Asking your work colleague about his size of condo/house

[JerseyBoy]

Is it a normal thing for Japanese workers to ask his colleagues how big his house/condo is and if his house/condo is rental or not?

When I was in USA, my colleagues, associates, and I did not ask about those things specifically at the first meeting (in the course of dialogue, maybe my colleague and I talk about the house maintenance, busted plumbing and such, which might touch on the details of the house).

I am just curious if that is a normal topic of conversation for Japanese "salary men."

[FrustratedDave]

Not really normal conversation as such like asking how old someone is, but it can up in conversation when someone is buying a house and I wouldn't say that it is generally a rude question to ask but you need to be aware if asking it is appropriate in line with the conversation. Usually if people don't want to tell you they will just say that there house is small or avoid answering the question another way. Although some people are fine with saying how many tsubo's their house is.

[GaijinPunch]

In my experience, asking somewhat personal questions is not rude in Japan... quite similar to how Japanese, even those that you're not that close with, have no qualms about pointing out when you have gained weight.