Australian Lloyd and Canadian Mandy had never set foot in Japan when, after two years of researching the country’s abandoned akiya homes, they decided to buy one.
The couple work online and have spent years travelling the world, but wanted somewhere of their own they could return to.
“Instead of continually spending money on accommodation, we could put that money towards something we actually owned and create a long-term base that our family could keep coming back to,” they told Yahoo News.
The idea first came to them while living in Thailand, after discovering foreigners could own both a house and the land it sits on in Japan.
Lloyd and Mandy outside the $22,000 Japanese home they bought on their first-ever trip to Japan. Source: Instagram/lloydandmandy
Their $22,000 USD (A$31,157) purchase comes amid Japan’s growing akiya problem, with the country’s ageing and declining population leaving a record 9 million homes vacant in 2023.
Akiya means “empty house” in Japanese.
Earlier this year, they finally travelled to Japan for the first time, embarking on a road trip and looking at properties.
By the end of their first trip, they had bought a traditional Japanese countryside home in rural Nagano Prefecture.
“We didn’t buy a $22,000 finished home. We bought a $22,000 project, and that’s really what appealed to us,” they said.
The $31k house was far from finished
The property came with multiple Japanese-style rooms over two floors, land and a separate building.
But it was far from ready, with old walls, tatami rooms, dated kitchen and bathroom facilities, an ageing kerosene bath boiler and overgrown areas outside.
Lloyd and Mandy urged would-be buyers to look beyond the price tag, checking the roof, moisture, foundation, water, sewage, electricity, road access and heating before buying an Akiya. Source: Instagram/lloydandmandy
The couple moved in almost immediately and began trying to make the property habitable.
“There was no beautiful renovation reveal waiting for us,” they said.
“The house was old, dusty, overgrown in places and filled with things that needed attention.
“At the same time, there was this amazing feeling of walking through it knowing, ‘We actually own this’.”
Why did they choose the Japanese Alps?
The couple weren’t simply chasing the cheapest akiya.
They wanted a quiet rural lifestyle with access to the Japanese Alps, ski areas and Nagano City.
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“We’re mountain people and love skiing and snowboarding,” they said.
“There were cheaper houses we could have bought elsewhere in Japan, but we weren’t trying to find the cheapest akiya in the country.
“We were trying to find somewhere we could actually imagine spending a significant amount of time and returning to for years.”
The hidden cost of a $22k home
The couple have since discovered the purchase price is far from the total cost of owning an old Japanese house.
Their purchase was approximately 3.6 million Yen, with additional transaction and registration costs, followed by expenses involving utilities, LPG, repairs, cleaning, garden maintenance and upgrades.
Some potential improvements could cost as much as the house itself.
“The advertised price of an akiya is not the total cost of owning one,” they said.
Their advice is to look beyond the headline price.
“Look at the roof. Look for moisture. Look at the foundation,” they said.
“Find out about water, sewage, electricity, road access and heating.”
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Lloyd and Mandy wanted a quiet rural lifestyle with access to the Japanese Alps, ski areas and Nagano City. Source: Instagram/lloydandmandy
Their dream home
The couple want to preserve the home’s traditional character while adding modern comforts, with plans for a renovated kitchen and bathroom, better insulation and heating, plus a sauna, hot tub and fire pit.
They also hope to turn the separate building into a studio or guest space.
While they aren’t Japanese residents and the purchase has not changed their immigration status, they hope the property will become a long-term base in Japan.
“We’d love this to become a real home and a base for us in Japan rather than simply being a renovation project we did for YouTube,” they said.
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