Transcript
Speaker: Welcome back to the buying a house in Japan podcast. Today, we have a special episode. We call this series, the Akiya Mart direct buyers club. Very, very excited to introduce both Melanie and Christian who are recent purchasers through our program.
Speaker: But before going into it, Joey, how are you doing? I'm doing really good, Takei. Good. We haven't done an Aki and Mart direct buyers club in a long time. I think it's been a while since we've talked to someone that's gone through the AMD program, but I just want to say, Takei, how close are we to episode 100? You say this every time. We're at episode 94. We're so close to 100 at this point.
Speaker: Welcome, Melanie and Christian. Yeah, I think you guys have probably bought the dopest house to date of all our customers. Like I remember seeing the photos. So really, really excited to talk about it. We'll share some photos. But just to kind of get us started off, do you guys mind giving us a quick intro about yourselves, a little bit of background? Where are you from?
Speaker: know, what's happening in your world? So I'm Melanie Uy and I'm originally from New Zealand, but I've been living in the States for the last 20 years, working as a professional artist here. And then, yeah, and then I'll hand it over to Christian and we'll talk about why we ended up looking in Japan.
Speaker: Christian, originally from San Diego, California, living in Portland for the last six years. And I'm a filmmaker and producer. Right on.
Speaker: And I know you guys are both artists. What kind of interest do you about Japan first? Or how how did you guys get interested in Japan? So I have a lot of family history that's connected to Japan, but I'm not Japanese.
Speaker: My mother's actually Chinese. um She lived in Japan in the seventies with her first husband, who was a New Zealander. And they lived for about five years in Othaka and Sapporo.
Speaker: And so that's kind of where the connection began. And then, um, When I was six years old, our whole family went over there to live in Sephoto for about six months. i went to kindergarten and school, Japanese ones, like not international.
Speaker: and And so that was like the beginning of my exposure to Japanese culture and all the kind of amazing things that as a kid you get too you get really into in Japan that didnt we didn't have in New Zealand.
Speaker: And then I went back on a working holiday visa when I was 18. And then between the ages of 18 and 24, I spent about four years. Three and a half years actually um total on and off, living in Tokyo mostly and a little bit of time in some other places, but mostly Tokyo.
Speaker: So then I left and planned to go back. It just never happened. I was traveling the world and ended up living in the States. And then when Christian and I met, he'd always wanted to go to Japan.
Speaker: So that was like it had been watched at that point 20 years since I'd been back. And so was a huge like revisit for me and a first place ahead in 2023 in spring. and spray And your interest in Japan was like... Yeah, since I was like nine, I always wanted to like have a house in the countryside. And like that was the dream when I was little. And then, you know, through Japanese culture that's you know come into the States in Ray and games and whatnot.
Speaker: But it was always like a strange dream for a nine-year-old to have and is to like live in the Japanese countryside. So felt very are drawn to it. Did you guys see like how kind of me and Taki got started on this journey? Like, you know, started seeing people advertising cheaper homes on Instagram and then just started seeing that more more often and then got started with cheaper. How did you guys start thinking about Japanese real estate? Yeah. i mean, like when I was younger, I just thought Japanese real estate was a hundred percent unattainable, like cost of living in Tokyo and real estate prices and all of that.
Speaker: Because when I was living there, it was the end of the bubble era. And so wasn't even a thing that was talked about. And then we were there. Somehow we got exposed to Cheap Houses Japan. I think it was my friend Joseph who used me to dance.
Speaker: and um So we were looking online and at Cheap Houses Japan. And then when we were there, were seeing Akiya's even in Tokyo. Yeah. And wanting to explore them. and And so we signed up on the Cheap Houses Japan newsletter initially because they were very prominent.
Speaker: And and mean kind of deep diving a bit more after our trip through like the articles they send and being able to look at a lot of different places as well as their connecting to the room real estate sites that were just off of those so this that you can kind of branch off already start seeing a lot more than was just the 10 options per presented that week and things that spend lot of time going down a lot ramp holes with that.
Speaker: He's got the gateway newsletter. Definitely. That's how Minitake got started too. The Cheap House of Japan newsletter. and And what else? and that was sort of, and then when we were traveling in the spring there, we had really liked, we really liked Funozawa and had thought, oh, what would an apartment to rent look like? And then, oh, and then we fell in love with Naoshima and Teshima and the Sato Inland Sea when we went there just for a few days.
