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2 Days to Transform a Japanese Akiya: Can we do it?



I met up with a subscriber to the channel who just bought an Akiya here in Japan. We got the keys and had 2 days to get the house ready to live in. In this video we will have a full Akiya house tour, a Q and A session where I ask how much she paid and we go shopping to buy things for the new Akiya. It was a pretty full on 2 days and the heat was a killer!

If you are new to the channel, my name is Chani and I am a middle aged Australia who was stuck in a rut and moved to Japan to live. I bought an Akiya or empty house and started renovating. I’d love it if you joined the community.

🇯🇵Learn Japanese with me, join now https://www.chanijapan.com 🇯🇵

☕️ Thanks for all your support of the channel, I really appreciate it so much. If you would like to help me continue to make videos and support my ability to keep the channel going, here is the link:
https://ko-fi.com/chanijapan ☕️

I look forward to seeing you in the next video 😀

@ChaniJapan

#buyhousejapan #akiya #abandonded #renovation #japan

41 Comments

  1. @ChaniJapan

    Thanks for all your lovely comments and support 🩷 Monika's new Japanese house was a great find! Do you want to learn Japanese with me? I have multimodal courses from beginner level 🇯🇵www.chanijapan.com 🇯🇵

  2. @loudsisi7895

    Did I miss the part mentioning where Monika is from? Seems to be Eastern European / Russian? What an amazing home and such a lovely helper dhe got ❤

  4. @milaemouse8442

    when an akiya is renewed…does the renew company check for mold in the walls? or do they just cover it up and pretend it's clean?

  7. @vigerminaberrios4116

    What a nice story, I love helping people. And now you have a friend you can talk to. Love your videos can’t wait for next week. Stay healthy and happy always ❤

  9. @kellyhaines764

    Thank you for getting the new Katakana workbook out. You had mentioned in workbook Hiragana 2 that you would be teaching more on Particles. Is that covered in Katakana or a separate teaching in the future?

  10. @randolphmurdockiii6523

    Chani – nice of you to meet up with a fellow ex-pat. She managed a great bargain on that house! Next thing you know, besides the Japanese lessons you could be a Welcome Wagon rep for the Wakayama area. I also wanted you to know that I have seen some of the ruder comments on previous videos. Keep being you! If they aren't supplying money or labor, they get no opinion!

  11. @randolphmurdockiii6523

    All of this reminds me of my family being stationed on Okinawa in the late 70's. We were courageous and chose to live off-base. What an adventure!

  12. @Bunjibing

    Very interesting video. That store looks so good! And $AUD40k to live in Japan. I can see why Akiya are attractive even if it takes some time to find.

  16. @le_th_

    Monica is so lucky to have you as a helpful friend because it is very difficult to get a drivers license in Japan if you are NOT a permanent resident, and without a Japanese driver's license, you might be able to briefly rely on an international drivers license, but only for the first year. I was just looking this up online 4-5 hours ago when I decided I was ready to purchase a home in Niigata (I'm planning a trip from the US in November). The Japanese police do NOT look kindly on people using an international driving license, but apparently they tolerate it for those on tourist visas for a short term.

    So happy you have a new friend, and even happier that Monica found her dream home! I've been using those little dehumidifiers for years and I dearly love them. They have saved me many a time living in a humid climate. Bamboo sounds so lovely when the winds blows, but it also attracts mosquitos, so I avoid it whenever I can (they love type O blood, so I'm like desert for mosquitos).

    Thrilled you have another "foreigner" to meet up with!! It's so important to remain social when you move abroad, and it's not easy to do, especially if you're working full time. Lastly, mold is NO JOKE and it can proliferate and destroy a home in a matter of days, making it unsafe to inhabit, and it happens in a few days in a hot humid environment. A lot of people don't learn this until it's too late and it happens to them, so I really appreciate you making others aware. Learning that lesson the hard way while I was out of town on business cost me about $20-25K USD. Yes, I was fully insured.

    Looking forward to the Caine's haul!

  20. @thhseeking

    Cat plates? Where? Where? 😛 That store looks dangerous 😛 I'm dangerous at IKEA and the tiny Daiso here in Parramatta 😛 I hope to make it to Japan one day. There are some friends over there I'd love to meet in person.

  22. @smileytow1925

    Wow great video, how lucky to connect with one of your viewers! Was great for you both! Camper, delivery van, and daily drive, very good choice!! ❤️ keep these videos coming

  23. @sirmione905

    It seems that many people are surprised by the price and size of this house, but it’s not difficult to find a reasonably priced, large home in the Japanese countryside. These homes were mostly former farmhouses where three or more generations once lived. Unfortunately, they are often located in inconvenient areas and are too large for the small families that are now common in Japan. As a result, even though their prices are much lower than those of smaller homes in the city, they are still difficult to sell.

    Another reason for these low prices is that Japanese banks don’t offer mortgage loans for houses over 30 years old unless they are in prime locations, as they don’t consider them valuable enough as collateral.

  29. @dealman3312

    Hey Chani. When you produce your videos, what % volume level do you set your video clips vs your back ground music clip level ?
    Are you using iMovie?

  31. @chalronbjork4766

    Hi Chani, hoping you can please help me to understand public holidays in Japan – specifically National Foundation Day. I'm assuming it's like Labor Day in WA? Online it has that the day is on Tuesday 11th February 2025, but it is observed on the 12th. Does that mean that the actual day people will have off work will be on the Wednesday 12th? Or is the Tuesday also a public holiday that people have off work. I'm trying to figure out if areas be more busy on the 11th or the 12th?

  32. @SeikoSenseiOrigami

    Your videos inspire me. Thank you for sharing information about living in Japan. I love what you do. ❤ 4M yen for that big beautiful house?! Woooow!! .. would Monika get a car since the train station is a bit far away??

  33. @brinjpn

    I dream of owning a home in the Japanese countryside one day! I want to move near Aomori, Akita, or even in Hokkaido!

  34. @tatianaabramovskaya8765

    Again, what a lovely video! Monica is so lucky to have you 🙂 The house is gorgeous.
    Question. At 7:43 I hear Monica say that even though she has a property in Japan it'll still be a tourist visa for her, =90 days. Could you elaborate on this, please? Does owning a home in Japan not give you the right to live there as permanent resident?

  38. @galas455

    Hi Chani, I've been following you for almost a year and wanted to ask if you could add a note in the section where you provide extra information. I'm not sure what it's called exactly, but people often say, "I'll list it below." It would be a nice touch if you could include the name of the city you're in and where your friend is, as you mentioned it verbally. That way, I can follow along on Google Maps, which adds a little something extra to your video. Including the name or location of a store you mention would be awesome too! I don't need your exact home address, just a general area would be fun

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