FAQ

We will send them within the following periods after confirming your payment.

• Family register collection only — within 60 days
• Family register collection + map creation — within 120 days

The time may vary within these periods depending on the number of lineages and the circumstances of each municipality. We send the Family Map PDF by email and the collected family registers by post.

The fees for family register (koseki) documents are as follows, per copy (as of September 2026; the amounts are the same in almost all municipalities).

• Certified copy of the family register (certificate of all matters): ¥450
• Certified copy of a closed register (joseki) / pre-revision register (kaisei genkoseki): ¥750

If you request them by mail, the issuing fee for fixed-amount postal money orders (¥200 each) and postage both ways are added. The number of documents ranges from a dozen or so to more than thirty depending on the family, and the total generally comes to around ¥10,000 to ¥20,000-something per lineage.

For details, please see The Cost of Making a Family Tree, and for the request procedure, How to Request Family Registers. If you would like us to do it for you, the fees are listed under How much does it cost?

It is a research service that traces, one by one, every family register (koseki) that can be obtained, following your family's history back about 150 years, to ancestors five to seven generations ago. It is based not on guesswork or hearsay, but on the reliable records of the family register.

Prices are per lineage (one surname line), tax included.

• Family register collection only: ¥22,000 — We collect the family register documents that can be obtained (certified copies of the family register, closed registers (joseki) and pre-revision registers (kaisei genkoseki)) and hand them to you as they are.
• Family register collection + map creation: ¥55,000 — In addition to collecting the family registers, we create an easy-to-read family tree (Family Map) and deliver it as a PDF.

You can also apply for all four lineages.

Yes. We trace back from your current family register, so it is fine even if you have little information on hand. You can apply with whatever you know.

After logging in as a member, please proceed in the following order.

1. Choose the research scope (plan) you would like
2. Choose the lineage(s) to be researched
3. Enter your information
4. Download the letter of authorization, sign it and send it by post
5. Pay the research fee to complete your application

We deliver the records of each of your ancestors (reliable records preserved in the family register, such as names, relationships and registered domicile), along with a PDF of an easy-to-read family tree (Family Map). This applies to the map creation plan. It can also be used as a gift.

All family register documents collected, as well as any unused letters of authorization, will be returned to you by post.

In cases such as when old family registers have been lost, the research may only go as far as can be traced. Even then, we will create your results based on the records we were able to obtain.