https://www.asahi.com/ajw/articles/15112746

The Asahi Shimbun

Overseas interest rises for Japan’s abundance of vacant homes

by NATSUNO OTAHARA
January 25, 2024

Anton Wormann stands at the entrance to the house he renovated in Tokyo’s Setagaya Ward.

Swedish national Anton Wormann learned about an “akiya” abandoned vacant home in Tokyo and immediately requested a viewing.

The wooden house showed clear signs it had been empty and unmaintained for years.

Dolls left at the entrance were covered in a layer of dust. A fan, a futon and an old Japanese-style dresser-drawer remained on the second floor, untouched as if time had stopped since the last resident left.

And under the Building Standards Law, the property, facing a narrow street, could not be torn down and rebuilt because doing so might block fire trucks, ambulances and evacuation routes in an emergency.

Nevertheless, Wormann, 31, said, “I want it.”

The homeowners were surprised. “You want to buy it? Are you sure?”

INTEREST FROM OVERSEAS

Foreign buyers, like Wormann, may hold the key to resolving Japan’s growing problem of vacant homes.

According to an internal affairs ministry survey, Japan had roughly 8.49 million vacant homes in 2018, accounting for 13.6 percent of all housing. The number was up by about 1.5 times from 5.76 million in 1998.

Unattended homes are expected to further surge in number after 2025 as the baby-boomer generation, born between 1947 and 1949 and with a high rate of homeownership, reaches age 75 or older.

There are various reasons why vacant houses are left untouched in Japan.

Some owners are reluctant to demolish or part with homes that are filled with memories. Others don’t want the properties of deceased relatives because of the expenses and hassles of renovations and maintenance.

And vacant homes that are put on the market are often ignored by Japanese, who generally seek newer homes to buy.

However, Akiya and Inaka, a Tokyo-based company that introduces vacant houses to overseas buyers, says it receives several hundred inquires every month.

Many of the interested parties have never set foot in Japan and have no family members nor acquaintances here, the company said.

When asked about their preferences, the would-be buyers often respond: “Near the ocean or mountains” and “Older is better.”

Parker Allen, 34, who heads Akiya and Inaka and hails from the U.S. state of Tennessee, said, “From an overseas perspective, there is absolutely no negative perception of vacant houses.”

PRIME LOCATION

Wormann said vacant houses should not be viewed as a problem but as a possibility.

“I think Japan lacks the positivity, the willingness to view things in a positive light,” he said.

The Swede made the most out of the “possibility” he was given.

The 86-year-old house that he bought three years ago is located in the capital’s Setagaya Ward. The elderly resident of the home died about 10 years ago and passed it down to relatives, who left it as is.

The house has a floor space of roughly 90 square meters and is conveniently located just a 10-minute walk from a train station where several lines stop.

Wormann, a model who has traveled across Europe, the United States and Asia, naturally believed that buying a home in a major foreign city would be expensive.

But after coming to Japan and learning about akiya, he purchased the home in one of the most desirable locations in Tokyo for about 10 million yen ($69,000).

DIY PROJECT

Since he couldn’t rebuild the home from scratch, Wormann looked at the property as a challenging fixer-upper.

He grew up watching his parents change the layout and design of their 120-year-old wooden house in Sweden.

Using memories of that time, Wormann began his renovation work in Tokyo by replacing the flooring and knocking down the walls and stairs. This phase in the do-it-yourself project took a year to complete.

But he also wanted to preserve the original charm of the house.

He retained the rattling sliding front door and a door chime from the Showa Era (1926-1989).

He also left a “tokonoma” (alcove) in the traditional Japanese-style room and the pink tiles in the bathroom as they were.

“Eighty-six years of history cannot be recreated,” Wormann said.

The house now has a Nordic-style dining-kitchen area with a two-story ceiling. He often uses his home to entertain friends on weekends.

Wormann has been receiving inquiries from people who have heard about his renovation work.

Another house in Wormann’s neighborhood remains unoccupied since its elderly owner who lived there alone died several years ago.

The man’s son and his family, who live in Tokyo, have visited the house on weekends to sort through belongings and mow the grass. They have also discussed potential uses of the property with the local government.

The son checked out Wormann’s renovated home and was astonished.

“We would have never thought (about renovating the house). But this one became reborn in the hands of a foreigner,” the son said.

PRECONCEIVED NOTIONS

Nomura Research Institute Ltd. predicts that if vacant houses are not demolished, they could account for 31.5 percent of all housing in 2038.

“In Japan, ‘new houses’ are preferred,” Wormann said. “Maybe they are needed to get the economy going, but the way of thinking is limiting the options.”

He said the real problem is that many vacant houses are left abandoned without being listed for sale.

“Breaking down preconceived notions, such as ‘(a vacant house) doesn’t look good’ or ‘it won’t sell anyway,’ might be a step toward solving the vacant house problem,” Wormann said.