Issei Roots
A grandmother and her granddaughter looking at old family photos at a kitchen table

Somewhere in Japan, your family’s story is still on file.

Opening soon. We’ll find your ancestor’s family register, bring it to you, and translate every line, even if you don’t know the village. Join the waitlist and get $10 off your first request.

For Japanese American and Japanese Brazilian families

Join the waitlist

No payment now. We email your code now, then only about opening.
What do you need the records for?

Expected price when we open

We’ll set the final price before we open. Your $10 code works on any of these.

Family history · one town office$200–250Records, full translation, family tree, official records mailed to you
Descendant visa (Brazil) · one town office$150–200Newly issued records with a translation; $10 for each extra copy
Hometown research in Tokyo · only if needed$150–300Quoted before you pay, when your papers don’t show the village

Each price is the total of two charges, ours and the licensed scrivener’s in Japan who makes the request for you. Together they cover office fees, money orders, translation and return mail. The only extra is postage for two signed pages, a few dollars.

How it will work

  1. 01

    Tell us a name

    Add what you know and photos of old papers. We suggest the kanji and the hometown.

  2. 02

    Sign 2 pages

    A licensed scrivener in Japan prepares your request. You print and sign.

  3. 03

    Mail 2 pages

    Regular airmail. Your birth certificates stay at home.

  4. 04

    Your records arrive

    Every line translated, your family tree, and the official records in your hands. Usually 1–3 months.

Why we’re not open yet

In Japan, only licensed scriveners (行政書士) may prepare official requests for a fee. We’re choosing the scrivener office that will make your requests, and we won’t open until that’s in place.

We’ll email everyone on the list on the same day.

Questions

When will you open?

As soon as our scrivener partnership is signed. We’ll tell you by email; apart from your code, nothing else will arrive from us before then.

How does the $10 code work?

One code per email address, for $10 off your first records request. It’s valid for 6 months after we open and can’t be combined with other offers.

Can I request records if I’m not Japanese?

Direct descendants can request their ancestors’ registers, with birth certificates linking each generation. We’ll confirm the details for your family before you pay.

I don’t know the hometown or the kanji.

Most families don’t. When we open, you start with the papers you have: gravestones, letters, passports. If they don’t show the village, our researcher checks passport records in Tokyo.

What do you do with my email?

We use it only to tell you when we open and to send your code. We don’t share it. You can ask us to delete it at any time.