Japan's 1-Yen Domains: What Onamae.com and MuuMuu Domain Really Cost

What the deal is

Two registrars from Japan's GMO Internet Group are running first-year prices that look like misprints. Onamae.com sells a first-year domain for 1 yen (about $0.01) on five extensions: .click, .site, .online, .xyz and .website. MuuMuu Domain sells .com for 750 yen (about $4.74) for the first year.

The small print, from Onamae's own price table:

• The 1-yen price is one domain per person. A second domain costs the bracket price: 60 yen for .click, .site, .online and .website, and 220 yen for .xyz.
• The 1-yen price is a daily campaign. Each day's price list runs 17:00 to 17:00 Japan time, and Onamae says prices can change without notice.
• Premium domains are excluded from the 1-yen price.
• All prices include Japanese consumption tax.

MuuMuu's .com price is simpler: 750 yen for the first year, no coupon code, no server rental required. Rent a MuuMuu server as well and the .com drops to 0 yen, but that is a bundle, not a standalone domain deal.

The renewal behind it

A 1-yen first year is only the first line of the price. Onamae publishes the renewal for each extension in its official price table, and this is what year two costs:

• .click: 1 yen, then 2,002 yen a year (about $12.64). Two years: 2,003 yen (about $12.65).
• .xyz: 1 yen, then 2,013 yen a year (about $12.71). Two years: 2,014 yen (about $12.72).
• .website: 1 yen, then 3,278 yen a year (about $20.70). Two years: 3,279 yen (about $20.71).
• .site: 1 yen, then 4,268 yen a year (about $26.96). Two years: 4,269 yen (about $26.96).
• .online: 1 yen, then 5,040 yen a year (about $31.83). Two years: 5,041 yen (about $31.84).

MuuMuu's .com renews at 1,728 yen a year (about $10.91). Two years cost 2,478 yen (about $15.65).

For comparison, the same renewals at other registrars on Serlist: .xyz renews at $13.77 at Spaceship, so Onamae's $12.71 is cheaper. .online renews at $21.38 at Spaceship, so Onamae's $31.83 is the expensive one. MuuMuu's .com renewal at $10.91 sits just above Spaceship's $9.98.

The pattern is familiar: the cheaper the first year, the more the renewal matters. A .online bought for 1 yen costs $31.84 by the end of year two. A .click bought for the same 1 yen costs $12.65 over the same period. Same promo, very different second year.

Three things to check before you buy

1. The surcharge: 10 to 20 percent on top

Both registrars add a Service Maintenance Surcharge at checkout. MuuMuu introduced it on 1 February 2023 at 10 to 20 percent, reviewed every one to three months, because of higher electricity prices, a weaker yen and rising wholesale domain costs. Onamae prints the same surcharge note on every price page.

That changes the headline prices. A 750-yen .com costs about 825 to 900 yen at checkout (about $5.21 to $5.68). A 5,040-yen .online renewal costs about 5,544 to 6,048 yen. The 1-yen domain stays near 1 yen, but nothing else on the bill does.

2. Auto-renewal: check the setting in Navi

Onamae's auto-renewal runs 15 days before the expiry date, and it renews paid options at the same time, including Whois privacy. The renewal is charged to the card on file, so a domain you meant to drop for a year can renew itself while you are not looking. Open Onamae Navi right after registering and check whether auto-renewal is on for each domain. Turn it off for any name you want to decide about manually.

3. Whois privacy: free only if you tick the box at checkout

Onamae's Whois information proxy is free when you select it together with the domain registration. Add it later to a domain you already own and it costs 1,078 yen a year per domain (about $6.81). The box is on the registration screen, and it is the cheapest time to tick it. The same timing rule applies at many Japanese registrars, so make it a habit: privacy on, at checkout, before you pay.

The server bundle, in brief

Both registrars push a bundle. With an Onamae rental server, the first domain costs 1 yen and renewals are free for as long as you keep the server. If you cancel the server within 12 months of a renewal, Onamae charges the real renewal cost. MuuMuu gives a .com for 0 yen with a server rental. The bundle is a fair deal if you need the server anyway. It is not a free domain: you are paying for hosting, and the domain discount is part of that bill.

Who this is for

The 1-yen deal suits a test project, a landing page, or a name you want to try for a year. It suits a .click or .xyz you plan to keep, because the renewals ($12.64 and $12.71) are competitive. It suits .online less, because the $31.83 renewal is among the most expensive for that extension.

Two habits make the deal work. Read the renewal price before the registration price, and set a reminder for month eleven: either move the domain, or pay the renewal knowing exactly what it costs, surcharge included.

Compare the live prices on the domain list, including .click, .online, .site, .xyz, .website and .com.

Takeaway

A 1-yen domain is real, and Onamae's price table proves it. It is also a one-year price. The second year costs 2,002 to 5,040 yen depending on the extension, the checkout adds a 10 to 20 percent surcharge, auto-renewal can bill you 15 days early, and Whois privacy is only free if you select it at registration. Take the cheap year if you want the name, and read the renewal column first.