Speaker: So of course that caught our interest a bit more as an author, as a tourist hub. But, you know, we're thinking like in Kanazawa, well, what at this point can we do to make a living in Japan to get a work visa with the fact that we're artists.
Speaker: And I'm not really interested at my age in going back to being an English teacher and only making 1500, 1700 yen an hour. Cause I made better money than that as an English teacher back in 2000.
Speaker: two thousand from, and I was, yeah, now at the weekend. Yeah. And it's just that had, you know, no inflation. So were like, how do we, how do live here without having to be locked into being English teachers and things that just not really viable options, especially for me at my age, I feel too seasoned to, to do something like that. I need to have a hiring.
Speaker: And I guess Christian's vision of the countryside, i you guys picked Okoyama, which is, I think, really interesting. That's actually how we started our journey too. We first saw a property in Okoyama. We're like, oh, let's buy that mountain. And that's what started, like exactly cheap. How's Japan newsletter?
Speaker: It's true. We saw Okoyama, but I'm curious, how did you guys choose Okoyama? I know you mentioned Naoshima, but yeah, what was that kind of process for you? Yeah, pretty mainly just now she's not with me. Visited.
Speaker: it was, I think we were there for two days. Yeah, three nights. Two days, three nights. And... I mean, Uno in Oklahoma, Uno itself is so just like sweet and there's a really great atmosphere there.
Speaker: And then now to my tissue are just kind of like a bonus to that artistically like filling. And so when left on that last day, you know, were on a bus leaving and it was just like a pretty deep feeling that the people that We just don't want to leave this place in particular. Like every other, were traveling for four weeks at that point.
Speaker: And it was, you know, we loved every spot, but it was okay to leave. But like Uno specifically, he was like something really felt like we wanted to stay there. was it really just something in the atmosphere.
Speaker: So Uno is the town where you bought the house. That's correct, right? And it's kind of a port town off the coast of Naoshima. So technically, and as you recall, we would look we started by looking for a property on Naoshima. It wasn't Uno that was like, this is amazing. Naoshima, that's amazing.
Speaker: Everyone bought when they visit. If you talk to anyone who's bought a property on Naoshima in the last couple of years, it's because they visited Naoshima as tourists fell in love and got super lucky being able to acquire a property there.
Speaker: So we started inquiries immediately and we're working on the IKEA bank. and um And I was talking with a woman we met who's American married to a Japanese and they moved from Tokyo to Naoshima in 2020, just before lockdown. They made the final move there.
Speaker: And, uh, so again, that was sort of my inside information as well. And, um, it was really apparent from the beginning talking to her that it's really hard to get a property there because they don't really list them. They keep them very much in the family.
Speaker: Things end up being private sales. They really want to curate who they're selling to. And so we really realized that it was going to be a lot harder to get something, maybe impossible to get something on Naoshima without living on Naoshima and really being involved already.
Speaker: so if we're buying from overseas, we're We ended up kind of rerouting our idea to, you know, because it's on the mainland. it There's more options. It's a broader area.
Speaker: And if you're going to be doing renovations and things, and it makes it 10 times harder if you're on a tiny island and everything has to come over from the mainland. Because as you know, when you're doing a renovation, you have to go to the home store every day almost because you need the screws or you need the pull the one thing that you need. And so that would be a ferry ride and a whole thing.
Speaker: um So and then your contractors have to come over on the ferry. And so it's just that isolation is um as dreamy as it is to be on islands. And I've lived on different islands in my life. Almost exclusively until moving to the States, it's restrictive.
Speaker: and And so to be more practical and accessible, we realize like looking at it. For listeners who don't know about Naoshima, it's obviously very become very, very popular, but can you just give a quick description? Why is it like, I feel like it's the Mecca for artists in Japan is kind of my assumption and I haven't been there myself, but give us a quick, you know what what is it who why isn't so awesome?
Speaker: Naoshima, it was Naoshima that was the dumping site, right? Naoshima was the dumping site. Naoshima has like mining industry on it, quarry kind of industry. But um since the nineteen ninety s the publishing family started investing in the island and they built with Tadao Ando.
Speaker: These amazing. oh Yeah, we love his stuff. really a focus on architecture, specifically Ando's architecture, and then these museums, galleries, the Art House project.
