Castle Town Maizuru and a $4,000 USD Akiya by the canal - Old Houses Old Towns of Japan

It's cherry blossom season in Japan and I've finally managed another trip to the rural areas of Japan! This time is a small castle & port town called Maizuru (population around 84,000) in the northern part of Kyoto prefecture. It faces the Japan sea and used to be one of the biggest navy bases for Japan from Meiji to the early Showa era. Usually the smaller & undeveloped the towns are, the more traditional machiya or kominka houses there are left. I was able to visit the different districts of west Maizuru and could find several traditional machiya houses that were on sale (for a few mil yen).
Support me on Patreon to visit more rural towns & old houses of Japan
/ goodoldhousesjapan
0:00 Introduction
2:40 Yoshihara (Yoshiwara) inlet district
5:35 The 4k USD machiya on sale by the inlet
9:45 Castle town/Shopping street district
12:35 Another machiya for sale by the canal (*already sold)
Here is the detail for the $4,000 USD machiya house for sale
www.frontier1627.com/bukken.html
(As mentioned in the video, please contact the agent only if you live in Japan, speak Japanese, and can visit the property in person.)
#oldtown #kominka #akiya #machiya #traditionaljapan
#ruraljapan #inaka #vlog #oldhouses #cheaphouse

[@Haladmer]

For the machiya on the Yoshihara inlet, do you know what the requirements are for having a small boat tied to the back of the property? Having a small boat to tour the inlets would be so much fun with a home like this :)

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

That's such an interesting idea....must be amazing to cruise around that area with a boat....departing from the back of the house! I have no idea about the requirements but don't think it's that strict?

[@Haladmer]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan I'm guessing it's just the normal permits for docking,/boat registration? Need to bring in some of the "narrowboats" from the UK :D

[@jimanonymous113]

I wonder if you could jet ski around ? Water ski ?

[@wave8359]

@@jimanonymous113-- EXACTLY what the locals would be right to oppose ! What arrogance......

[@jimanonymous113]

@@wave8359 u have a problem.

[@wisikahn]

My mother grew up there and went to Rickyo Univ. passed in Los Angeles always missed Kyoto, where I want to live and feel my late mother.

[@herravintage]

It is always lovely to see a row of original machiya. It is always sad to see the old style city-scape disappear. The devaluation of old buildings is one of the things which bummed me out about the Japanese real estate market. That said, I suppose it is a double-edged sword to a degree. This area is now on my list to visit, thank you!

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you for the comment! It's a lovely area to visit for sure.

[@thinkcasting3182]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan It's really beautiful. From the USA, Florida, a multicultural hell hole. It's wonderful to see monocultures. Unfortunately my last trip to Toyko I saw a few USA african military monkeys hooked up with Japanese baby mommas. Disgusting.

[@arstainn]

oh! how nice this akiya! window is very unique and retro! we are operating a hotel called hotel arstainn in Higasi maizuru ! thanks uploading about Maizuru city, we wish many people coming to our city and enjoying!

[@SundaiLove]

Nice find. :) love the tour of the town. I just came from Gujo Hachiman looking at a cheap tradition house. The way reminds me if there

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you! Gujo Hachiman is on my list to visit one day... the townscape and dance festival ;) I hope you had some interesting finding there as well.

[@AbeyantHero]

I enjoy this tour & I think it would be a great addition to hear your travel path/options to visit from train or biking to these areas to get a feel for the community. Thanks for sharing your content & hope your house is coming together

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you for the comment! Really not much time to travel around these days but I'll keep in mind on adding more information on the travel path & options!

[@Watchinchemtrailz]

I really appreciate you taking the time to look at these. I need to get back to learning Japanese.

[@Markver1]

@9:32 My best guess is perhaps the metal piers are baffles or breakers to prevent the wakes from large boats inundating the low lying structures.

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you! That's makes sense...!

[@catherinekenyon7555]

I was going to suggest the same idea. :)

[@etherdog]

Really nice to see another area!

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you!! Visiting new areas at a very slow pace but I'm keeping to it :)

[@beverlyhills7883]

Love Maizuru, formerly a huge navy town where "niku Jaga" was invented. Great channel. Upvoted & subscribe.

[@mukeshvig174]

Thanks for the tour 👍

[@Ajeman845]

That's Awesome. I Like it ! Thank U

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Here is the detail for the $4,000 USD machiya house for sale www.frontier1627.com/bukken.html (As mentioned in the video, please contact the agent only if you live in Japan, speak Japanese, and can visit the property in person.) I am also on Patreon! I'll be able to visit more rural towns & old houses of Japan with your support. www.patreon.com/goodoldhousesjapan

[@Multi2794]

awesome video 😊

[@ronisworld2916]

Love the tour! i like the last house.

