If you have ever embarked on a house renovation project, you know how much work it involves. Supervising contractors is never straightforward, and budgets and timelines always slide. The challenge is much bigger if the house has been abandoned. It...
Tokyo Llama is a popular YouTube channel of an Australian who bought and DIY-renovated an abandoned traditional house in Japan. His videos walk us through a painstaking process of remaking the old house from scratch, drawing over 200k viewers...
A property in Ayabe City, Kyoto has been distinguished as the winner of the inaugural Akiya Utilization Award. The Akiya Utilization Corporation, bridging the gaps between akiya, or vacant property owners, communities, businesses, and local...
（Japanese version below:日本語でのご案内は記事後半からとなります。） Another exciting media event is coming up on January 17th, 2023! This online event explores kominka, Japanese old folk houses, and how they are linked to sustainability. The event will be bilingual...
In Japan, where the birth rate is declining and the population is aging, the problem of akiya (vacant houses) has become a serious issue in recent years. According to the Japanese government, the number of akiya in Japan increased by about 1.9 times...
Japan’s problems with its declining birthrate and greying population are well known. Nearly a third of its population is 65 or older, and the population has continued to decline for the past decade. Rural areas are especially hard hit as younger...