Speaker: So they basically brought the money and the life to this island to create a whole new industry of on in a place that didn't has that and have an art focus to begin with. And so sort of mostly to their credit that they've created this amazing, which has now been a metaphor, particularly not just art, but architecture because of Andoa. So you're coming to see galleries, but you're coming to see art within these amazing structures that is an immersive experience.
Speaker: Awesome. I mean, we have actually a Tadao Ando house on Akiya Mart we were looking at in Osaka. It's like one of the concrete, like it's such a cool concrete one. were looking into it and I think there's probably some plumbing issues, but we had a, we were trying to help a couple of clients, like try to get a tour of it. And it's, yes, a personal dream of mine to someday but live in an Ando house, but.
Speaker: fascinating what you said about the difficulty of purchasing on the island. Taki and I had a very similar experience on Yakushima. um and Again, an island that is very... um yeah they they They want to control who is purchasing the property there. And we couldn't purchase without having you know lived there for two years. We had a real estate agent approach um the brokerage trying to sell one of the houses. And they're like, no, no, no. We're not selling to anyone who doesn't live here for at least you know x number of years already. We have a new approach now that we have embedded ourselves in the community.
Speaker: One of the connections is we have friends who who live on the island, who are old families from the island. And so we've visited their homes and they' they're still like all the brothers and cousins have their family homes there.
Speaker: So through them, we hope to find a place that we can rent because that's actually the ideal place that we would like to do. Expand our business into the artist residency program. And that is the most inspiring environment for artists to be in So we can just find a property to rent because there are many empty properties and get our foot in the door that way.
Speaker: Then down the line a couple of years or however long, if the owner decides they want to sell, we've already built this relationship. and And even if we were just renting, I'd be so happy because we want that environment and location for our artists.
Speaker: Yeah. I'd love to hear no more about the artist residency program that you're starting. What's the, what's the idea behind it? So it was first inspired from almost perfect Tokyo that a friend of mine just clued me into when we were visiting Tokyo.
Speaker: And he said, oh, have you heard of this, this Instagram profile? And they're running an artist residency out of an old rice shop in the eastern side of Tokyo, where they, they had renovated beautifully into a ground floor sort of studio gallery. And then the second and third floor had bedrooms that they really beautifully renovated.
Speaker: And I thought, oh this is really interesting. I want to look into it. And, um, this is all sort of coinciding on our trip there in 2023. And so I'm looking at what they were doing and I thought, oh, this is such a cool idea. And they have artists from all over the world.
Speaker: Some of them are really qualified designers and this and that with great rhythm. Other people are just ladies who draw can. And I thought, okay, well, how does this, how are they curated?
Speaker: Um, and so when we looked at their website, we actually learned that that there's, that's not an artist residency in the sense that, oh, you get to come and stay for free. It's what paid to come and do. So the pain per night is ah like an accommodation Airbnb, but what they get with that in anywhere from one to three weeks is the exposure, the media, and then they, um, a gallery showing at the end of their state. if it was only one.
Speaker: That's a really great way for them to able to say, oh, I had a show in Tokyo and an experience in Japan that influenced my work, maybe not the inspiration. And so I realized when we looked at that website, I was like, we are booked out by a year.
Speaker: And was like, this is a really great business. It's not just something, mean, and as artists, we would also like to make things accessible and affordable. So one we thought was...
Speaker: Taking from the almost perfect Tokyo inspiration, I wanted to create a countryside version of that. Almost like a reflection or assisted sort of situation where we were doing that the rural version and people, rather than being inspired by urban Tokyo, would be inspired by the art island as we were artists and then be able to process that through being in a peaceful place. It isn't Tokyo where it's like, well, I want to go see this thing. It's going to take me three hours on train.
Speaker: to get there and then where do I have time to even make my art in this time when I'm supposed to be seeing Tokyo and creating for a exhibition. So Naoshima, we would give them more time. would be doing ideally a one month residency and then they have the time to be inspired by the islands that they also have the peacefulness to be able to produce.
Speaker: And then we do it. So this... Is this the plan for the house in Uno or is this like a phase two the Uno house? it started by being part of the house, thinking of using it in the down season for housing artists and or using the kuda. That was our original plan was to use the kuda as a space for the artist's Oh, you have cuda too?
Speaker: That's awesome. Like a storehouse? It's just a glorified chain, not a real cuda. It's the cuda. I think that's way cooler. Might blow up in the wind. So we have to be a little careful of like not overinvesting in um the renovation of it because it really is just a shack.
