'Is this a sales scam?' Apartments advertised as 'two stops from downtown' face backlash

An apartment advertisement in Kawagoe City, Saitama Prefecture, Japan, has sparked controversy online for allegedly misleading claims about its travel time to central Tokyo. The advertisement promotes the apartments as being just two subway stops away from the city center, a claim that has drawn sharp criticism from potential buyers and online communities.

Critics argue that the advertisement's claim is deceptive because it relies on the travel time via a special express train, not a standard subway line. This specific train makes fewer stops, significantly reducing the journey time. Critics point out that using this limited service as the basis for the "two stops" claim misrepresents the actual accessibility for daily commuters.

One widely shared critique compares the situation to advertising a property in Cheonan-Asan as being only two stops from Seoul Station via the KTX high-speed rail. This analogy highlights the perceived exaggeration and potential for misrepresentation in the marketing of the Saitama apartments. The controversy raises questions about transparency and ethical marketing practices in Japan's real estate sector, particularly concerning the definition of "city center" and "commute time."