What US$14,000 Gets You In Rural Japan

I just helped yet another friend purchase a house in Ryujinmura. This time it's right next to the main house in Ryunohara so we'll be turning this into Ryunohara Hatago, an inn. It cost US$14,000 inclusive of taxes, and we expect to spend about US$39,000 in renovations.
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Ryunohara
523 Hiroihara, Ryujinmura,
Tanabe-shi, Wakayama Prefecture
Japan 645-0523
About Ryunohara: Ryunohara is a kominka cafe nestled deep in the mountains of Ryujinmura, Wakayama Prefecture. We make our own tea from wild tea plants, and serve it at Ryunohara Kissa, where you'll also find a small library of books about Japanese culture. We also serve Singaporean Hainanese satay skewers alongside stewed meats, fried rice, and other dishes that showcase ingredients from across the Kishu region. The two buildings on the property are traditionally-built 60 and 120 year-old farmhouses, .

[@Hukkavei]

I like how nearly every house you showcase has a huge old vacuum tube TV lying on the floor, like everything else was removed but the TVs

[@shirokumakogyo]

I just love watching your videos--your enthusiasm and energy are infectious (in a good way!) and your smile just delivers pure joy. 😄 And of course the hard work you are putting in to achieving your dreams is impressive! Good luck with the guest house renovations!

[@Ryunohara]

Thanks Steven! I’m looking forward to seeing how it will be like in a few months.

[@princessdee215]

Saying your parents are going to visit brought me such joy for you 😊💖

[@Ryunohara]

Thank you, I can’t wait too!

[@larryjernigan2947]

Very nice area. Love the river and the mountains. And by the way your English is very good.

[@KymHammond]

Good luck. I’d like to explore that river valley - it looks wonderful. I hope the people there are all smiling, they have such a beautiful ancestral home.

[@Ryunohara]

Lots of smiley old people around! The river has lots of fish and it’s crystal clear too so it’s nice to swim in.

[@janetdotson2608]

Thanks for being so willing and enthusiastic to show your process of restoring Ryunohara! It’s so cool to watch it all come together, and I know a lot of people can only dream of being apart of something like this. Seems so idyllic, although I know we don’t see all of the work you’ve been putting into it! Can’t wait to see it all finished!!

[@Ryunohara]

Thank you for watching too! Yes it’s idyllic but lots of work too - keeping the vegetation down to an acceptable level around the house is an extremely tedious and time consuming activity that I can’t film all the time (it would be boring to watch). There’s a lot of cleaning involved too 😅

[@rlee024]

Wow - another project! Can't wait for the updates to come.

[@Ryunohara]

Yes another project!

[@mukeshvig174]

I have just come to admire your passion and willingness to share your work. I used to hope to buy an Akiya in Japan but then left the thoughts a few years ago. Now when I see you convert old houses into beautiful new creations, I find it so inspiring. Thanks for leaving your address. You will be hearing from me soon. Thanks mv canada

[@markhenderson4435]

Fantastic project (again!). There is so much opportunity in these abandoned buildings. Congratulations to people like yourself that are putting in the work to make this opportunity come to reality!!!

[@Ryunohara]

Thanks Mark! These buildings do deserve to be used instead of being glorified storehouses.

[@Rustsamurai1]

Living in the country, but still have a neighbours house twenty metres away.

[@wednesdaysangel1]

just got recommended your channel and I like the work, keep it up because it's good from what I've seen so far.

[@simbakim7348]

I love how serene the area is ❤

[@Ryunohara]

I do too!

[@rajeshpareek3390]

Nice job and many people will visit the inn !

[@Ryunohara]

I hope so too!

[@Raffaccino]

I can tell from experience that house will cost another 100,000 US at least to fix up if you do it properly (I mean to personal standards of course) . I am renovating a house as big as that right now.

[@Ryunohara]

Haha I don’t have US$100,000 so the challenge is to make it nice and meet all the guesthouse licensing standards under $38,000. It was the same for the previous two houses - shoestring budget but with some ingenuity and hard work (like doing part of the work of the carpenter) we’ll pull it off somehow.

[@Raffaccino]

@@Ryunohara I know you guys can do it. I wish I had the time or tools to do half the work but with these old houses , I want to do all the carpentry as original to the house as possible. Good luck with it. Look forward to the build .

[@zeppelin.1874_]

WONDERFUL! Watching right now this your video, I’ve get need to go there... I watching and seeking for places worldwide - the most islands and archipelagos to move (relocate) there on some quiet, peaceful, tranquil, remote place... And there will buy an Akiya in rural Japan would be a great choice, I think. I seen the world... as seaman (seafarer)... I live in an small country Montenegro by name, where now is a tourism madness... I don’t recognize my country any more... Greetings from Montenegro!

