$6000 house in Japan -week 5

[@SmilingQuokka]

The house looks great, Matt! The big room looks like such a nice chill out space now. On the unit bathrooms, I always think they look like something out of a Sims game. 😂

[@im.mattguy]

Thanks!! I like how the unit bathrooms are warm and easy to clean but most of them are a little too copy and paste. They usually don’t have a window either and feels a bit claustrophobic

[@ccsobsessed]

Wow Matt! This AMAZING! Look at that transformation in just 5 weeks! It’s crazy how we take all our tradespeople here for granted!

[@im.mattguy]

Thanks! Almost finished the inside now just 8 weeks later. Hope to get a new video up soon!

[@SimplyCloud70]

Can I buy a place like yours with close to that amount? I’m Very interested! I live in Japan for more than 20 years. Thinking of retirement. Pls reply. Thank you . I like country side.

[@mobilemaster2792]

@@SimplyCloud70your gonna want to at least have 20 thousand US dollars saved if you want to do something like him but a lot of renovation work and hard labor is gonna go into it

[@gigteevee6118]

Really interesting to hear your comments on the lack of tradespeople in the rural areas, from a UK perspective the same thing happened after Brexit, immigration issues from racism really messes with economies!

[@zkyurem]

2 hours ago i found 1st video of 6000 dollars house now i have watched all videos untill now, going to watch week 8 later on

[@yvonnebirch6026]

Love those pebbles ! Blinds are great behind the plants.

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you!

[@barbarax7566]

I really love how the top room came out!! It's now a nice place to chill out looking outside that big window....I imagine how it'll be this winter when the snow will start to fall 😍😍

[@im.mattguy]

And the changing of the leaves 🍁🍂

[@barbarax7566]

@@im.mattguy ooohhhh true!!! All the nuances of the reds....it'll be amazing🍁🍁🍂🍂 😍😍

[@clonedpanda]

This is incredible. I still have believe you for this house for 6000! Lovely job on the renovation

[@tokyospin7766]

House is looking great man ! Paint for indoors isn't used much if at all here. It's all about the wall paper . Thousands of styles to choose from and so cheap to have installed. Hardware shops here even in Tokyo are nowhere near like we have in OZ. One thing i've definitely learnt after living here for 8 years is a good tradie/sparkie is bloody gold. Fortunately we've got one but must be super tough finding one where you are. fingers crossed you'll find one down the track . best of luck for the coming winter. Looks like you neighbour has a tractor for the snow removal i saw in a previous vid. He'll be your best mate in winter ;-) Top job on the house again 👌

[@im.mattguy]

For sure about the wallpaper and a big reason behind it is supposed to be for earthquakes. Personally, I’m not a fan and would be a lot of effort going over shikkui 😅 I’m excited for the snow! The main reason I chose Myoko :)

[@engincansaran8879]

I just started watch your videos and pretty noice to be honest. You are lucky to get that house btw. For the tradesman part, I cannot agree more with you. As an expat living here for more than 7 years I can easily say that the point you are touching is very fragile in the Japanese economy/society system. Wherever you go you will 99% not find a Senmon(pro) its either dentist or a plummer. Most of these people are part-timers. Japan`s 65% of the work force are part-timers. I work as a pro.man. and whenever I choose a vendor I always check their handyman if they are over 55-60 years old, since most of these guys are through so much experience. Thats what I can recommend you for the future things you will ever face with. Choose the old dudes! They are the best 😄

[@claudiaximenarg]

It is amazing the change. Looks brighter and more modern, even though you conserved the Japanese style. Congratulations

[@im.mattguy]

Thanks! It’s a really easy space to work with :)

[@doncjack5913]

For context, Matt, I'm commenting as I watch your videos step by step catching up to your current ones.

[@kiwifarms]

Japan has a very refined sense of beauty and no sense of ugly.

[@Donpapibonsai]

The house is really starting to look nice Matt It’s great how much you have done yourself

[@guillerminaverant8467]

I do agree with what you're saying about labor in the US. My suggestion to you is to look it up on KZbin how to do diy, even on how to do electricity. Good luck 👍

[@le_th_]

The Japanese are very polite, so it makes perfect sense to me that, culturally, the tradespeople do not give their opinions. What would be surprising (culturally) is if they did give their opinions. Economically, Japan has been in a economic slump for 30 years so people don't have money to buy a lot of home improvement things, so 5 shades of paint may be all the business own can keep on hand in a small town. The AU & US economies have been booming in the last 15 years, so of course we will have more options because we have more disposable income.

