House in Japan

[Tony Galiani]

I haven't read the article but in case anyone is looking for a new (old) house ....

Tony

[Beaver]

Very pretty and attractive. Hope there's a local railway station nearby.

 

But what about the cost of repairs and subsequent upkeep? What about the long term availability of contractors who possess the traditional skills required to look after traditional buildings? Generations raised on steel and glass may not know where to begin when it comes to wood frames and pantiles.

 

I seem to remember the French have had a similar problem - old rural buildings given away cheap or even for one euro go unclaimed because nobody romantically inclined enough to want one knows how to keep them in good repair or can afford to pay someone who does.

[Cat]

22 minutes ago, Beaver said:

But what about the cost of repairs and subsequent upkeep?

The ongoing saga of SoraHouse covers that!
https://soranews24.com/2022/06/27/turning-a-crazy-cheap-country-japanese-house-into-a-home-step-1-tegowashi【sorahouse】/

[Tony Galiani]

Having worked with contractors in the US when I was responsible for our clinic construction, any construction/renovation project can be a challenge.  I expect it would be much more difficult not knowing the local building codes and practices and not being very fluent in the language.  Still sort of fun to dream about.

Tony

[MeTheSwede]

Maybe renting sounds like a better option.

 

 

[bill937ca]

You can buy a house in Tokyo.

 

 

[Beaver]

Honestly, if buying property in Tokyo I'd rather have a flat, on the third floor or higher, than a house.

 

The barred, frosted windows at ground level and the constantly being in shadow of all the other buildings clustered around are very depressing. Ground floor flats are even worse in this respect because you can't lessen the gloom a bit and actually get to see outside by going upstairs. It hit me one day after idling at a random street corner for over an hour that I was just trying to put off returning to my ground floor flat because I hated being there so much. It was like living in the bottom of a bucket or even down a drain. Should have taken the third floor flat another few stops down the Mita Line that was on offer for the same rent.

 

By contrast I always loved spending time at a certain friend's mansion apartment on the sixth floor of a big building in Koganei with a magnificent view out over Mushashi-Koganei station towards the distant mountains. Raised up well above the scrum of the streets it was always bright, airy and (by Tokyo standards) quiet.

 

Better yet, live in another city. Takamatsu or Toyama or some other sensibly sized urban centre.

[Nick_Burman]

16 hours ago, Beaver said:

Better yet, live in another city. Takamatsu or Toyama or some other sensibly sized urban centre.

 

Were I to live in Japan and had the choice of where to go and live I would try for either Matsumoto or Kanazawa. I've been to both places and liked them a lot, Matsumoto for it's splendid position in the Shinano Basin surrounded by mountains and Kanazawa for the Kenrokuen garden and general feeling.

 

Cheers Nicholas

 

 

Edited May 16, 2023 by Nick_Burman

[katoftw]

These stories have been going around for years.

 

What a lot of the report miss to report, is that investment is needed in most to all cases. And that the houses and surrounding lands are not in a liveable state, and often in severe disrepair.

 

The cities/town own most of these old houses. And each city/town has its own set of rules attached to buying one of these house.

 

Some of the most common rules:-

1. Return house to a livable standard 50-100k usd.

2. Open a business in the city/town

3. Must have children.

 

So while you can buy these houses very very cheap, they will not be cheap in the long term. And you still have to follow the crazy strict regular JP PR rules.

[Beaver]

31 minutes ago, katoftw said:

Some of the most common rules:-

1. Return house to a livable standard 50-100k usd.

2. Open a business in the city/town

3. Must have children

 

Makes sense. They don't want the town occupied just to make up the numbers, they want to create a living community enjoying long term stability.

[railsquid]

18 hours ago, Beaver said:

The barred, frosted windows at ground level and the constantly being in shadow of all the other buildings clustered around are very depressing.

 

If you value centrality *and* a house, that's pretty much what you'll end up with, unless super-rich. Out here on the daikon-infested pampas of the Musashino Plain the only barred and frosted windows are in the bathroom and a small one in the hallway; on sunny days we keep the curtains mostly closed as it gets very bright.

[cteno4]

I thought most squids were attracted to the light…

 

jeff

[bill937ca]

Bad 😶 Bad