- Justin Wong, 36, gave up on the idea of buying a home in Canada, citing the unaffordable prices.
- He grew up visiting Japan and decided to buy a home there instead of in Canada.
- He plans to go back and forth between Canada and Japan for as long as possible.
This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Justin Wong, who bought a house in Japan’s Nara Prefecture through Akiya Mart, a site that helps foreigners buy abandoned Japanese homes known as akiyas. Wong, 36, works in marketing in Delta, British Columbia, about 15 miles south of Vancouver. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.
I’ve been in Japan a lot since I was a kid. I’ve always loved Japanese culture. I’ve gone on vacation there maybe six or seven times — sometimes on my own, sometimes with my parents. When I met my wife, we went there together a couple of times. She loves it.
It was always like, “I really wish we could spend more time in Japan.” That’s always been a thought.
So, we bought our home for $30,000 — that was the base price before we accounted for fees and everything else. I believe it was built in the late ’70s or early ’80s. It’s 2,200 square feet with eight bedrooms, two bathrooms, and two kitchens.
People closest to me are mostly just surprised and curious. The only flack I’ve gotten is my family thinking it’s some sort of scam — and I don’t really blame them.
I’m buying a house thousands of miles away. I had never actually seen it. I hadn’t actually been there. What if I go there and it’s like an empty lot? I wasn’t sure myself until I actually got there.
Technically, we bought the house sight unseen. We did a video tour, but it was a little bit of a leap of faith. I did go to see the home afterward because we already had a trip planned in October, but we thought, “Let’s just buy it, and then I’ll go and make sure the house is alright.”
Personally, I love that the home sits in a walkable neighborhood. I don’t mind driving, but whenever I’m there, it’s like you can walk literally anywhere. Everything is so convenient — that’s a huge part of it. Another thing is the food. It’s so good in terms of how much it costs and the quality. It’s just the type of food I enjoy. So, I have always loved that part of Japanese culture.
Also, I am a private person — more introverted. I don’t really care much about going out and socializing all that much, especially now that I’m in my 30s. Japan is very friendly to people who just want to be left alone and do their own thing.
It’s a little bit of happenstance because I found a random Reddit thread of people looking to buy houses in Japan. One person suggested Akiya Mart, so I was just looking through it and looking at the prices and thought, “We could actually do this.”
Our purchase lines up with the current geopolitical situation, which is just a coincidence. Still, I’m happy we’re making some progress.
I can’t afford a home in Canada right now
I was born in Vancouver, so I’ve been here my whole life. I live in Delta, which is just south of Vancouver.
I have a decent wage. I make a good amount of money relative to the Canadian median, I’d say, but there’s no way I can afford a house in my area. I can’t even afford a mortgage for a closet in Richmond, British Columbia.
The average house price in Vancouver is over a million, I would say.
[The median list price in Vancouver, British Columbia, is $1.5 million, according to Canadian MLS Houseful.]
I’m not super familiar with owning a house, but I remember I specifically looked up a house with the same size and the same dimensions as the one I got in Japan. There’s a place in Vancouver that’s selling for $5.6 million Canadian [or about $3.9 million].
I kind of made peace with the fact that I would just rent for the rest of my life in Canada. Then we saw this opportunity to buy in Japan, and it was like, “Wait, for $40,000 Canadian, I can own this house, and it’s in a country I’ve always wanted to spend more time in.”
Once we knew that this opportunity was available, it was kind of a no-brainer, really.
The process was easier than I expected, too. I’ve never bought a house before — it seems no one in Vancouver can really — so I had no idea what to expect.
All in all, it was maybe a month and a half to two months, and most of it was just waiting. We did a lot of research going in and looked at as much as we could. So when we met with Akiya Mart and when we met with the real-estate agent, we already knew the home we wanted. We didn’t want to waste any time.
I wish I could live in Japan full-time
We’re doing some minor renovations. I’m fixing a couple of big cracks in the foundation and putting in some termite-prevention stuff. After that, not much, really. The house is gorgeous, and I don’t want to mess with it.
When we were buying, one of my biggest concerns was getting this thing up to earthquake standards because, living in Vancouver, we’re also on an earthquake line.
So I wanted to renovate the place, make it earthquake-proof, etcetera. After the contractor got me the quote, I was like, “This is four times the cost of the house. Forget it.”
It’s not like an investment. We’re not looking at it to rent. We’re far out in the countryside, so I’m pretty sure no one’s going to want to Airbnb somewhere like that.
Right now, however, it’s basically a vacation home. I want to get a 90-day visa as a tourist. We’re planning on going back three months at a time to Japan, then coming back home, then returning three months at a time.
I have a remote job, so I can work from home without having to worry about finding employment. My workplace is cool enough to allow me to do that.
If I could get permanent residency in Japan, I would probably spend most of my time there. I’d probably be happy. I would love to be able to retire in Japan; they just make it very difficult for you to do so.
Maybe after I spend three months there, I’ll hate it—who knows? For now, I love that idea.
Read the full article here