[@ArmandsPadrevics]

In my country you can get only white colour and then you go to the counter, they add the pigment and mix your colour. You just pick mate or gloss, water based or latex based and maybe some extra fancy stuff. Also as someone from the winter country the top parts above doors if they are open then they won't hold warmth in as warm air rises up, I suggest to cover it up with something see trough. After your first winter you'll notice which walls are much colder then try getting stone wool and built a layer with that to warm that wall they don't mold and are fire safe.

[@Donpapibonsai]

The chill room looks so good and especially that view

[@guitaristanime]

Subscribed, this is the closest I'll get to the dream, thanks for sharing this experience :)

[@frankiewhite2410]

Kimono. Love to show it to my textile students here in the UK

[@amvive08]

Looks amazing, you're killing it

[@im.mattguy]

Thank you!! :)

[@TonyNietnagel]

Thank you for sharing your real experience and lessons learned.

[@lovelyoldmusic]

Fascinating video and great insights at the end, so keen for your next upcoming video

[@watcherManu]

I wouldve loved to see the progress that happend. Maybe you can film the things you renovate/decorate... . It would be a bit more work (editing...) but i think it would be a great adition to the videos.❤❤❤

[@SuzannesLife-ok4pn]

You’ve made such a difference to that house. It’s beautiful.

[@mobilemaster2792]

Just started watching these today I’m afraid I’ll binge all your videos please keep posting absolutely love your content and I’m not sure if you went over this yet are you retired or working their and how old are you or age your around very curious as I also want to move here and take the risk you took

[@jiyoo6448]

wow looks great! Someday I like to visit when you complete it👍🏻

[@lateoriadelkuii]

color personalization is all about mixing bro, you can search the patterns online

[@maiy8786]

Very insightful. Thank you for sharing!

[@im.mattguy]

Thanks!!

[@DimereseiniNRobbyRavouvou]

Looks so homely lovely indeed

[@amoryamani6807]

thank you for these videos

[@JacuzziSurfer]

Endless video ideas : Quirks of living in Myoko, Lack of Tradesmen

[@TheMeisaku]

Toilet looks beautiful! I remember when they weren’t water flush n so nice when in early 60’s when we went to western style

[@rosemaki3123]

I found your comments regarding tradesmen interesting. The United States has been seeing that sort of trend a bit, too. The schools in my area (Iron Range in Minnesota) have taken on a more active role in helping students navigate planning to pursue more traditional careers that require college but also in planning for the necessary education for the different trades. These types of courses have also been developing in the local community colleges.

[@jrmayol857]

Are you the one who made that wall cabinet in the kitchen made by chipboard? That looks great!

[@suecollado8696]

💕If you get post ask family/friends to send you paint pigments or small tins of a colour that you can mix with white paint to make a colour of your choice💕

[@shmoni123]

looking great

[@JacuzziSurfer]

So cool! Do you have any visa requirements that you have to follow still? Did the house allow you to stay longer than 90 days?

[@im.mattguy]

I'm on a work visa but anyone can buy one. Tourist visa only allows 2x 90 day visits per year depending on nationality

[@Bestwayhowto]

Hi Matt any chance you could put together a google doc on contacts and contracts to streamline the purchase process? I would buy it especially if there was a English speaking system in place with a realtor contact also.😊

[@im.mattguy]

Possibly in the near futture but I just left the corporate world a year back and prefer to keep away from process mapping for a bit hahaha

[@user-ib5mx8ro4k]

How does floating tiles in the shower make sense? So much grime and bacteria will accumulate underneath. Impossible to clean without removing them.

[@myrissablanco5879]

wow, what a difference a coat of paint can do.

[@anna_m59]

That glass table doesn’t match to the sofa area otherwise great job!

[@Littledemon1234]

❤️❤️❤️

[@AlbertLavenziano]

Japan is not a country that welcomes other ethnocities or nationalities...you are better off learning yourself and getting it done the way you want. Welcome to home ownership!

[@DimereseiniNRobbyRavouvou]

Exactly like any 4 seasons countries for that matter because it is cheaper at least in Japan and very natural

[@katiepandey5023]

Can you switch out that ugly glass table in the kitchen for something in wood? Maybe make your own from usb & paint black? Then have matching floating shelves over sink? Love that couch but angle is off.

