I purchased my abandoned akiya house for $6,000 in Kyoto Japan

Hi Danny, very informative and useful video. I visited quite a lot places in Japan, Ine too. I think you made a good decision buying that house. Ine is one of the most beautiful and special villages I've seen there. I was astonished by the amount of eagles flying there and by the coast itself !!!

Back in the day, when I purchased my first home to live-in; that was Miami in the early 1990s, first mortgages with rates of 8 to 9% and 9% to 10% were typical. People will have to accept the possibility that we won't ever return to 3%. If sellers must sell, home prices will have to decline, and lower evaluations will follow. Pretty sure I'm not alone in my chain of thoughts.

There is a lot more to the story of buying an Akiya and living in Japan. First, you need to be able to live in Japan in the first place. This, for most people, means you can get a work visa, or marry a Japanese national who earns enough to support the both of you. The areas were the cheapest houses are located happens to the the places were work is the hardest to find. I could easily find a dirt-cheap home in 90% of Japan for next to nothing, but, unfortunately, in these areas you are likely to find work which pays next to nothing. And if I don't want to actually buy a home, I could rent a family-size house for as little as $100 per month. You can find these cheap rentals through the village or ward offices in the countryside, and if you have a spouse visa, they can also help find you a decent job, if you don't mind commercial fishing or are a skilled laborer. When looking at houses, keep in mind that most Akiya are made of wood. Wood is perishable, it dries, rots, and is tasty to insects. Japan has 4 distinct seasons, which accelerate the decay rate of wood. When you look at a properly, look at the ceiling for water stains, look at the walls for water stains, smell the air for mold and fungus. Look at the walls and make sure the corners are vertical, and the siding doesn't sag. Look at the roofline and make sure that it is vertical. Inside the house, look under the tatami mats to see if the floor boards are in good condition, and look above the ceiling to see the condition of the roof supports. Push the walls and see if they move, push the door posts and see if the house shakes. Check the plumbing, and the condition of the flooring in the bathrooms and kitchen. Try to get the water turned on before your visit so you can see if the taps work and the toilet flushes. Many Akiya have "Turkish" toilets, the kind you can't sit on, and must squat over. Check the septic systems, many homes in the country use a septic tank. Pluming and septic repairs are very costly, try to find a home which has good plumbing. When you find a building you like, negotiate hard. If the house and lot are full of junk, ask them to include junk removal in the price. Also, price how much it will cost to replace the tatami mats in an older house, and see if you can use this when negotiating. Replacing the tatami makes the house look much better, and can make it smell like new. And, if you are looking at a house in the northern parts of Japan, keep in mind that it can snow deeply in the winter, find out about road maintenance, how often the roads are plowed, and who you can contact if your road becomes impassible. Most countryside Akiya are situated in clusters of houses, so you'll probably have neighbors close at hand. Make friends with your neighbors as early as possible, help them when they need help, and they'll return the favor. If you need work done to your house, they'll be able to advise you how to do it the most economically, or they may be skilled enough that you can hire them to help. For myself, I live in the middle of Tokyo, but am in the process of securing an Akiya in the countryside in an area where I can cycle and enjoy nature in the summer, and enjoy skiing in the winter. It's been a fun process so far, I've found several properties which the owners are willing to hand over for free, though of course there are the usual legal and red tape fees, and things which are supposedly "free" often end up costing more in the long run than something which would have been considered "expensive."

For those who don't know, one must have a sponsor to live in Japan long-term. Usually the place you are employed at or a Japanese spouse. Also, these houses have no heat. It will be freezing. Also, termites. The common visa is for 3 months only. Very well done video.

People in rural Japan tend to be very nosey with each other. Some of them hate foreigners. They know what their neighbors are doing every minute under their 24/7 surveillance and constantly badmouth on somebody in the town. Some of them do it as their hobby. So I would recommend to talk to at least a few neighbors of the house you are looking at. Plus, ask them what type of "Cho-naikai" they are running and meet the Cho-naikai boss. If you don't like the boss, stay away from the town. Lastly, watch out for earthquake especially if you live in a Kominka. Do not sleep in the 1st floor and next to large furniture.

Living in the countryside of Japan is waaaaaaaaaaaay harder than living in the cities. I'm Japanese, but the times after moving from Osaka to Okayama was really tough. There are so many unspoken rules, and even if you completely understand those, and even if you are willing to have a good relationship between the neighbours, they still treat you as an annoying outsider. Also, there are spots you should never go or live in, which is a huge taboo in the Japanese society but still secretly believed by the Japanese. You have to know that there is a huge chance of trying to live in a quiet world but end up getting depressed. Despite that, he decided to do it, and doing pretty well. That's why I think he is so strong. I really hope he will love his new life in Japan.

♡ to the sibling caring for the father's house after 3 decades of being the designated person to care for it hopefully this brought all the family closer together for always

I like the flow of your content, really good mix of scenery and editing. I didn't think I'd be starting an akiya search so soon, but like with tracking down all those estranged family members , this will be a long and patient process. The sooner I get started, the better off I'll be. Thank you for the information.

Excellent information! Practical and realistic. My Japanese (ex-) partner and I bought a thatch-roofed kominka many years ago. He was able to handle the paperwork and get us integrated with the neighbors (most nice, some not). The seller was a tough old guy who raised the price by 40% at the last minute, so we gave up. Then year later, he contacted us to say he'd sell at the original quote because we seemed to want the house so much. I was able to commute by car to universities for teaching work. Nowadays, telework may be possible. However, it's really necessary to consider if you can make a living, and if practical aspects will be handled in the future by local municipalities. Due to the lack of a tax base in some very rural areas, some communities don't even plow roads in winter anymore. If the local school has a few kids attending, snow will be plowed, but if not? Anyway, if you're the sort of person who likes camping, life in a rural old kominka is great fun!

Very informative. Loved the editing and beautiful scenery, too! Keep up the good work!

Your personality is awesome! The phone call scene was incredible. Thank you!

Super informative, man! Great stuff.

Mine was aquired through the town Akiya bank. Though price at about $7000, total cost after real estate agent, survey cost and paying last year taxes. $12000. Don't forget if your house is require to connect to public sewage that will cost an arm and leg. Mine was estimated @ $16000 just to connect.😢😢.

I subscribed! I like your story telling approach! Very easy to watch and gather any details.

amazing story, ty4sharing

Thank you for sharing your info. It is very helpful in deed.

Cool videos man, I will be following. Thanks for sharing.

Informative video. I hope you and your wife are happy in your lovely seaside location.

Omg that inheritance part explanation was very intense buj I am glad everything went smoothly🙆🙏🎶💯🙋

Loved the pace of this video so much :)