The population is aging and dying. Young people stay in urban centers, are in no hurry to start families and, of course, traditionally do not prefer second-hand houses. Thus, in recent years, Japan has found itself with a stock of abandoned houses, reaching an estimated eleven million people.

In Japan, of course, there are superstitions too. According to Insider, this is one of the reasons that makes it difficult to sell old houses. So if a house is associated with suicide, murder, or “lonely death,” it will most likely go unclaimed. Tellingly, Osimaland has things to avoid, such as a house on the outskirts of Yokohama that belonged to a divorced woman who, in her 60s, jumped off the roof of a building to her death.

Big blow to the country

Empty houses are called “akiya” in Japanese and are a serious problem for a country whose population is declining. As of 2022, the country is losing a total of 1,600 citizens daily, with 29.1% of residents over the age of 65, and the population is predicted to drop dramatically by 2050. Today, the total population of Japan is about 125 million citizens.

According to the latest government data from the 2018 Housing and Land Survey, there are about 8.5 million akiya across the country — almost 14% of the country’s total housing stock — but observers estimate there are many more today. The Nomura Research Institute estimates the number at more than 11 million and predicts that akiya could exceed 30% of all homes in Japan by 2033, according to the New York Times in a recent report.

They point out that houses in Japan tend to lose their value over time until they become completely useless, while only the land – the plot, as we say – retains its value. This is because the buildings in question were typically built before World War II, and the new building codes that have been in place since 1950 prevent many of them from being subjected to major interventions.

Disputes between heirs

One of the reasons that these houses remain empty is that after the death of their owners, the descendants are either disinherited, or simply not interested in maintaining the house, or cannot find each other. But since Japan is a country of inventive avant-garde, offices have been set up to offer services to appease the various heirs.

One of them, according to the NYT, is Takamitsu Wada, chief executive of Akiya Katsuyo, who acts as an "arbiter" between feuding relatives and often urges them to act before their estates come to a standstill.

“In many cases, parents die without being clear about their desires for the family home, or they develop dementia and find it difficult to discuss such things,” Wada said. “In such cases, children may feel guilty about getting rid of the family home and may often choose to leave it alone.”

From... 0 euro

However, a new population has emerged that wants to avoid the crowded, almost overcrowded Japanese cities and are turning to empty houses that can be purchased very economically, but it takes patience and love to make them functional and safe again.

In fact, a simple internet search reveals that a lot of websites have been created that offer specific repair services, but mostly advertise akiya, which can start from ... 0 euros and go over 230,000 euros. These websites are mostly public, "operated" by local authorities.

“Akiya banks employ municipal employees, most of whom often have no real estate experience,” Matthew Ketchum, the American co-founder of real estate consulting firm Akiya & Inaka, told the NYT in Tokyo.

Although in another interview with specialized RethinkTokyo, he pointed out another problem that state-owned banks are creating from empty houses. “It takes years to obtain akiya because there are no national databases or prefectural databases with such lists. Since each municipality manages its own reserves, we will have to go to each city's akiya bank to find rough diamonds. And when we get there, we will have to personally go to the relevant city office to get additional documents.”

An antidote to taxes?

Kyoto is the first city to start taking action last year in an attempt to address the problem of abandoned houses. With that in mind, the local government decided in 2022 to tax the akiya so they don't become relics of a bygone era and perhaps encourage new tenants to move into them.

“Akiya in poor condition is ruining the landscape, endangering the lives and property of residents due to potential collapse,” Kazuhiro Nagao, an official in the city of Sakata on the west coast, where heavy snow is threatening to destroy abandoned buildings, told the NYT.

At the same time, akiyas bring with them various social problems, as empty and abandoned houses, as elsewhere in the world, are subject to occupation, often by anti-social or even criminal people.

Yukihiro Sugatami, from central Kyoto, told the Financial Times that dozens of houses in the area have been abandoned for a decade. “The tenants are dying, and their families want to leave the house empty, because they believe that grandchildren will return from Tokyo and other big cities in the future. But this is an illusion. They won't come back."

Rebirth as an opportunity

However, although akiya provoke various social problems, at the same time they have unlimited potential. According to relevant publications, they can be a meeting place for local communities, a refuge for the needy, as well as a headquarters for businesses. They could accommodate ... their dreams.

In addition, traditional Japanese architecture has deified these wooden houses. And, as Alex Kerr, an American writer and researcher of Japanese culture, told the NYT, “Many cultures have wooden architecture. However, Japan overwhelmingly leads the world in carpentry and material use, as well as space use and architectural choreography.”