unused house

Transforming Akiya(unused house) into a Hotel?: Navigating the Legal Maze for a Successful Investment

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Contemplating Purchasing

Akiya and Turning It into a Hotel?

Uncover the Legal Considerations

for Change of Use

 

If you’re mulling over the idea of buying an Akiya (unused house) in Japan

 

and converting it into a hotel, it’s crucial to familiarize yourself

 

with the legal considerations involved in modifying the property’s purpose.

 

In this blog post, we’ll highlight the primary aspects you need to

 

keep in mind before diving into this thrilling endeavor.

 

Stay up-to-date and optimize your investment by following our business

 

blog for more news and valuable insights.

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Invest in Japan’s Cultural Heritage: How Foreign Buyers Can Transform Abandoned Akiya Homes into Profitable Ventures

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Invest in Japan’s Cultural Heritage:

 

How Foreign Buyers Can Transform

 

Abandoned Akiya Homes

 

into Profitable Ventures

 

 

As Japan’s population declines and properties go unclaimed, an emerging segment of buyers is seeking out

 

rural architecture in need of renovation.

 

There are about 8.5 million abandoned houses, or akiya, across Japan,

 

accounting for roughly 14% of the country’s housing stock.

 

This number is expected to rise as the population continues to shrink.

 

According to an article in NYT, Australian software developer Jaya Thursfield and his Japanese-born wife,

 

Chihiro, purchased an akiya for 3 million yen (about $23,000) after relocating from London to Japan.

 

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Understanding Japan’s Real Estate Landscape: Population Dynamics, Vacant Homes, and Global Competitiveness

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Will Real Estate Prices Really Decline Long-term in Japan?

 

Based on the following four points, we will explore this issue.

 

In conclusion, while it is unclear what the long-term trend of real estate prices in Japan

 

as a whole will be, we can conclude that real estate prices in rural areas are likely to decline.

 

The relationship between population decline

 

and real estate prices In Japan

 

The population is declining, which is a contributing factor to falling real estate prices.

 

In particular, the decrease in population in rural areas is significant,

 

and it is expected that real estate prices will decline as demand decreases.

 

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We support akiya investment but only on a fee basis (YouTube)

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Are you interested in Akiya ?

We receive an inquiry almost everyday about akiya investment.

They are mainly from western countries such as US,  Canada and Australia.

Almost everyone just wants to buy a cheap akiya house for their financial benefit.

But akiya investment is not easy.

The stickiest issue is the renovation cost.

It could be very significant and a way more than the value of the houses.

We don’t search akiya for free.

If you want to buy akiya,  you need to hire me on a fee basis

otherwise please contact other agents who can handle akiya on a commission basis.

(but I do not think there is any)

 

You need to understand how the Japanese system works and the traps and

challenges that exist.

Akiya (unused house) is cheap for a reason !

 

Please watch my YouTube video for more details.

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How many AKIYAS are there in Japan now ? : New survey was released

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Truth to be told.

1 in 7 homes across the country is empty.

Around 5 million of Japan’s vacant homes are intended for future sale or rental.

The phenomenon is a function of a declining population and the continued pace of housing construction.

Despite being the world’s third-largest economy, Japan’s population has been shrinking since 2010.

The population is also getting older.

A new survey shows the problem is far greater than expected.

The government recently announced the new survey result about akiya (unused house)

According to the Housing and Land Statistics Survey in October 2018 announced by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism, the ratio of akiya (unused house)  to the total number of dwellings in the country was a record high of 13.6%

,meaning 1 in 7 homes across the country is empty.

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Surrounded by the forests unique kominka houses close to skiing resorts and delightful onsen hot springs in Niigata prefecture : Only 80 mins from Tokyo

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A relaxing, open plan space where each person can find their own way to chill out ?

Why don’t you try Niigata ?

Niigata prefecture is renowned for beautiful mountains and skiing resorts.