[@gulaygunay6902]

Lee is one of my fav. people in my life. That’s amazing to watch his enthusiasm and happiness 🙏🎉🎉

[@Ryunohara]

Thanks Gulay! Hope you can come visit soon!

[@jennycampbell5236]

That was a very informative video. I love the drone shots. Such beautiful place to live. I can't wait to see how this building turns out when it is finished.

[@Ryunohara]

Thank you! I’m looking forward to the end product too.

[@ajadrew]

Nice looking house & so cheap! Looking forward to see the progress made! And all the mountains around you, it's my idea of heaven!

[@Ryunohara]

😇

[@ajadrew]

@@Ryunohara 🌟

[@jinph9548]

Good luck! That drone shots are fantastic, I imagine myself exploring the mountainside, and the river - it is just breathtaking. Now that Japan has announced to open its borders for DIY tourists starting this month I'm sure many will come and visit your place. The guest house is a brilliant idea - a peaceful place to relax plus good food from Ryunohara. If I were going to visit Japan someday I would love to stay there and will explore the community more.

[@Ryunohara]

Thank you, glad you liked the drone shots. You’re welcome anytime!

[@childrendoyoga515]

Love your videos and your joy at life in rural Japan, thank you so much for sharing :)

[@Ryunohara]

Thank you for watching!

[@what1864]

that would cost a minimum of 300,000 us dollars considering it's mountainous location , much more in more desirable areas ...

[@teresatsai8753]

Buy few homes and rent to global visitors to stay as bed and breakfast inns. Wow! What a treasures.

[@willdwiggins7722]

Wow, so much potential there! And also, your Chanel is growing so fast! Great job!

[@Ryunohara]

Thanks for following Will!

[@angelitotiapson1461]

Nice!!!

[@AlfordLau]

Nice property. Thanks for showing.

[@Ryunohara]

Thanks for watching!

[@danieltoo2008]

Beautiful house. How does anyone find such beautiful house. Im retired and looking for some house to retire in Japan next year. Pls advice

[@Ryunohara]

Hi, you might want to follow @cheaphousesjapan on Instagram (Ryunohara and Cheap Houses Japan are not affiliated in any way).

[@steve4nj]

I wish buying real estate would get you an equivalent of a COE because its impossible to get a VISA without one, which leaves me with no way to get to Japan.

[@Ryunohara]

Haha then the houses would have to be extremely expensive. Japan already has working visas and business visas to bring in income taxes.

[@jackgamingyt248]

let me live there in mountain dude and then I could grow my own vegetable gardens stuff to grow my own food I was planning to buy my own house on their or to building my own Small Tiny house because I already have my own solar Panel because I'm staying away from America

[@Ryunohara]

Learn Japanese first!

[@jackgamingyt248]

@@Ryunohara bro I've been studying Japanese for 3 years now

[@Ryunohara]

@@jackgamingyt248 that’s great - it will go a long way. The language is the biggest hurdle in my opinion…

[@bewitchedwitch3696]

You are such a amazing worker I would definitely hire You to do my house.Gretting from Polish fans🇵🇱🇵🇱

[@Ryunohara]

Haha thank you! My daily rate as a tour guide is ¥30,000 (shameless plug).

[@edg4055]

Great views and a lot of Mtns. What city is this? Also is it easy for foreigners to buy a house in Japan?Sorry for all the questions. I’ll be coming to Japan in December.

[@Ryunohara]

Ryujinmura is in Tanabe City, Wakayama. The actual paperwork to buy the house is easy but getting to the stage where the current owners want to sell is difficult. It took a year and a half of negotiations for this house to be sold. Essentially if you’re not a local already buying property is difficult.

[@vrenvisionstudio]

I love watching your videos. Hope to have a chance to visit soon. And, Maybe you'll help me to buy an old house in your area too 🙂

[@Ryunohara]

Haha there are not that many houses here to buy. Please come visit though, and thanks for watching!

[@fueyang7359]

I want to buy a house there.

[@majorflight02]

Do you still need volunteers to help with this property?

[@Ryunohara]

Yes I do! Someone’s coming to help in February. I’m planning to have this operational by 1 April.

[@deborahf3738]

Work through winter with no heat? Oh no....you will become a popsicle.

[@Ryunohara]

😂

[@user-fx2dq9df49]

0원 짜리 집도 많은데 같은 산골인데 비싸네요 ㅎ

[@ufailedhaha]

Looking great man and hey let me know still when u wanna hire people again I’ll come work there full Time aha I’d love it looks beautiful and like hard but fulfilling work

[@Ryunohara]

Need to hire people who can speak Japanese in order to serve guests!

