For the right person it can be a great option
This is a guest post adapted from a comment on one of my YouTube videos (used with permission). It was so good that I thought it was worth sharing here.
A balanced and positive view of the possibilities opened up by buying an akiya (empty home) in Japan. Enjoy!
I bought an akiya mid 2023 as a second home and I have no regrets
Having said that, the advice in Ben’s video is correct and all aspects mentioned should be taken into account.
Things like if a house can be rebuilt, etc. and in many cases, the condition (are there any major flaws like roof damage or did the foundation tilt?) can be figured out pretty easily.
The social aspect, however, is often overlooked, and the more remote an akiya is located and the smaller the community is, the more important this becomes.
If you’re happy to participate in activities such as clearing streams, weeding along the road, etc. and ideally have enough Japanese skills and intend to live there full-time, you may be fine (but each community is unique and may or may not appreciate “outsiders”, regardless of Japanese or foreign origin).
I heard of many stories where the akiya in a remote village is meant as a holiday home, maybe even rented out as an Airbnb or so, but that can be frowned upon by the locals. You’re not fully part of the community, so it will be a lot harder to fit in and be accepted.
To avoid that scenario there are so-called besso areas (areas primarily for holiday homes) but that means an often steep monthly community fee so that the usual things that are done on a community level are taken care of professionally.
Plus, you’ll be in a holiday home area meaning there is no real community and the place may be a ghost town for most of the year. I was not interested in that kind of property, but it may be just the right thing for some people. I found that properties in besso areas are usually well maintained but also have a high turnover.
My “akiya story”
I’d been looking on and off for about 3 years until I decided to buy my current akiya.
I’ve inspected quite a few places and I think that’s crucial to understand the market and to really find out about the flaws. You can expect that every akiya at a reasonable price is a compromise in some areas.
I found that Japanese real-estate agents were always very open about a property, but only when I went to inspect it in person. I had a place that I absolutely loved only to find out that it had sunken on one side and that some supporting steel columns were getting heavily rusty, either of which would cost a fortune to repair or couldn’t be fixed at all.
For most of the time, I was primarily looking in the coastal region south of Tokyo, so Kanagawa, Manazuru, Izu, Miura. This area isn’t too remote, so you’ll less likely run into major social issues.
There are plenty of options, but nothing felt quite right. Either there was a major structural problem or other costly repairs or maintenance, the photos were just much better than reality or the garden was either tiny or so steep that it was almost unusable.
I also avoided anything near sea/tsunami level or right next to a river or other hazards (do check the local hazard map!). A decent-sized garden was non-negotiable for me.
I was also hoping to find a place that ideally can be moved in without major renovations, but where I could do non-critical repairs and improvements over time without breaking the bank.
I paid an independent inspector to assess the property before I bought it so that I don’t overlook any major and costly issues. I would highly recommend this. There’s a national association of property inspectors.
At some point I widened my focus and had a look at a place in Yamanashi, a mountainous area West of Tokyo, and the first place I visited there felt absolutely right. It’s in Kofu City, so not remote and not a major “social factor” risk, but it’s also at the edge of town, the last house before it goes into the mountains with a stunning hiking trail starting right behind the house.
So there’s plenty of nature and even wildlife around. It’s located a bit higher than most of Kofu, so I have a full view of the city, the surrounding mountains and I can even see Mt Fuji from the house and garden. The higher location with some trees at the property edge also means that it is very private but you still get a sense of the community.
The garden has two flat terraces with a total land size of around 500m². Technically, with Kofu station about 10 minutes by car/bus, it is still on the Chuo line. Via express train it’s about 1 hour 20 minutes from Shinjuku to Kofu Station. 2 supermarkets, 2 conbinis and hot springs are in walking distance.
I have a car now, but the first year was no problem by public transport or walking only. I bought the property “as is”, so I “inherited” all furniture, etc. I was hoping that this was an option because the furniture matches the house and I didn’t want to turn it into an IKEA show home. Even the fridge (I had it cleaned professionally) and TV were still pretty good.
Taking it as is also allowed me to negotiate the price down. So this was a good choice for me and the seller.
Some drawbacks/compromises
The house can be rebuilt but the road leading up to it is narrow and steep, so it would be a challenge with a large truck. I reckon companies would either refuse or charge a significant amount extra. I have no plans to rebuild, however.
Secondly, my main objective at the moment is still to eradicate all bamboo from the garden which if left unchecked for a few years can potentially invade the house. It’s not a major issue and I’m confident this battle can be won, but it also means that I’m spending some days digging trenches to get out the root system. The garden was completely overgrown when I bought it (not by bamboo), but I didn’t mind. It’s a process that I enjoy.
Everyone has their own priorities. For me, this was simply a lifestyle choice as a healthy and reasonable escape option from Tokyo life, and this one fits the bill. I could also imagine living here full-time (my work is fully remote), but I still like Tokyo a lot, too.
Still, heed the advice in the video and make sure that an akiya is what you really want. If so, be clear about your objectives for the property, understand the market, view properties in person and be patient.
Thank you so much to the author of this comment, both for writing it and for letting me share it here.
I almost bought an akiya a few years ago, so I am not completely against the idea as long as someone is aware of what they are getting themselves into.
How about you? Have you considered buying an akiya as a home or second home? Or have you actually done it? Please share your experience in the comments.
“For the right person it can be a great option.” I think that is a very important point.
I’ve thought about it, but the more I do, the less sense it makes. The mental burden of another property would be too much. I feel like I’d become a slave to it, with all the work that needs to be done and the constant upkeep of the garden, etc. I have a friend who converted an akiya, and all he seems to do is spend his days cutting the grass every weekend—despite having two goats.
We’ve settled on spending time in the countryside at the weekend hiking, cycling, doing photography or whatever, and if we do need to stay there we often go to my wife’s friends family home that is now a well-kept akiya on the Nakasendo in Nagano. We’ve been enough times now that we are known in the local community. We air out the house, run the water, turn the gas on, sweep up etc. hang out the futon, and generally clean up, have a quiet weekend in nature, and then it’s back to the city on Monday.
The best of both worlds, maybe?
Yeah, I didn’t want to own one home, let alone two…
but I am glad we bought our manshon. Eventually we’ll inherit my wife’s parents’ place. I think that should be enough.
I long for minimalism, despite the endless clutter in my life.
I bought an akiya to become the home for my family 5 years ago. The town had a campaign offering 500000yen to use on doing the place up so we double glazed some windows and fixed up a few things here and there. The place wasn’t too old and came with a hanare (second house) that was built for the family’s son who decided to live in Tokyo instead. At the moment it’s a man-cave/ accomodation for family and friends. It also took me a few years of looking around and trying to find the nice place, out of the city but still within reach. Checking hazard maps was very important. In the end found one with a nice view of mountains, not too far from a local station and with a big garden for fruit trees. I must say, coming from NZ I underestimated the time I would be spent in the garden/tropical jungle cutting down the weeds each weekend! But I do love it.
Pretty much agree with all above, take your time, check out hazard maps, know what you want. As a primary home option it can be a cheap way to acquire a house and many older houses are built alot more sturdy than the “cheap” prefab houses floating around these days.