Speaker: Um, we have fixed up the ground floor, first floor, fixed up the walls and put new tatami and it's feeling really nice and solid and really quite gorgeous, but we haven't hit the second floor yet. We'll do that next.
Speaker: And that would be the studio space and it will need AC in both floors, but it's actually really ideal for an artist to be able to have a little bit of separation from the main house, but also have the connection with people that they need.
Speaker: And then the second floor has lots of light and a view. I think it's a pretty inspiring space to work in. But you know, that's sort of the baby phase, almost like the soft launch of it. And then if we can find a place to rent on Naoshima or elsewhere in Uno, it would be really nice to expand it to a larger space and be more than one artist at a time. So there can be a little bit more artist community, not too much isolation.
Speaker: I love this idea and I love the idea of a little bit more relaxed pace as well. I think the, the Tokyo quick in and out, I love the nom beady pace of your idea here. So, um, it's very, this is a tangent, Joe. You remember that one time in New York, we went to go see that Japanese boxer artists who like gets his gloves painted and he like punches the wall and it's like such an interesting thing. want him to come to one of our houses and just like punch the wall with whole bunch of paint. think that'd be rad.
Speaker: artist residency coming soon in our houses an exhalation have a special wall yeah yeah okay meli want to talk about the purchase process a little bit uh how did so you started your journey and kind of looking at cheap houses in japan you spent a lot of time in japan how did you find us where we kind of a supplement maybe on akia mart or i guess what was that like We did start following you on Instagram at some point, but the interesting thing about our situation and how how we did end up engaging you is that we'd been looking at cheaphouses.com through them and then Christian and then we'd go down those, what I talked about, like how we would look at the additional um realtors and be able to go through their links and look a bit more.
Speaker: And so Christian was looking at one of those links one time. And then what did you input? Yeah, because we were specifically looking for national and then in time.
Speaker: And then, yeah, then it was very limited selection from the cheap houses. And so then I just kind of went adjacent to, you know, I followed a link to more houses in that area.
Speaker: And, um, Found Lars actually pretty quickly. And then Melody started communications with them. That was like December. Yeah. December of 2020. 23, 23, 23. after we'd come back.
Speaker: Yeah. Yeah. And so, yeah, we were just emailing and' have it with the realtor directory going back and forth. And then one point communication just stopped and then listing was taken down and we were like, all right, like,
Speaker: Are you good? Yeah. i Were you translating to Japanese or was the conversation, I'm curious about this. we I've never attempted direct. up on goes on like So I just translated it in Google and emailed them and I had a list of questions and they answered back and they sent another set and then it all went dead and the listing vanished.
Speaker: And we were just like, oh, but I was like, it hasn't sold. yeah I know it hasn't sold. Just keep looking. It's going to come back up and it's going to be cheaper. So I'm looking.
Speaker: Yeah, kept looking. Yeah. And then think it was like, yeah, six or seven months later. December. Yeah. Melanie was like, it looked like randomly was like, I'm going to look for that house again.
Speaker: And she did. And sure enough, it was. And it popped up via IKEA mark. Yeah. So we'd been looking at this other house that was a really cool ex, like, was it an instryokan or an ex brothel? expert had thirteen It had 13 rooms or something.
Speaker: And it was really cute and it was on the coast, but it was about 13 kilometers from Uno. So it was too far to be something that was relevant to Naoshima and Teshima. And so we were like, oh, it's so close. It was like 43,000. Like, oh, this is so close to what we would want. And then I was so ticked off that I just searched again. And um and then so we popped on Akiyama and I pretty much acted instantly. I was like, there it is.
Speaker: i have I spoke this six months ago that it will come back up and it was $20,000 cheaper. ah this i I remember when you first messaged us, you were like, I want this house. This is the only house I'm going for. We're like, okay, hey, you're like, you know, also like, but is there a second choice option B or C? And you're like, no, no, no. look I'm only going for this house. and I was like, okay, we got it.
Speaker: Yeah, so was through that and that was, um we'd already done, when it had been listed previously, there were actually more photos. So we'd been able to understand the property more I had stayed up late at night, just examining all of the photos and the whole plan and understanding how everything looked and worked. And then I'd walked around the neighborhood by a satellite.
