![]() Some have partnered with companies like At Home, which currently lists akiya in 658 of Japan’s 1,741 municipalities. Known as “akiya banks”, they are often bare-bones webpages with a few underwhelming photos. Municipalities across Japan are also compiling listings of vacant houses for sale or rent. ![]() “In such cases, the children may feel guilty about getting rid of the family home and may often choose to leave it unoccupied.” “In many cases, the parents die without making clear their wishes regarding the family home, or they develop dementia and find it difficult to discuss these things,” Mr Wada said. That, in turn, has led to a cottage industry of akiya consultants like Mr Takamitsu Wada, chief executive of Akiya Katsuyo, who acts as a counsellor for squabbling relatives, often urging them to act before their properties become a lost cause. “We’re partly subsidising demolitions, collecting neighbourhood association reports on akiya and trying to make owners aware of the problem by holding briefings”.Īkiya are increasingly seen not just as a threat to suburban and rural markets but to the emotional health of the country, sparking family disputes over inherited properties. “Poorly maintained akiya can mar the scenery as well as endanger residents’ lives and property if they collapse,” said Mr Kazuhiro Nagao, a city official in Sakata, along the west coast, where heavy snowfall can damage unattended structures. Now, officials on both local and national levels are taking steps to give them a push. “Therefore, even after moving to the city, families will not give up their akiya easily.” “In rural areas, there is a long history of ancestral owners of akiya living in the houses and on the land,” said Mr Kazunobu Tsutsui, a professor of rural geography and economics at Tottori University who lives in a renovated akiya built more than a century ago. Others leave their properties to relatives who refuse to sell family land out of respect for their elders, leaving the house to wither. While the Thursfields’ house had been abandoned by the previous owner’s heirs, some home owners died without ever naming an inheritor. The Thursfield family has documented the project on YouTube, drawing more than 200,000 subscribers. ![]() Since buying the farmhouse in 2019, the couple has spent about US$150,000 on renovations, and there is more to do. “I’ve always been someone who likes to jump in the deep end, take a few risks and learn new things, so I was confident that we would manage somehow.” So, we decided to renovate instead,” the Thursfield family said. “There was no way we wanted to knock it down and build something new. Owners feel little incentive to maintain an ageing house and buyers often seek to demolish them and start fresh. Houses in Japan typically decrease in value over time until they are worthless – the cultural legacy of post-World War II construction and shifting building codes – with only the land retaining value. After giving it a quick inspection with an architect friend and finding no major issues despite the years of neglect, he nabbed the house for 3 million yen. When it landed on the block again, Mr Thursfield decided to try his luck. The local municipality took over the property and put it up for auction with a 5 million yen (S$50,000) minimum bid, but it failed to sell. The Thursfields’ house, which sits among the paddies in southern Ibaraki Prefecture, about 45 minutes from central Tokyo, had been deserted after the previous owner’s family refused to inherit it upon the owner’s death.
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