We aren’t going to touch on the hobby side of things today, but rather a very interesting development happening currently in Japan! And that development is… the housing industry! Wait, wait – it’s interesting, I promise! Don’t leave! You see, a house in Japan could be yours for a simple 500 buckeroos… if you don’t mind living in a ‘Ghost Village,’ that is!
And I know what you’re thinking: Ghosts? Haunted?! No way! Well, for better or for worse, this isn’t about anything supernatural, but rather the fact that Japan’s decades-long trend of negative population growth plus people wanting to live in more urbanized societies have left the rural areas of Japan completely empty. Japan’s nationwide rural vacancy rate is about 15% and that’s NO GOOD!
So, in an attempt to bridge the urban-rural divide in Japan they’re doing their very best to fuel economic revitalization in these areas. We’re talking steep property discounts, renovation subsidies for making these abandoned houses more modern, and, of course, the 50,000 yen houses which is about the aforementioned $500 USD!
And foreigners aren’t excluded from that price! Of course, there are bound to be hoops to jump through, but if you’re looking for one hell of a renovation project, you may wanna look into one of these abandoned homes yourself! Who knows what kind of place you can call your home?
Plus, let’s be honest, telework is a thing now! Nothing like sitting in your little ‘Ghost Village’ while doing your 9 to 6!
If you want to get more into the nitty-gritty of getting one of these properties for yourself, we’ve found a great post with more information over here!