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you! The last house was the best one for sure. It was sold so quickly I couldn't see the photos of the inside...

[@DIYJapan]

I live near this area but I didn't know about the canal area. Very cool! Thanks for giving me a nice place to look forward to visiting!

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

It's a lovely area to visit! The roads are too small and the houses are too close to each other so I'm not sure if it's an ideal place to live...but anyway good to know you are close by that region!

[@Val.Kyrie.]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan I actually really love that and am looking specifically for something like that, especially if there’s a park for the kids around.

[@softypapa]

Very nice. Thank you so much for sharing. I’m so happy that I found your channel. I will be watching all of your videos together with my wife.

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you for watching! Glad you like the videos.

[@robmarsh2217]

Love the vids , would you be interested in helping me find something, i like kyoto prefecture and wakayama . I'm very interested to find something traditional. Thanks for great vid.

[@808zhu]

Thanks for the video.

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

No problem and thanks for watching!

[@FirstLastOne]

Beautiful area as is pretty much all coastal areas in Japan but even before 3/11, I have always been overly concerned about living on the coast just because, it's not if but when that quake will hit. I love being on or very close to the coast but unless it's up about 80 metres or more, sleeping at night is really hard to do. All my life I have lived around the ring of fire and in every place I have lived, I have lived through a pretty good shake or two.

[@Elcapulove]

Good morning Family and good HEALTH for everyone especially MENTAL. There really is nothing like Japan, even the dogs 🐕 are very cool. 💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯💯❤️🇯🇵 Japan. Yoshihara, LOVEEEEEEEEEEE the countryside

[@jimanonymous113]

The winter canal pic shows fishing boats. Where are all the boats at the time of this post ?

[@ck7642]

Mahalo!!

[@808zhu]

🌴🤙

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Mahalo!

[@cosmichef75]

I feel like the Daimyo would pick a good area to live.

[@edvhollywood4544]

Venice of Japan. Beautiful. Love your research. I will rent and volunteer or share any art or easy life things. No not buy or bother.

[@jimanonymous113]

Someone bought a place in the countryside and he made it a point to check for the cost traps these purchases are famous for like overdue water, electric or taxes. He bought and a month later received a large fee from some obscure government agency. Be careful.

[@BrandonAEnglish]

Yoshiwara ...the same name of the area where my kominka is in Hiroshima.

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

It's a common name I guess 😂

[@rlopez4052]

How do I go about buying one of these getting ready for retirement and would love to live here

[@mariondavia8178]

I like that area that you're filming are you filmed and it looks very clean it looks like a nice place I could consider something like that too but like myself a lot of foreigners are coming there to see what we can find and what we can do but we need help with someone who can join up with us and help us to do this and you are the one who can do this if you if you would permit myself and whoever to meet meet with you and it's not like we want something for free it's we understand everything comes with a cost but we do need help especially when we don't know where to go how to do the paperwork and doesn't don't speak Japanese at good I do speak a little Japanese but not enough to be important do important paperwork so when you hear my comments it's not that I'm trying to get make you tired of me but I just need your help or someone like you to walk through this and help me thank you very much keep up the good work

[@steve4nj]

I would buy that in a second

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

It's still there!

[@steve4nj]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan unfortunately getting a COE to live in Japan is proving to be impossible!

[@ericzhao5077]

Hello, I heard in the EDO period the "吉原" is famously for a brothel. So the east or west "吉原" house is also the old brothel?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Same name but a completely different place 😂 the brothel "吉原" area is in Tokyo

[@ericzhao5077]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan got it. Lol

[@DestinationJapan95]

Nice video! Do you think even if I don’t speak Japanese or if I can find some English speaking agent to help with the purchase this would be no problem to buy? I would love to have this and fine with buying as-is

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

It's possible and there's no problem for foreigners to buy. The thing is that the likelihood of finding a English-speaking agent in rural Japan is very low... plus most agents don't really want to deal with cheap properties since the commission is low. I'm actually planning on a new series of videos in regards to this matter AFTER I finally move into the new house....😂

[@hemaccabe4292]

$30K for a nice house seems like a good deal.

[@ottopartz1]

So how expensive are the taxes and insurance on places like this? Difficult for a foreigner to own and get extended visa?

