I Visited an Akiya Bank in the Japan Countryside

[@shumatsuopost]

FREE GUIDE: How to Buy a Cheap Akiya as a Foreigner: stan.store/shumatsuopost Would you buy an akiya, cheap abandoned house, in Japan? #japan #cheaphouse #akiya #abandonedhouse

[@hana65270]

“meet with the leader”? omg there’s more to just buying a home than i thought. thanks for the info!

[@ELFKidsVideos]

One of the biggest issues for rural options would be the neighborhood responsibilities. I’m about 15 minutes from Maibara. Nice little town but fairly old school. When I was renting a house similar to those in the video (years ago), the local community organization stopped by to ask for a donation to cover expenses for the renovation of the local temple. They “recommended” ¥1,000,000. We didn’t end up paying, but inaka (boonies) living in Japan can come with certain community responsibilities that would be very challenging for non-Japanese speaking folks. 😅

[@shumatsuopost]

Yes, as you may know, you would likely need to join "jichikai" 自治会 and pay a monthly/annual fee. That's something to note for sure. Thank you for sharing your insight.

[@shoiku4734]

Donation/extortion of ¥1,000,000.... I cannot pay. So how?

[@obstinatejack]

yikes, did they try to make you an offer you can't refuse?

[@mnueet]

U should do more like this

[@akiyajapan]

"Akiya" is an unoccupied/empty house, that's all. It doesn't necessarily mean that the house was abandoned. Registering with the akiya bank is possible through email -- no need to visit to submit a "formal" application. Also, it's often possible to access the available houses online before reaching out to contact the akiya bank for a viewing. Contacting the owner isn't always doable and in some cases impossible. I worked through the owner's agent. A friend of mine had to spend a lot of time tracking down various family members who each had minor claims on the property. Meeting with "the leader of the community" as a step to gain some sort of approval is a special thing for only certain, special areas. Most places don't have this and I personally would avoid such a situation as I feel it's a useless headache.

[@ilovepotatos]

The second house seems a better deal than the first. Very educational thank you Shu San. I move to Japan soon to follow in your footsteps and start my own Akiya adventure.

[@shumatsuopost]

Thanks for watching! Good luck with your journey

[@paulmurray3538]

Great information, thanks Shu.

[@shumatsuopost]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate your support.

[@tomhiddleston8848]

So informative! Thank you for sharing!

[@shumatsuopost]

Thanks for watching! Appreciate your support.

[@Darnell]

Thanks for the info! Yeah, I noticed that while visiting several websites listing Akita. Some provided many pictures, details on damage, blue prints (layout of the house), & of course the asking price. Others barely did pictures or would just do one picture. Finding them on Google Maps is also tricky. A few smart ones provided a link which opens up the property in the Google Maps app (it’s not perfect, but it centers you on the property). I will be in Japan 🇯🇵 for a short visit in a few days, but I want to get a feel for the country & maybe visit some Akita houses…under $50,000 (yeah, remote locations are my primary option). Thanks for all of the helpful info!

[@dannylo5875]

How many websites. Google is limited in what they show.

[@Darnell]

@@dannylo5875 Each website varies, but I would suggest searching for Akiya in Japanese, then using Google Translate to automatically translate the info in English.

[@dannylo5875]

@@Darnell could you list some for via links here? me thank you a lot if you do.

[@shumatsuopost]

Appreciate your comment! Depending on where you look, $50K can get you a pretty decent akiya in Japan or even a cash-flowing rental. Good luck with your search!

[@dannylo5875]

@@shumatsuopost bro. I am pretty much just heading down to Japan in August. Can I purchase a property but how do I do over the internet. Do you notarize documents or does the company send them to you for that purpose to them in your country. Or both.

[@mjmikaelson]

Another great video! ✨😉👍

[@shumatsuopost]

Happy to hear that! Thanks!

[@stephenhall4715]

Enjoy your videos veri informative. Do you have any videos that show the cost of building a new home in Japan?

[@shumatsuopost]

Thanks! Not yet. Maybe that's something I can tackle in the future :)

[@SIG442]

I wouldn't mind at all, I just wish to have a bus or train connection to that town at least. A fairly close distance to the main road would be ideal. This for a decent road access point. Also it would be nice to have not only older people there, but it's not a limiting factor. Some sort of supermarket there would be a huge plus as well.

[@shumatsuopost]

Yes, that is a very good suggestion.

[@bbbouy242]

Thank you so much 🙏 for your hard work and information. Soon I will buy my own Japanese home, 242 Bahamas to the world 🌎!

[@shumatsuopost]

That would be amazing! Glad to hear that!

[@ProcyonAlpha]

I'd love to buy one of these to visit now and again for holidays but don't speak Japanese, it would be difficult to do the process.

[@shumatsuopost]

We offer services to help people like you. If you're serious about buying a house in Japan, here is the info: stan.store/shumatsuopost

[@maverickflint1991]

Another great video sir. Always wanted to ride the bullet train one day 🙂👍

[@shumatsuopost]

Thanks for watching! Yeah, I love getting on the bullet train. It feels special every time.

