154 Year Old House for Sale in Rural Japan - Kominka Akiya Tour!

Join us on a tour of this 154 year old #emptyhouse in rural Japan! We inspect this beautiful old #kominka Meiji period house in #shimane, #Japan and fall in love.
The house is in Shimane prefecture and we were so surprised by the natural beauty of the area and the number of outdoor activities and sights that are only a short drive from the beautiful valley where it is located. It is both a #kominka (old folk house) and an #akiya (empty house) and was a boutique sake brewery in it's former life. The owners made sake from the well that still exists in the front garden.
The owner has now accepted our offer to purchase and we are beyond excited to start sharing our real estate journey with you and show you what life is like in rural Japan, a little off the beaten path.
Please join us, starting with this tour of our beautiful #kominka with the real estate agent and #akiyabank representative. In our next video we will share the purchase process as non-residents on tourist visas.
Thanks for watching!
#japan #kominka #shimane #japanrealestate #akiya #emptyhousetour #japancountryside #abandonedhouses
Camera: GoPro Hero 11 Black
Video Editor: CyberLink PowerDirector 365
Music: www.epidemicsound.com

[@Slowsteading]

A beautiful kominka! Congrats on the purchase, can't wait to see the transformation!

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you so much!

[@jombii-7090]

The exposed wood beams all throughout the property and the sheer amount of natural light is amazing

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Yes, it really is lovely 😍

[@daniellebelliard4010]

Ilya beaucoup de bois avec des tapis ne serais pas pour cacher les défauts, se sont des maisons avec isolant pour quel chauffage ? J'aime beaucoup le Japon c'est pour cette raison que je demande des renseignements merci a l'avance

[@beverleygraham9555]

How exciting. It is just beautiful and full of Japanese charm. I can see how you would fall in love with renovating this historic property. :) ⛩

[@michaelazimmermann301]

What a beautiful property, thank you for sharing ❤❤❤

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you so much!

[@stupedcraig]

So much potential there! Wishing you all the best and looking forward to more videos!

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you so much! We will be uploading more content very soon :)

[@MatsukawaZaraki]

OOOOOF, this is such a beautiful home and the garden definitely has a ton of potential. And the views are 🤯

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you! It really is a lovely area. The people are so friendly too :) We are going to contract the local Silver Group to really get the garden up to scratch and hopefully learn a thing or two from them. Feels good to be able to support the local economy this way.

[@MatsukawaZaraki]

@@NekoAshiJapan What a great idea! I'm wanting to learn traditional gardening as well since I'm planning to restore my home and keep it as traditional as possible. I can't wait to see what they do for you guys!

[@jmalick7100]

❤❤ It has so much potential and character.

[@sagetm]

if i were ever to manage moving to japan, it would be into a home like this. big garden, traditional style, country-side... what more could you want?

[@ruhb5475]

Really well paying job for sustain it

[@jeremyarroyo360]

And a woman

[@ronisworld2916]

Awesome! I have fallen in love too! specially the annex and that bridge! Sugoi!

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you so much!

[@lotusdevi]

Again, I have to say what a gem you found...so old and in such good condition from what we can see in this video...the annex is absolutely dreamy

[@rawhide154]

It’s perfect.

[@colleenrodamer9497]

Omg it awesomely BEAUTIFUL ❤

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you so much!

[@bentonhomestead]

Well now we're gonna spend the evening watching your videos, haha. Looks really amazing! 🤗

[@bentonhomestead]

I love the big barrel. The garden and view are spectacular! Really lovely architecture too. The beams!!! We will be cheering you on from Ōmishima.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Haha! Thank you! Looking forward to your next video 😊

[@ann-mariebryan7964]

How amazing 😻 sooo much history. Are you going to investigate? Looking forward the renovating videos.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Hello ♥️ We went to inspect the house in April :) Looking forward to the challenge of renovating!

