Japan’s abandoned houses attract new set of buyers
As Japan’s population shrinks and more properties go unclaimed, an emerging segment of buyers, feeling less tethered to overcrowded cities, is seeking out rural architecture in need of some love.
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
The exterior of the home that Reiko and Takahiro Okada are selling through Akiya & Inaka in the Hacioji area of Tokyo, March 11.2/13
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
The interior of the home that Reiko and Takahiro Okada are selling through Akiya & Inaka in the Hacioji area of Tokyo, March 11. The company is capitalizing on the akiya glut, matching vacant homes with curious buyer. “Every Japanese agent we talked to advised us to demolish this place,” Takahiro Okada said.3/13
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
Reiko, left, and Takahiro Okada in the home they’re selling through Akiya & Inaka in the Hacioji area of Tokyo, March 11.4/13
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COURTESY ALEX KERR VIA NEW YORK TIMES
In an undated photo courtesy of Alex Kerr, Alex Kerr’s house, named Chiiori, or “House of the Flute,” in the mountains of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Kerr bought the abandoned country house that’s about 300 years old for $1,800 in 1973.5/13
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COURTESY ALEX KERR VIA NEW YORK TIMES
In an undated photo courtesy of Alex Kerr, Alex Kerr’s house, named Chiiori, or “House of the Flute,” in the mountains of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Kerr has spent about $700,000 maintaining the house, some of which came from a government grant.6/13
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COURTESY ALEX KERR VIA NEW YORK TIMES
In an undated photo courtesy of Alex Kerr, Alex Kerr in the mountains of Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands. Kerr bought an abandoned country house there for $1,800 in 1973.7/13
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TIM HORNYAK VIA NEW YORK TIMES
In an undated photo from Tim Hornyak, an akiya home sits empty in Nagasaki, Japan, earlier this year.8/13
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TIM HORNYAK VIA NEW YORK TIMES
In an undated photo from Tim Hornyak, an akiya home with detritus from the previous owners gathering dust in Nagasaki, Japan, earlier this year. With a shrinking population and more than 10 million abandoned properties, the country is straining to match houses with curious buyers.9/13
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
Jaya Thursfield’s his remodeled home in Ibaraki, Japan, March 12.10/13
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
The interior of Jaya Thursfield’s remodeled home in Ibaraki, Japan, March 12. Thursfield, who moved to Japan in 2017 with his wife, Chihiro, bought the abandoned home for 3 million yen, or around $23,000, in 2019 and set about renovating it.11/13
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
The interior of Jaya Thursfield’s remodeled home in Ibaraki, Japan, March 12. Thursfield, who moved to Japan in 2017 with his wife, Chihiro, bought the abandoned home for 3 million yen, or around $23,000, in 2019 and set about renovating it.12/13
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
The interior of Jaya Thursfield’s remodeled home in Ibaraki, Japan, March 12.13/13
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ANDREW FAULK / NEW YORK TIMES
Jaya Thursfield at his remodeled home in Ibaraki, Japan, March 12.
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