japanese ancestor, we guide you through the simple authorization needed to request the relevant records. Many of our clients are second-, third-, and fourth-generation Nikkei.
My ancestors emigrated generations ago and I have very little information. Is that a problem?
Often not. Even a single grandparent’s or great-grandparent’s name and an approximate hometown is usually enough to begin. During the free consultation we’ll tell you honestly how far we expect to get before you commit to anything.
I don’t read Japanese. Will I be able to understand the result?
Completely. Everything is delivered bilingually: names are romanized, dates and places are translated, and you receive a written summary of your lineage in clear English. Reading old Japanese script is our job, not yours.
How long does it take?
Roughly 4–6 weeks for a single family line, and 8–12 weeks for four or more lines. If you’re working toward a specific date, let us know and we’ll advise on Priority Research.
What if some records can’t be found?
Some registers are inevitably lost to time. If that happens, we build your family tree from everything we are able to recover—and there is no additional charge for records we cannot obtain.
How is everything delivered?
As digital files through a private, secure download link that stays active for one month. There is nothing to ship and no customs to clear—you can download, print, and share your records the moment they’re ready.