[@maverickflint1991]

@@shumatsuopost it is so cool and we don't have anything like that here in the US!!!🙂👍

[@maverickflint1991]

@@shumatsuopost Are there ever good akiyas for $5,000 US dollars there?

[@fishwrapper5509]

I would definitely be down for something like that.

[@shumatsuopost]

Good luck!

[@nizam_mr]

interesting 👍 i would consider to live in jp rural area thats the least prone to quakes(probably the south), though i probably dont need a house that big (effort to upkeep/maintenance)😅 i remember seeing your past vid of a smaller like cabin style.

[@shumatsuopost]

Thanks for watching! If that's the case, Hokkaido might be a good option for you. There aren't many earthquakes there.

[@dennisgiguere5166]

I love that house.

[@caramelcatfish]

Thanks for the info. It's a very interesting process. Do you know much about medium term furnished rentals 1-3 months in country areas?

[@shumatsuopost]

As far as I'm concerned, medium-term rentals aren't very popular in rural Japan. They would work much better in cities.

[@armorbearer9702]

It is a bit strange that meeting the community leader is last step(7:00). Would it not be better to meet with the community leader first? Meeting the leader first would save all parties time. If the community leader rejects the prospective buyer, then he can start looking at another place and the Akiya owner would not have to reserve an hour of his day.

[@shumatsuopost]

My understanding is that meeting the community leader is more of a formality. If a buyer makes it that far, the chances are high that the community leader will align.

[@akiyajapan]

Meeting the community leader isn't a necessary step the majority of the time. Also, I would be wary of situations where community leaders have sway over whether or not someone can buy a property in a given area. Chances are that buying into such an area will come with a plethora of expectations that you may not want or be willing to accept. Be sure to go into every situation with your eyes open.

[@fdiotalevi]

Do you need to move your residence to Maibara or can you use the house as second house? I know rules are different depending on the city.

[@shumatsuopost]

You can use the house as second house as long as you align with the community.

[@exponentzero]

I'm going to take a contrary perspective here and commend Maibara for wanting to maintain a cohesive community. I would guess that the interview with the community leader isn't intended to filter out foreigners just because they're foreign. I know many non-Japanese who are respectful and admiring of Japanese culture and society and who would want to fit in with their new neighbours. Small rural communities in Japan are much more public-spirited than most neighbourhoods in the west, and more is expected from community members. I would hope that a foreigner who desires this kind of life would be acceptable to Maibara. Japan has been consistent for at least the last decade in declaring it will manage the current depopulation challenge on its own terms. If massive importation of non-assimilating foreigners is how the collective west wants to handle its own depopulation problem, then vive la difference.

[@shumatsuopost]

I think you're 100% right. I think they really care about who will move into their community. Thanks for your insight!

[@caramelcatfish]

I have Japanese friends who moved to rural areas and said they had to get involved with community volunteering like cleaning old people's driveways, raking up leaves on the roadside, sweeping sidewalks etc to help gain acceptance by the locals oldies. I think it's a great to show appreciation and commitment to the neighbourhood you are joining.

[@aldoorn]

i think you should increase your audio on your video uploads a little bit., i say this because i watch a few videos on mobile while im in the shower (as you do lol) and even at full volume they are not audible enough. keep up good work

[@shumatsuopost]

I will keep that in mind, thanks!

[@stopato5772]

Interesting information. The civic duties of property legacy property owners is what makes these properties so unique. The idea a home is not a commodity, but a place of union with your community needs to be protected. Good on Maibara City!

[@shumatsuopost]

It looks like this method is working out for them. 👌

[@lareina.delsur]

as a foreigner can i buy these houses? How can I learn how the system works? I want to do my master's degree in Tokyo and after I graduate I want to find a job and settle down permanently🙈

[@shumatsuopost]

Yes, you can. I have a service that teaches how the system works. You can book a call with me here: stan.store/shumatsuopost/p/buy-a-house-in-japan--initial-consultation

[@Mac-w9c]

can foreigners borrow money from a Japanese bank

[@shumatsuopost]

If you are a resident of Japan, yes, it's much easier. If not, it's very difficult.

[@mrbHanoi]

Looks good I dont care if I spend 40k and 160k to renovate. Real estate agents akiya bank can pay extra money from day 1

[@gosikh]

Buying a house seems like a commitment. I will prefer to rent for the 1-2 months I want to live in Japan.

[@shumatsuopost]

It's truly a very huge commitment to have.

[@Khadarmustaf]

Japan wait for me

[@shumatsuopost]

Waiting for you ;)

[@jinpingthebear110]

Are those open mouth, coffee to go, headphones around the neck thumbnails really necessary?

[@shumatsuopost]

😆

[@Big-Wonka]

For wanting people to help with buying abandoned properties around Japan, that town sure doesn't make it easy. The interview is a deal breaker for me. I shouldn't need a persons bias approval to purchase a home. My money alone is what should allow me to buy a home.

[@shumatsuopost]

I definitely felt like it's an old-school community. I think they want to make sure that whoever that's going to move into the town is respectful of the culture the community has.

[@Big-Wonka]

@@shumatsuopost I can understand that. It's just not for me personally.

[@nizam_mr]

honestly i think the communities have caught the wind especially what slowly been happening to Niseko and Hakuba , n they dont want it to happen to their district/town