[@TenYen4796]

One more video to add to the collection. It would be nice if there was a video explaining how the process is done. Please add how to move from the US to Japan and the visa requirements. Is there a home buying tour?

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Video coming very soon to talk about the process. Thank you for watching!

[@BMTVMeditationandSleep]

The Garden looks very beautiful, but people must have been way shorter 150 years ago. your Japanese sounds great!

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you! Well, I can walk freely under the doorways but my husband is 6'4" so he needs to duck!

[@BMTVMeditationandSleep]

@@NekoAshiJapan hahaha… oh god! He’s in for a difficult time, or do you plan on changing those heights.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

@BMTVMeditationandSleep No plans to change the height but you never know, as we are considering a full restoration of the 4 main central rooms :)

[@FoxyfloofJumps]

People didn't walk upright thru those types of rooms. They would kneel and transition thru on knees or toes or both, to avoid presenting as a potential threat or as uncouth or hurried.

[@Big-Wonka]

That house is awesome. If you don't mind me asking, how much does it cost?

[@NekoAshiJapan]

4M JPY :)

[@Big-Wonka]

@@NekoAshiJapan You must be missing a couple of zeros lol

[@NekoAshiJapan]

@@Big-Wonka Nope! :)

[@Big-Wonka]

​@@NekoAshiJapan That's so great. That feels like a steal of a price.

[@chrisrieger4140]

Love it.

[@NomadShoiku]

Interesting. It is ok atmosphere-wise. It is old, so there is that "heavy" air there (not breezy or happy or uplifting). Not really negative either. Maybe the atmosphere can be lifted with renovations, maybe not. It is in good condition so it is nice, but if I were there (after looking around), I feel like asking: Do you have a better one?

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Compared to all others we have seen of similar age, this one has a lot of natural light, high ceilings and open spaces. We absolutely love the old, dark, heavy wooden beams. I guess it depends on what your taste is and what you'd be using it for 😊

[@dropperknot]

I would need a full structural survey done, I noticed a few dodgy bits of woodwork. An estimate to double-glaze all those windows would be most intimidating.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thanks for your comment. We have received quotes for any repairs and improvements needed and were quite happy with the estimates, considering the age of the house.

[@despair1625]

Ohh😮😮😮😮😮

[@robertwilliams2623]

Ok how much did they want for this beautiful home

[@NekoAshiJapan]

4 million JPY

[@robertwilliams2623]

@@NekoAshiJapan wow that's a deal of a life time . But how much to fix it back up

[@NekoAshiJapan]

@@robertwilliams2623 Not too much based on the quotes we've received, which is amazing. The family has looked after the home well.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

@@robertwilliams2623 There are thousands of homes for sale at this price all across Japan. We just fell in love with the character and history of this one. In our next video we will share a couple of websites where you can find them.

[@robertwilliams2623]

@@NekoAshiJapan I have always wanted to go to there but with my health right now i can't. But i can see the beautiful country in your video. Thanks

[@Aaaaaaaartem414]

Hello ! Around 5:36, there is a picture hanges on the wall which seems religious. Is it a Catholic picture ?

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Hello :) yes, I think it might have been!

[@krystiansieminski8060]

Im not so sure to a what standards the NEW owner want to renovate/reconstruct, update this old house, the house has a lot of old charm, but it needs a ton of work, and this house is not a small village dwelling, its a good size. If the price is right....and owner is willing and has $$$$$$, then its all good, there is an very good German man that is an expert haw to do this kind of work and make some upgrades, He most of the time take whole house apart and rebuilds it totally, from ground up, but most of the time He do small/er homes, but the quality of work His company do is 100%, and He likes to keep the Japanese wood works....TH

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Yes, I think I have heard of him.

[@torontoguy1097]

Looks great but the way that you are navigating the stairs should give you serious pause… just saying. The way the real estate folks were watching you come down should give you MAJOR hints.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Haha! I thought the same thing when I saw the footage. The concern on their faces! Lovely people they were. Wearing slippers and trying to film at the same time made it more difficult than it should have been :) Thanks for your concern.