In addition, since Niigata is a major production center for high quality rice,  Niigata boasts many Japanese sake brands.

If you take Niigata shinkansen(bullet train) from Tokyo station, it takes only 80 mins to Echigo-yuzawa station.

From Echigo-yuzawa station, you can reach a number of delightful skiing resorts within one hour.

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10 mins from a lovely ski resort in Naganao : Akiya property samples

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（Hakuba-dake in Nagano)
Do you want to get a taste of traditional Japanese country life where you can reach a gorgeous ski resort in 10 mins ? 
There are more than eight million vacant properties(it is called akiya in Japanese) in Japan and the number  of akiya is increasing. Recently we have received a number of inquiries from all over the world from people who want to buy akiya. In fact, searching akiya is not as easy as you might think because majority of akiya is not widely listed. You can find only a friction percentage of akiya online.
Today we pick up a few sample akiya properties in good spots in Japan.

1 Kyoto prefecture (one and half hours from Kyoto city center)
2 Chiba prefecture (close to the beautiful ocean)
3 Nagano prefecture (10 mins to a ski resort)
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Discover restful and super-affordable properties in Chiba Boso peninsula: Within easy reach from Tokyo

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（Boso peninsula)

* Foreigners can buy a property in Japan without having special qualification.

Explore the charming houses by the lovable ocean and beach
New listings in Boso peninsula, Chiba prefecture!
If you live in Tokyo and want to buy a second house near the ocean and beach,  I always recommend Boso peninsula (Kamogawa city, Katsuura city, Minamiboso city, Tateyama city etc). The location is excellent and it takes only 1.5 hours from central Tokyo by car.
You can drive on a highway all through to Kamogawa city from Tokyo and there is no traffic. If you don’t want to drive and rather want to indulge in drinking a beer on the way, there is very comfortable express bus service from Tokyo station. The seafoods and vegetables are nice and fresh (In fact, Chiba prefecture is a major supplier of seafood and vegetables to Tokyo Metropolitan kitchens so nice foods you are eating in Tokyo are often produce of Chiba).  Izu peninsula area in Shizuoka prefecture is also very famous for nice beaches and onsen (hot springs) but Izu’s location is not perfect. It takes about 3.5 hours by car to Izu Shirahama beach from Tokyo. In the modern busy life, proximity matters.
In Boso peninsula, they have great surf in the pacific ocean and the quality of sea water is superb.  (Believe me you can’t imagine how good the quality of water is in Kamogawa city  which is merely 1.5 hours away from Tokyo). In 2020, Tokyo Olympics surfing competition will be held in Katsuura city. According to one of my surfer friends, Boso peninsula is the best surfing spot in Japan.
Today I picked up two interesting properties in Boso Peninsula, Chiba prefecture.


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Akiya (unused house) for sale, 50 mins from Tokyo : Is it really a good investment ?

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* Foreigners can buy a property in Japan without having special qualification.

Japan has too many houses and there are more than 8 million empty houses/rooms here (which accounts for 13% of total number of properties).  Houses that are not used for a long time is called ‘akiya’ (空き家) in Japanese or ‘Empty house’ .Some home owners are virtually sitting on the empty houses doing nothing due to various reasons. And more and more individual investors are paying attention to this akiya market. 
In the light of Suruga bank scandal, Japanese banks are generally tightening their lending stance for the individuals investors.
Their business with institutional investors, of course,  are as usual but individuals investors are facing more challenging situation.
I am beginning to see more bogus-like hyperbole ads by rogue agents to lure the naive investors.
Please be careful and skirt such dangerous investment.
Individual investors are, in fact, shifting their eyes more towards akiya investment (abandoned house) because akiya investment does not require the large cash payment and offer the relatively attractive yield (return) . We recently spotted the following two properties in Chiba prefecture (Chiba prefecture is right next to Tokyo Metropolitan)  and are happy to share the information with you.
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