Speaker: I had like sleuthed the front pictures of the house and I could see that there were like weeds already. And like, where was this Google satellite picture taken on four years ago? So it'd be at least four years. And it's really good getting as much information as possible. And um so we we were very like confident when we thought like, no, no, we know all about this. We already have asked questions. We knew there was previous termite damage and they said that has been treated and you'll just need to do some repairs in the dining room that will cost around A couple of hundred dollars. And so they were very relaxed about that.
Speaker: And that had been the thing that we were asking more about, that concern about termite damage. And that's why when we engaged with you, we specifically wanted a building inspection that would be looking for termites because we knew there'd been a presence.
Speaker: Yeah. Oh boy. We'll get into that later. Um, but I, I think, yeah, it's actually, i love how you highlighted like the sleuth. And when you first find the property or Google maps in, you're looking around the neighborhood. That's like such a fun, exciting time.
Speaker: I think, I think for me, when I'm searching, like that's the best part, like Google map link, oh, there's a ramen shop on the corner or something like that. crucial because it's right by some husky main road and you're like oh no that is it looked cute on the street but you're not in the right neighborhood and done that done that on one of the first properties we did that in Osaka it was a really cute little shop with apartment above it it was all cool potential but then where it was actually laid out in the satellite walker oh no who I'm curious what stood out to you besides location about this house like when you're looking at at Google Maps you're like what were you really excited about or what what stood out
Speaker: Yeah. Pretty much everything. Everything. I mean, the first image was like, well, a castle, right? Yeah. And it's yeah. Up on the hill. It's a huge wall. Very much like dreamy eye catching.
Speaker: Like a fairy tale. Oh yeah. yeah And it looks like a castle. It is a castle. And then there were like details as well, like the amount that the design of this house is really unusual because it's, it is actually in some weird ways, very and nice, like having ah normal living room space and a dining room space that I wouldn't force and not to Tommy good size kitchen won Japan.
Speaker: That's really functional with more space in your typical Japanese kitchen. So that stood out to me massively because I was used to the tiny kitchen. two burner gas stove top thing and all that and having to brush your teeth in your kitchen sink in those tiny farms in Tokyo.
Speaker: We've done it. ah but yeah And, uh, but, and then, so apart from like that, and it was slightly more Westernized layout, then there was the addition of the, um, the whole T's floor, which had been built onto the house 12 years later after the original construction.
Speaker: And when you look at just like the quality of the Fusuma in there, tatami, the ceilings and the globe lights that are hanging from the ceiling that are really unusual for a Japanese place that typically has the fluorescent.
Speaker: um Those are terrible. The fluorescent like. Yeah. When I saw this globe, I was like, who needs a person, whoever designed this house or decorated this house had unique tastes. And I was connecting with that design-wise.
Speaker: then I think the kind of sealer to the deal was um the garden and seeing the scholar stones in the back. Mel was like, oh, if it's gorgeous, covered in weeds, and it's like they have really great stones there, the rest is bound to be pretty incredible.
Speaker: Yeah, there was hints, you know, there these indications of quality and care from the previous owner that showed taste and ah level of quality that was above the average. The tea school apartment annex alone was like, wow, and in really good condition.
Speaker: And then there was a whole upstairs and then smaller rooms as well were kind of a treat to have like a Sanjo room and then a Yonjo with a Sanjo attached to it. So there were all these spaces that had a lot of potential for different uses or for like renting out.
Speaker: So it was much more workable than a typical Japanese house you might see that has a lot of tatami space, but they are the other four rooms that are all connected just by Fusuma. And so... Technically modular, but like if you're thinking of a guest house, there's no privacy. There's no way to walk through. I mean, you you have your engauer, but um everyone's connected and there's no privacy. And what this house offered actually was a really unusual amount of privacy the rooms where a Japanese design.
Speaker: How big was the house or like what's your land size or building size and like building age? It sounds like there's multiple structures, right? Yeah, we're on floor plots. ah so Floor plots.
Speaker: Yeah, and the house is like on...
Speaker: almost about two of those blocks and the cuda as well yeah so like yeah had to go to yeah two thirds of the blocks are like structured i think square footage is around two thousand feet yeah it's pretty big pretty substantial yeah it's especially for jackie's house in the town yeah and with four blocks i mean we own that whole corner in three walks That's funny what you said about the rocks. I'm a big rock guy. Looking at properties with rocks. high High impact. You mentioned it, like good taste. You know, if they pick good rocks in the right formation, this is like someone someone awesome lived here before. Yeah, yeah exactly. And this provides portal on the the mountain as well, which is super valuable.
