Nakano of 1000 Empty Houses: In Search of Solutions to Japan’s Akiya Problem

Known as ‘空き家 / akiya’ in Japanese - a word that translates as ‘empty house’ – a huge number of homes are unoccupied or abandoned across the country. As Shota states, 13% of houses across Japan are believed to sit empty, a result of the country’s shrinking and ageing population. The issue of akiya and what to do with them represents a significant challenge, one that is most pronounced in regional areas such as the snow country where population loss is amplified by the movement of younger people away from their hometowns to large cities including Tokyo, Nagoya and Osaka for work, study and other enticements.

Spring has come to the snow country and with the familiar sense of renewal it brings after the long winter, it’s a good time to talk new beginnings. In Episode 04 of Snow Country Stories Japan*, I speak with Murai Shota. Shota is a young man originally from Nagoya and now living in small town of Nakano in Nagano, tasked with finding solutions to, or it could be said new beginnings for, Nakano’s estimated 1000 empty houses.

In response to this challenge, many municipalities now maintain databases of unoccupied homes, referred to as ‘akiya banks’, in an effort list the properties for purchase or rent and attract people to relocate to their area. Properties can be exceptionally cheap, offering individuals and families to buy a home without the need for a mortgage and often added attraction of renovation subsidies. Shota’s multifaceted role sees him helping owners - who are often elderly - in listing their family home for sale and finding the right buyers. It’s often an emotional decision for them, making his job one of personal relationships and helping people visualize new possibilities in communities that are struggling.

This episode connects with Episode 02 of the podcast – Remove, Replace, Repeat: The Unending Restoration of a 200 Year Old Farmhouse in Togari, Nagano – in which I spoke with Rich Morgan about the ongoing renovation of his home. While Rich and his wife Maiko didn’t purchase their home through an akiya bank, it had been unoccupied for many years at time of purchase. It’s all part of the one issue – a huge topic that is too large to cover in one episode. My chat with Shota was intended as a general introduction to Japan’s akiya problem – including its inherent challenges and opportunities that they avail – with an intention to return to the topic again in future.

I’d like to say a very big thank you to Shota for making time to speak with him and for inviting me into his home to conduct the interview. That heart felt thank you is extended to his wife Lin, seen in the photo above with Shota. Their shared story is an interesting one so I’ll see if I can twist their arms and return in future to talk to them together.

If you are interested in getting in the properties available in Nakano or getting in contact with Shota, you can find more information at:

https://akiya-and-kurashi.com/

https://www.instagram.com/akiya_nakano/

https://www.instagram.com/akiya.gateway/

I hope you enjoy the episode.

*please note, at the time of upload of this episode, the name of the podcast was 'Snow Country For Old Men'. It has since changed to 'Snow Country Stories Japan'. For more information about that change, listen to the special announcement uploaded on April 24th 2023.