[@lovelyoldmusic]

It’s his house, not yours!

[@im.mattguy]

I'm happy with the table and there's wayyy to much wood for me. I like to have more elements to break it up

[@mendeznadir]

are you not feared if the house lost the japanese essence? because I'm seeing it a bit and :(

[@im.mattguy]

Good comment! You’re going to have to be a bit more specific about what I’ve changed for me to respond better. I’ll make some assumptions… I’ve changed the kitchen, bathroom, and shower. The rest of the house is the same which is about 80%. When I moved in the kitchen was just pieces of cheap furniture taking up space on every free wall. Crammed and tacky. I just removed it, cleaned the space, painted, and added my own furniture. Added a small custom kitchen to suit my needs. Traditional Japanese houses have terrible kitchen designs in my opinion. They’re very functional to just cook and leave the space. My ideal kitchen is a place where I can eat and spend time so it makes sense to adjust for that. The bathroom is a retro 1960s design. Not sure how much Japanese essence could be found in the when I started 😂 it needed updating because it hadn’t been done for 60 years. The new style is closer to Japanese style than before with cedar window sill and neutral color. The toilet space I’ve created is very similar to what you’ll see in any new style cafe. I think anything would’ve worked better than before. These areas I’ve worked more on had a lot of updating needed to be cleaner and designed more for comfort. This is a 1960s house built like a traditional house on the inside. Over the years things were tacked on and it didn’t look good at all. I feel like I’ve made minimal changes to the essence of the house and only improved the hygiene situation, added more comfort, and created a brighter more energised space. Keep in mind I was never looking to make this a restoration project otherwise I would’ve bought a “real” traditional Japanese house :)

[@CheekyMonkey1776]

That’s how immigration used to work in the USA.

[@coldobina]

I've heard in Japan you cannot do electrical stuff even at your own place without certification. Look into that - maybe you shouldn't share what you did on the internet.

[@im.mattguy]

I had my electrician check what I did when he came through at a later day. Only certain things need to be certified by an electrician

[@coldobina]

@@im.mattguy I see, thanks for response.

[@firesting]

To compare Japan to western countries, is like comparing your beard between 2 and 30. Love your content though

[@user-ib5mx8ro4k]

lol! Gaijin san, No contractor will tell you how to do their job for free in any country. There’s a reason people pay for contractors. A lot of your repairs are examples of why having someone qualified is important. Also, the Japanese are actually one of the most helpful in any situation. The fact that nobody wants to help you should be a clear sign. Japanese tend to be passive aggressive.

[@user-ib5mx8ro4k]

Your paint cut lines are terrible. At least make an effort and use painter’s tape.

[@5757464642Torres]

Its so difficult to find trade's people nowadays. Anyway you keep going through struggle. Remember it's all about the journey.

[@fushisu]

Someone might have already pointed this out but since you're not a trained/certified electrician you might need to have an electrician certify your work for the home insurance to be eligible for anything electric related. Not sure if this is something you would need to do in Japan but might be something worth looking into just in case. If it turns out you need it to be certified then best option would probably be to find an electrician (If possible considering the video context) and have them do tests on the fuseboard and installations to check that everything is as it should be, They're called EICR in UK if you're interested in looking into it.

[@hshneo]

That's exactly what happens here, you are not allowed at all if you don't carry a certification to do most of electrical installation and you shouldn't even touch water or gas installation, hence why no tips from the professionals. I personally think it sucks, but they really need to take care with fire, since we all saw how much wood goes on the construction and earthquakes are no joke, so I assume all the installations need to account for that too. Let's say you buy a condo and your sewage leaks to the people living downstairs or worst, your electrical installation cause a fire and kill a neighbor, you better to run fast to a country without extradition agreement, law is heavy here and you are GILT till proven otherwise...

[@fushisu]

@@hshneo Yeah, whats worse is that I noticed and commented on an installation he did later in the series where he put am external installed outlet without any lid or such besides the toilet with devices plugged in which is a big nono in any european country due to all the wet room wiring zonings. Hope he takes these comments into consideration since its a very important safety measure to have everything regarding the electrical stuff to be installed by code. Hopefully nothing happens before it gets checked out since he'd be in a lot of trouble, both with damage to the house and possibly to himself/a guest but could also end up getting fined if they see such installs and find it to be the root cause.

[@user-bw6cc7js6h]

Contacts? Maybe check out or contact Tokyo llamma