Topic · 16 articles

Akiya, property and regional Japan

Japan has around nine million vacant homes, and much of rural Japan has more to offer than its public information shows. The obstacle is usually information: scattered listings, inconsistent records and local knowledge that never makes it online.

These articles draw on my work co-founding Akiya & Inaka and on years of projects outside Tokyo. They cover why akiya are hard to buy, what regional businesses and tourism need to work, and the local scenes, events and craft worth seeking out, from Yugawara to Aizu.

Whether you are buying a property, starting a regional business or documenting a place, start with the information people need before they can decide.

All articles in this topic

16
  1. How to Find Live Music in Japan Without an Insider Map A practical guide to finding live music in Japan: why shows are hard to find, what to search for in English and Japanese, and what better event pages need to answer.
  2. Why Japan's Local Scenes Need Better Event Discovery Japan's local scenes are full of value, but event information is fragmented. Clearer public listings help venues, artists, travelers, residents and small cultural communities.
  3. Music in Japan Needs Better Paths to Discovery Why I built Music in Japan: the country's live music is scattered across venue feeds and flyers, and clearer public paths help artists, venues, fans and visitors.
  4. Why akiya in Japan are hard to buy: the information problem Japan's empty houses are plentiful, but the information needed to act on one is scattered and local. Why akiya are an information problem before a price story.
  5. What can you do with abandoned buildings in Japan? Akiya as data Notes from my Unpacking Japan conversation on abandoned Japanese buildings: why akiya are a data and trust problem first, and why use matters more than price.
  6. Earthen Wall Workshop in Yugawara: Bamboo, Clay, and Real Craft A record of the May 23, 2026 Akiyaz earthen wall workshop in Yugawara, where participants worked on the bamboo lattice that sits inside traditional Japanese mud walls.
  7. Norikura Kogen onsen ryokan: creating value from what exists A four-building onsen ryokan in Norikura Kogen shows how existing real estate in Japan creates value through due diligence, onsen rights, operations and a strong location.
  8. Japanese Jesus and the Shingo Legend Japanese Jesus turns the Shingo legend, the story that Christ died in rural Aomori, into a folklore and mythwear project meant to bring attention and money back to the village.
  9. Winter Nights in Yugawara Winter Nights was a small December 2025 gathering in Yugawara, co-hosted with an executive coach: shared food, hot springs and conversation away from the usual meeting room.
  10. Aizu and rural tourism: maintain what you promote Tsuruga Castle's silted moats show a pattern across rural Japan: towns promote heritage they struggle to maintain. What operators in Aizu and similar regions can build.
  11. Starting a rural business in Japan: what akiya work taught me From punk shows and a hot sauce venture to rural property research, what I have learned about building a business around akiya and regional Japan: start small and specific.
  12. Local business strategy in Japan: build for the place you serve A small pizza restaurant in western Shonan shows why copying Tokyo best practice fails outside Tokyo. How local businesses in Japan can build around their own customers.
  13. August 30-31: fire and fermentation in Chigasaki A record of the Firelight & Fermentation weekend planned for August 30-31, 2025 on the Chigasaki coast: wild game over fire, fermented food, local beer and a night on the beach.
  14. Regional revitalization in Japan needs working businesses Vacant buildings and quiet landscapes only revive a region when someone runs a business in them. How to approach regional Japan: trust, a real service and operations.
  15. Building a working life beyond Tokyo Moving beyond Tokyo can create room for a different kind of business. It also changes access to customers, colleagues, transport and services. The decision deserves more than a cheap-rent argument.
  16. What Japan's craft workshops need to stay in business Japan's traditional crafts are shrinking because too few workshops earn a living. Pricing, direct sales, product fit and succession matter as much as skill.