[@bigwheelsturning]

I've watched a couple of your videos now, and enjoy them. But, can you run down the "tax structure" that Japan has "after you buy" there?? Property taxes, and any other expenses that come up living in Japan??? Thank you for any help here. I''m looking at property in Hokkaido..

[@rolmaguiland21]

❤❤❤❤🎉🎉🎉😊😊😊

[@aliali-po4tj]

How i can buy old house in Japan

[@jeremyarroyo360]

🙏Dios bendiga japoñ🇯🇵

[@danqfrank44]

Is it possible for foreigners to own these properties?

[@seanmong9524]

Maizuru is a lovely place. Lower earthquake and tsunami risks. What is the expected rental yield?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Yes Japan sea should be relatively safe. Well if we spend 15mil JPY to fix it nicely and get a 100,000 JPY monthly rent then about 8% surface yield. The biggest problem will be the actual rental needs in that area though...I'm sure that location makes a better guest house for travelers than long-term residents (investment wise).

[@seanmong9524]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan Great advice! I concur that this location is better suited for tourists than long term residents. Hope the local city council of Maizuru will be supportive of efforts to revitalise this lovely city😍

[@KickAssets]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan 100,000 for that place is way too expensive. I get just over that for my places in Saitama. If you could get that, you'd pay off the place in 6 months and your 8% yield is WAY off. I am guessing 50,000.

[@thinkcasting3182]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan is it still a licensed red-light district?

[@curtisrobinson9283]

Can non-citizens buy these?

[@dixcreative]

Looks a bit like the area is declining in numbers and activity. Still cannot get into Japan as a tourist to look around. Hard to know where to look for akiya. I prefer cool weather And old houses. Mountains are nice. Nagano looks promising.

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Nagano is very popular! Will be quite competitive to get a nice akiya in that region. If you prefer cool weather Toyama or Niigata are both nice and can be reached with Shinkansen from Tokyo.

[@dixcreative]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan ok cool I will look at those two. Thanks for the tip.

[@dixcreative]

Is

[@jimanonymous113]

How were you not curious about costs of using a boat there ? I bet the government has sky hi jet ski registration costs to discourage it because they want a quiet environment. Probably sucks to be young in Japan.

[@angelasacellini9571]

Nice tour. Thanks for letting me know if you can help me with my search 🙂 please

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Thank you! What are you looking for??

[@angelasacellini9571]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan hello 👋 ☺️ thanks for your prompt response 👍 I am looking for an old house to renovate. Traditional and cheap in a rural area. Been looking at properties inakanet, atHome, suumo, Homes. I haven't been able to get yet some information about some houses, so haven't taken any further decision. Wondering if you could help me in the future, of course with payment for your time?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

@@angelasacellini9571 No problem :) You can send me an email at [e-mail] and we can discuss this further.

[@angelasacellini9571]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan brilliant 👏 thanks a lot for your time and effort to make things easier 😀

[@alerfaluminosity6819]

I’m interested are they still for sale?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Apparently it is still available. frontier1627.com/fudosan.php?action=view&bu_kind=2&bu_id=b1271995516

[@hemaccabe4292]

Not sure what lifestyle would be like in Yoshiwara. Restaurants? Shopping? Services? Tanabe Castle is picturesque, but I think I wouldn't want to visit every day. I assume one would be working from home. Assuming I found the conditions congenial, I would be looking for 2 of these units side by side to convert into a single residence. I saw some residences had parking and I would want parking for at least one car. Ideally, under a roof. I think if I was into boating/sailing, this might be a compelling option?

[@jotterson1156]

What do the different names of house signify?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Machiya are townhouses and Kominka are usually farmhouses.

[@jotterson1156]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan ok thanks 👍

[@LeeGeeEd]

If you don’t live in Japan and ca speak zero Japanese, you can’t buy this Machiya house? All I want is a place for me when I retire. Can you help me?

[@sureshsangwan6991]

Hello sir

[@Bluesky-kp9ml]

Is there any ground rent for this real property/?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Unfortunately no.. not much rental properties available in rural Japan actually.

[@marekmichalski3573]

What about hidden costs? How much does it really cost to own this kind of property?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Most of the "hidden" cost are the cost for renovation. Taxes for these old houses are close to nothing...

[@marekmichalski3573]

​@@GoodOldHousesJapan In the case of $1 USD Akiya from your channel, additional costs were over $82,000 USD, so how to distinguish between cheap-tax Akiya and not-cheap-tax Akiya?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

@@marekmichalski3573 I think in the end the renovation cost will always be way higher than whatever the tax is. Finding an akiya that requires a lower renovation cost will be more important in my opinion...