[@ufailedhaha]

@@Ryunohara trueeee I’m learning but not enough yet sadly but what about the people working on the houses you guys buy to fix aha

[@Ryunohara]

@@ufailedhaha volunteers always welcome 😅

[@halo12021984]

beautyful landscape and i would like to live there......but i have a question....does the forrest needs to be thinned to guarante that the trees get enough sunlight and that the ground doesnt get to dry so that the trees lose grip and fall over in bad weather over time? are u thinking to make the paths with stone or do u let it stay all grass?

[@Ryunohara]

Yes the trees have to be thinned! In the middle of that now. And the part in front of the house (and part of the sides) will be filled in with gravel but the grassy patch in the foreground of the thumbnail will remain.

[@jackwen2005]

USD:10,000.00

[@maesgari]

Thanks for your sharing. Wonderful project and lifestyle. I plan to buy something similar in Japan ( cheap ) , but I live abroad. I’m not japanese. Are there good sites on the web for reasearching propierties on sale, japanese sites ? Very thankfull for recommendations. All the best to all, Maria

[@Ryunohara]

Hi Maria! Check out instagram.com/cheaphousesjapan.

[@maesgari]

Thank you ! I have been following him for some time. I thought getting to the resources he uses 🙂. All the best, Maria

[@Ryunohara]

@@maesgari he puts in a lot of work researching real estate sites that are all in Japanese, so there really isn’t anything better available at this point, even in Japanese.

[@daao923]

Can you make the wooden doors yourself?

[@Ryunohara]

I could but the material cost would be high in itself because rain doors use large but thin planks of wood. This means the wood has to be good enough. And seeing how much work went into the rain doors for the main house I’d rather have the shoji maker do it 😅

[@lili2u405]

So you have to have a "friend" to get a house like that in Japan?

[@Ryunohara]

A friend like me who’s a local yes.

[@lizawinslow4773]

How much would you say it would cost$us to repair?

[@Ryunohara]

About $38,000 if we manage to stick to the budget

[@bewitchedwitch3696]

Are they still some houses to buy there? Don't need to be big one like this.

[@Ryunohara]

There are but they all require a lot of work.

[@SlutForInstantNoodles]

[@Ryunohara]

🥰

[@jaivijayzaveri7407]

Having got house cheap, why waste time and energy in trying to break it apart? higher floor is actually good in case of flood or other natural calamity. Also safer from termites etc.

[@Ryunohara]

Hi there, the current floor makes it very claustrophobic for taller people. The doorways are a big problem for anyone taller than 175cm right now. Also having a cement floor allows guests to move in and out of the living area without having to remove their shoes - important given that we envision them using this building together with the main building and annex.

[@curiousnomadic]

I think what you are doing is great as far as architectural presevation but at the same time unfortunate because you're making these quaint inexpensive places inaccessible to the average person/traveler.

[@Ryunohara]

Hi, it’s financially not possible to run a place super cheaply deep in the mountains. Older local guesthouses that take 1-2 guests are closing all the time. People just don’t want to travel this far to stay in accommodations that are not nicely renovated, and the lower review ratings given to older or less renovated properties kill off their customer base.

[@Ryunohara]

Also if I might add the average traveller would already be here at cheaper guesthouses but they aren’t. That’s because the buses come too infrequently, don’t coincide with train or airplane timings, and renting a car to get here is too expensive for 1 person. The Hatago has rates far cheaper than Kyoto or Tokyo for groups of 4-5, plus I offer a free shuttle (70-minutes ride each way!) My priority is to create jobs here that will keep the village going, not to run a cheaply renovated place that no one will come to anyway.

[@curiousnomadic]

@@Ryunohara I disagree. It's about awareness. For example, during our first stop in Europe we stayed at a private BnB (no tacked on fees) in Haarlem for 31 euros. It was clean, quiet and overlooked a tulip field with cows nearby. But it was a 30 min train to Amsterdam. Well worth the deep sleep. But Europeans are traveler ready.

[@Ryunohara]

@@curiousnomadic Try running a guesthouse here at those prices. Also for that price you’re able to stay at a nearby guesthouse (no meals provided). There’s no shuttle service either. You’ll find almost no other customers.

[@curiousnomadic]

@@Ryunohara Are Japanese able to stay?

[@vitalymoskalenko2194]

good afternoon i am considering this option i used to live in hokkaido for about 10 years i would like to ask some questions how can i contact you