[@HauTran-sunfromsouth]

Unbelievable beautiful!!! ❤❤❤

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you so much!

[@andyroach420]

I'm interested in knowing peoples lives after they buy these homes. The homes are in locations which are somewhat desolate. What type of jobs and lifestyle do the homebuyers have?

[@NekoAshiJapan]

It's an interesting question and it depends on so many factors. No two people's stories are the same and it depends on where you are in both your personal life and career. Some want to escape from the rat race, some want to experience a real community away from the larger cities, some are interested in living sustainably etc etc. The locations are not necessarily 'desolate'. Our house is located in a busy farming village, just a few kms away from a large seaside city and every amenity you could ask for. There is also a Lawsons 5 min walk away! Some might want the bright lights of Tokyo, like I did when I was young, living there for 5 years in my 20s, but now we want something different. I'll talk about work, visas etc in our upcoming video. Thanks for your comment :)

[@andyroach420]

@@NekoAshiJapan It sounds like you got a good mix of beauty and accommodations. I lived in Gunmaken 20 years ago and met my Japanese wife there. I've thought about living in Japan again but not now. Keep up the good work. Japan needs people to live and sustain the country,

[@shinyamato]

Can I ask something, did you speak fluently in Japaese? what I heard if bought the house by all cash it would be big bargaining, is there any tips to bring that lit amount of money into Japan?

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Hello. I do speak, read and write Japanese at an intermediate level. I was able to communicate with the Akiya Bank, organise the viewing and start negotiations on the house myself. We have since engaged a buyer's agent with bilingual staff to ensure the legal matters are handled correctly. They will also assist in handling the payment if and when we get to that point.

[@shinyamato]

I'm pretty much interested moving & buying Akiya Japan too.. is there any particular reason why the area you choose around Kyoto?

[@NekoAshiJapan]

@@shinyamato This one actually isn't in Kyoto. We did look at many in the Kyoto area as you can see in our other videos :) This house is close to white sand beaches, snow skiing, Onsen and so much more. If you explore areas away from the usual tourist attractions you can find special, unique and unspoilt places.

[@sureshsangwan6991]

Friend, where is this property? Want to buy us.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

We have already bought this house. It is in Shimane prefecture :)

[@Burntques00]

Do you have other social media accounts we can follow and maybe contact you through them.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Coming soon!

[@Burntques00]

@@NekoAshiJapan this is exciting! Love the video style that you do. So relaxing and informative. Been trying to research a lot on property is Japan, I hope I can open a bed and breakfast or hostel. 😅

[@allnighterist]

Hypothetically asking, would it be disrespectful like if you buy the house and tear everything down to build a new one? because you only want the location.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

I'm really not sure. There are a few newer homes just up the road from the house, which must have originally had older houses on the land, so it definitely happens. Probably depends on if the local community has fond memories of the house. Ours was a sake brewery, and we would never think of tearing it down.

[@Omagatsuhi]

You can actually sell the kominka without the land to a specialist kominka bank but you just have to wait for a buyer to buy the kominka before they take it apart.

[@jewelkaye6548]

Better and wiser in the Philippines, some big real estate developers are taking land, building new houses in uniform or villages with shopping malls, and making better-surrounding people. Old houses like that, with no charm and durability, should be a dump immediately with a bulldozer. Japan should think better than underdeveloped countries because the government has money to make a better place for the Japanese and avoid often giving donations like in the Philippines, where only Politicians get rich and take your donation.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thanks for watching! No durability? - 154 years says a lot❣

[@steveforbes8287]

This was a nice video. The house is fascinating. However, please, decide if you want to talk or play music, not both. Hearing your comments would be more valuable than listening to elevator tunes. With that exception this was not bad.

[@NekoAshiJapan]

Thank you for the feedback! I will definitely take that on board. I'm very happy that you liked the house and our video.