Speaker: So you could tell that this person really had perfect taste.
Speaker: Did you learn anything about the previous owner or or kind of unknown? The interim person, so the original owner, was the tea ceremony master. Tea master. Yeah.
Speaker: yeah There's a lot of tea masters in this town, like who are more like in their eighties and nineties. So the amount them have died. There's several houses that had tea masters who have died. It was built 1957. Our neighbors, two of, one of our neighbors had known, i was it Jun Kong?
Speaker: Yeah. i mean Had, yeah. and Had met her once or twice. I hadn't been inside the house ever. No. Yeah. So it's a bit, but we're still on that path of trying to like dig up a little bit more of her history.
Speaker: Um, so she's an enigma right now and we're just sort of honoring more the spirit of her than, um, than the factual aspects. But she, she had, you know, she built this annex and had a T school and was known, um,
Speaker: The person who owned the house and we bought it though, was a local factory manager, as far as we understand. And he had, and I think this all came through his realtor. Um, the information was that he'd bought it for his son to live in, but then the son hadn't lived there. So it just sat empty for so many years.
Speaker: And so that we don't know about like, was there anyone else before he had acquired the property? Like how long ago did the original owner die? And, um, and then people we have met in the town have actually seen the house go on and off the market over the years and had actually toured the house and looked at it themselves and it wasn't the right thing for them.
Speaker: And so there's this kind of interesting undulation through the history of the town and the people of their awareness of its property. Cause it's on a main road. So everyone knows that by going past it. Was the seller's agent the same guy who ghosted you guys?
Speaker: Did you guys ever figure that out? or what you think friend It was a agency. It's a different agency. And we kind of didn't work together there at all. Everyone is very isolated from each other. It's not like how in New Zealand they different agents can communicate with each other. Interesting.
Speaker: interesting How was your experience getting the Airbnb license? I think that is something a lot of people would be curious about. I'd love to hear the highs and lows, what worked. Actually, before that, I would like to highlight the transaction process story. if That's cool.
Speaker: of you know How is it working with Dio? You were one of our first Acumart Direct customers almost a year ago, it seems like. so you know neil was We were working with Dio quite closely, but this was a big project. you know We saw this house and we're like,
Speaker: okay, they want to turn this into an Airbnb. ah But how was your experience working with Rio through the transaction itself? I mean, the kind of answers both questions. questions. like with questions Cool. Rio was essential.
Speaker: Like, we couldn't have done it with I mean, the fact that traveled to the house and popped on a FaceTime with us to walk through and like gave us like, how does this room smell?
Speaker: How does it smell? What does the garden look like? And he's out there. Yeah, our important question. He needs his smelling tested though, because the kitchen smelled very good. He smelled like, he's like, it smells fine. When we got there, I was like, very musty, very moldy.
Speaker: But I mean, yeah, he's like trekking through the weeds in the back. mean, there's like mosquitoes flying all around and and he's old he was so game to, yeah, like extremely hot and very dirty.
Speaker: And he was down to just like get in there and show us and like spend as much time as we needed to feel comfortable moving forward. don't know. So um yeah I mean, and then from there, he did arrange for the building inspection, which we just felt was really like, if we can't be there in person, then you absolutely at a bare minimum need to get the building inspection, which you would have done anyway, just like you would in America have done.
Speaker: His communication was fantastic. state but And then so that, so that in terms of the transaction process, then it was arranged with the Scrivener. I just had to have a zoom meeting with the Scrivener. Um, face-to-face of all they say is like are you so and so and do you intend to purchase this show me your id yeah that's it okay very it's very straightforward and i think some people have the impression that they need to be there in person to be able to complete the legal transaction and that's not true so there is some moves into technology and then the bank stuff in terms of like sending the money was little confusing the whole um
Speaker: What were we using? the one, one, the wise or all effects. Wise did not really work out for us. um It didn't work with our thing. And I actually found it to be a lot more problematic than sending.
Speaker: I think I just sent it like wire. Yeah, I remember. That actually worked better and was really quick. So and really the rest of it was just like, print these documents, sign them out, send them back. And I did all of that and as quickly as possible.
Speaker: And so and but at Rio's end, he was really grateful that I was not lacking on any of that. And so everything could move forward surprisingly quickly and documents shipped very quickly and arrived in Tokyo fast. So from Portland, Oregon.
