So I’ve done akiya biz for 7ish years now, and this article definitely does not answer the why. Go figure.
What happens if you buy an akiya and don’t pay city tax/council tax, do they just take it off your hands?
Imagine moving to a middle of a mountain in this economy, and bonus points for not being a native-level speaker with the local dialect.
Can you guys send it over here to Los Angeles? Please.
One reason not mentioned is poor land registration records making it impossible in many cases to even trace who the owner is.
And the fact that if you head out to these remote villages the locals just ignore you.
The article doesn’t really go into another reason too much supply…. They are still building houses and apartments like there is no tomorrow. Japan has more architects per capita than any G7 country, while it does mean there is no cost of living crises, it does mean the actual physical building has no monetary value after a few decades.
9 million akiya and about 90 million people overseas misled by Japan influencers on the fantasy they can own one without any issues.
It’s very expensive to demolish an old house and the people who inherit it, don’t want to do it.
One thing to note for all you wanna be Air B&B tycoons, they put some big numbers about empty houses, but “in this glut of empty properties, particularly kominka (traditional) houses as an option for cheap and unusual accommodation, ” The vast majority are not kominka. They are just old houses. Some are still in very nice locations to live if you have remote work, and are seeking such a lifestyle, but most are not ideal places for starting cheap unusual accommodation for tourists. (also most reformed kominka I see are not exactly cheap to stay in, and increasingly no longer that unusual)
I recently got a letter from my village where I have a house that I do not currently live in (but will move back to). They sent it to everyone that has an un-lived in house.
It says that last year 2023, there were 188 inquiries from people looking to move into the village (it does not specify if they are Australians wanting to make an Air B&B) compared to only 76 the previous year.
There are, however, only 7 houses registered for sale and 4 for rent in the village “akiya bank”.
They are offering me to refurbish my house with a modern kitchen, bath and toilet in exchange for a 9 year lease so that they can sublet to people to stay in the house, after which it will be returned to me. However, if the people want to continue to stay, it is not clear but it looks like I have to provide the option for them to purchase the house.
I can think of no case where someone would want to live for only 9 years and then give it up, but probably the village expects that in those 9 years there will be a few people that come for a year or so, and decide country life is not for them and they will move out, so after 9 years it might have cycled though several residents, but still have no permanent takers.
They will pay me rent for the 9 years – just the cost of property tax. Refurbishing it would be good, but if I tried, I could find someone to live there and pay more rent without refurbishing, or else let them refurbish as they wish at their own expense.
I am not against letting people rent it short term to see if they like village life, but it would have to be on my terms.
The village next door actually has a notable number of Australians buying up the land, but they are not using it for Air B&B, they actually are living there, sending their kids to school, working there, etc.
That is more what the villages are looking for, not just Air B&Bs with a constant flow of strangers.
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So I’ve done akiya biz for 7ish years now, and this article definitely does not answer the why. Go figure.
What happens if you buy an akiya and don’t pay city tax/council tax, do they just take it off your hands?
Imagine moving to a middle of a mountain in this economy, and bonus points for not being a native-level speaker with the local dialect.
Can you guys send it over here to Los Angeles? Please.
One reason not mentioned is poor land registration records making it impossible in many cases to even trace who the owner is.
And the fact that if you head out to these remote villages the locals just ignore you.
The article doesn’t really go into another reason too much supply…. They are still building houses and apartments like there is no tomorrow. Japan has more architects per capita than any G7 country, while it does mean there is no cost of living crises, it does mean the actual physical building has no monetary value after a few decades.
9 million akiya and about 90 million people overseas misled by Japan influencers on the fantasy they can own one without any issues.
It’s very expensive to demolish an old house and the people who inherit it, don’t want to do it.
One thing to note for all you wanna be Air B&B tycoons, they put some big numbers about empty houses, but “in this glut of empty properties, particularly kominka (traditional) houses as an option for cheap and unusual accommodation, ”
The vast majority are not kominka. They are just old houses. Some are still in very nice locations to live if you have remote work, and are seeking such a lifestyle, but most are not ideal places for starting cheap unusual accommodation for tourists. (also most reformed kominka I see are not exactly cheap to stay in, and increasingly no longer that unusual)
I recently got a letter from my village where I have a house that I do not currently live in (but will move back to). They sent it to everyone that has an un-lived in house.
It says that last year 2023, there were 188 inquiries from people looking to move into the village (it does not specify if they are Australians wanting to make an Air B&B) compared to only 76 the previous year.
There are, however, only 7 houses registered for sale and 4 for rent in the village “akiya bank”.
They are offering me to refurbish my house with a modern kitchen, bath and toilet in exchange for a 9 year lease so that they can sublet to people to stay in the house, after which it will be returned to me. However, if the people want to continue to stay, it is not clear but it looks like I have to provide the option for them to purchase the house.
I can think of no case where someone would want to live for only 9 years and then give it up, but probably the village expects that in those 9 years there will be a few people that come for a year or so, and decide country life is not for them and they will move out, so after 9 years it might have cycled though several residents, but still have no permanent takers.
They will pay me rent for the 9 years – just the cost of property tax. Refurbishing it would be good, but if I tried, I could find someone to live there and pay more rent without refurbishing, or else let them refurbish as they wish at their own expense.
I am not against letting people rent it short term to see if they like village life, but it would have to be on my terms.
The village next door actually has a notable number of Australians buying up the land, but they are not using it for Air B&B, they actually are living there, sending their kids to school, working there, etc.
That is more what the villages are looking for, not just Air B&Bs with a constant flow of strangers.