"Score a Bargain: Buy an Abandoned Japanese House for $25,000"
With a shrinking population and over 10 million abandoned properties, Japan is struggling to match houses with buyers. An emerging segment of buyers is seeking out rural architecture in need of some love. The most recent government data reported about 8.5 million akiya across the country, but observers say there are many more today. Municipalities across Japan are compiling listings of vacant houses for sale or rent, known as “akiya banks.” Real estate companies have begun to snap up habitable antique houses and market them to non-Japanese luxury buyers.