Japan takes the place of Galapagos in the research of demography.  Benefitting from its island status, the nation has autonomously recorded major developments.  Reliable statistics and very open discussion of demographic issues make the country an ideal subject of study.  Japan is not only a demographic pioneer in terms of longevity, aging and shrinking of society and thus paves the way for other developed countries. Also in the longer historic retrospect, Japan shows how the demographic constellation is central to the understanding of developments in the fields of external relations, the economy and capital market among others. Japan is also pioneer in terms of developments in the real estate market. However, specific construction and tax aspects in residential real estate limit the direct transfer of Japanese experience to European conditions.