[@KoguryoKid]

Venice of Japan: Not Venus!

[@pacheconica]

what is the requirements for buying that house if No Japan resident?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

There is none. You can buy as long as you have cash. Non-residents are not eligible for housing loans in Japan.

[@pacheconica]

Thank you so much sir ,we are interested for viewing on the site

[@jackgamingyt248]

I would love to live here its nice i want to buy a house for cheap places

[@pellelindbergh4455]

can i get somebody to but the house for me??

[@808zhu]

I'd like to get in touch with you regarding a proposal. Is there a way I can contact you?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Hi Z, you can reach me on this Instagram page that I run. @koryoya.oldhouses.japan Or by email is fine as well. [e-mail]

[@808zhu]

@@GoodOldHousesJapan I'll be in touch. Thanks!

[@JulietGermanotta]

Wow house I could actually pay for in cash too bad Japan doesn’t allow anyone to live there. I would totally move there if they gave me citizenship or even just permanent residency. Because why would I buy a property that I have to pay taxes on that I can’t live in for the rest of my life?

[@LeeGeeEd]

I wasn’t even thinking about it til I read your comment

[@animallover4955]

Japan does allow you to live there

[@JulietGermanotta]

@@animallover4955 maybe you should do some more research before you respond. I did my research you can only stay there on a visa for so long. Why would anybody buy a property that you have to pay property taxes on if you can’t live in your property that you pay taxes on year-round? So please once again, think before you speak.

[@jimanonymous113]

Where are the jet skis ?

[@sureshsangwan6991]

I am interested property

[@wyluek]

镜头左摇右晃，看不清景色，且头晕。😝

[@afvet5075]

Hopefully tsunami"s aren't an issue.

[@KickAssets]

100,000 rent for that place is way too expensive. I get just over that for my places in Saitama. If you could get that, you'd pay off the place in 6 months and your 8% yield is WAY off in that case. I make just over 10% yield on my houses and I paid just under 10million yen at the time. Prices have gone up a bit thought now. I am guessing 50,000. PS Don't show people ads on here. Let people do their own research. :P

[@janosik150]

Hello From Poland. Japanese people need to realize, that they can't abandon homes and go to cities. It is mentally and physically not healthy and makes life shorter. Tokyo Population is about exactly the same as the population of my country of Poland. It is incomprehensible that so many millions of people want to live in one city. The city cell phone radiation, electric power cables waves, the sewage air born bacteria and pathogens, air pollution, all these and other contribute to poor health of everyone living in the city of enormous size, while the life thriving areas are abounded. Second overpopulation leads to mental problems, lock of motivation, lock of will to educate and progress, poor concentration, slow maturing, because people worry more about their future then to have a enjoyable life and family. Cities in Japan should have no more then 4 or 5 million population, not 40 million! Be aware of 5G radiation, that will cause new cancers, new mental problems, will damage psyche, and will lead to divorces and dysfunctional families, and dysfunctional society and leadership in government. 5G is the greatest mistake. Leave the cites of enormous sizes.

[@LongThanh-ew4tf]

It doesnt bother me at all to buy a house for 5000 to 10,000 and spend 100,000 or more to have a professional renovate it

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

You said it.

[@gbear8207]

How come no one is buying?! Are there hidden tax liabilities?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

I think this place has already been sold.

[@user-zi1ze2ks5o]

if the VISA situation was more open to Americans being able to stay longer I would buy one of these houses in a second

[@oomybeauty]

Take off that ridonkulous mask!!

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Sorry for my ridonkulous mask...

[@devinwalker9202]

It's always so weird to see someone care that much about what a total stranger wears on his own KZbin video. Many people in Japan wear masks this time of year--long before COVID-19 even started, if that's what you're going on about...

[@thinkcasting3182]

It's so disappointing to witness the devastating impacts of Central Bank economic warfare on Japan. So many from the USA are oblivious to the realities of what their government does. Make no mistake about who controls and directs the USA government, that little strip of land that is slowly engulfing Palestine one murder after another.

[@eriklebeau3613]

Why do you put this mask on since you’re alone talking to the camera ?

[@yassimemaziz3783]

I love your videos, it's really interesting. I lived in japan before covid-19, I will be back this year and I'm looking for an akiya, is it possible to talk with you ? Do you have a Facebook or Instagram page ?

[@GoodOldHousesJapan]

Hi Yassime! Yes you can reach me on Instagram at koryoya.oldhouses.japan :)

[@alerfaluminosity6819]

Is that cost of house and lot?