Speaker: So everything actually in that sense was... Pretty timely, like just as much as it would be if we were in the state. How long did it take, i guess, from start to close, like keys in hand?
Speaker: I like i can't remember what month we had our first consultation with you when I when i first emailed you about Death My House. I think it's August. Yeah. Yeah. August to the end of November. Three and a half months.
Speaker: Okay. From reaching out to you guys, Keith and Anne, which is insane. Yeah. This is a really popular house. Just want to let you know, we had a couple other customers who are gunning for it, kind of like a little bit delayed. And we're like, okay, so it was really helpful that you guys were so quick on acting because it really just showed the sellers too that like these guys are serious because there were other folks that were like, hey, other people are online first. But but yeah, you picked the jump.
Speaker: Yeah, we had to tell other people no. We're like, hey, come we got a conflict of interest here. like matt and And good that you guys were so focused on this. that's like we need on it back to mr inberg yeah And I guess I'm curious, for yeah have you guys purchased anything in the States before or anything to compare this transaction process to?
Speaker: Yeah, I have two properties in New Zealand and one house in in America and um previously also owned a piece of land in Turkey. That was the first thing that I ever purchased. oh And I have to say, and this is kind of a unique thing in terms of our whole process with you guys.
Speaker: Property, so out of, I think it's five properties total that have come and gone or are still in my hand, but that might be six by now, um are everything. I have never purchased or sold the property through a normal process.
Speaker: So everything is being strangely placed in my lap and then conveniently removed from my lap as needed. So, and I am, I'm aware of this now. And so I sort of like also spin that web a little bit of like, this is going to go this way and it's not going to be a normal process.
Speaker: And it's some kind of like insane real estate karma that I have in this lifetime that I don't have to go through normal processes. So this is just another example of that where, when I, when the property initially vanished and I said, it's coming back.
Speaker: my and You knew. Yeah. and And then it did. And and the way this will work with you guys and how incredible Rio has been for basically he's been kind of like a little Ganesha for us where he's removed every obstacle that we've come upon in the process, especially of getting from purchase to Airbnb.
Speaker: Everything. Yeah. Getting to opening. He has been really instrumental and I just have to think, gosh, if anyone else is trying to do this, but they didn't have someone like me or who doesn't just do what his job description describes. He goes an extra mile. This we wouldn't be where we're at.
Speaker: Awesome. Awesome to hear. Yeah. Dio's an animal. He's like, he'll go anywhere. Even like, Dio, can you check out that really cheap property in the middle of nowhere? He's like, okay, I'll i'll go do it. So really appreciative to Dio.
Speaker: curious, any other surprises but along the way before closing? Like anything you're like, whoa, this is unusual or anything ah ah to note? Not really. Yeah. More like, oh gosh, this is going smoothly.
Speaker: Yeah. That was surprise. That a surprise, yeah. Okay. Good to hear. Until the building inspection. Wow. Until the arrival. that that that All right. All right. Let's talk about your arrival. What was it like? What did a smell like? Give us all the sensory kind of feelings when you first got there.
Speaker: I saw the reels on Instagram, so the excitement was real. But Kyrsia, what was your first impressions? We were nervous. And have our first look because like, didn't we just make the biggest mistake of our lives?
Speaker: So everyone feels that. but We felt that way too. um And so, you know, we've got the kids that are walking through. for me, having renovated um the things before, I'm definitely a visionary where I see all potentials. So for me, I was like, oh yeah, oh yeah, oh yeah. And then Christian just like love really uptight. Yeah.
Speaker: like yeah He just looked very nervous and, uh, yeah, I suppose not trans, but yeah, more just like seeing everything that needed you to be done and being like where to begin. Yeah, exactly. Yeah. And all those reels, every video of me is like,
Speaker: Okay. Oh, we're odd to do. also at the same time, it was just mostly a ton of deep cleaning. Um, what's the first day, but we had to move in there within a week of picking up the key. We had booked a week in a hotel nearby. Yeah.
Speaker: And so was like, okay, well we have nine, know, seven days to, um, get it livable for us to kind of camp out for the rest of the project. And what time of year was this?
Speaker: It was winter. yeah Winter. So you had to get like heaters, right? Like what was the first days of living there? Like I'd love for you to illustrate that bit Cleaning up the kitchen and the room that we would sleep in the tea school annex.
Speaker: And that was the priority to have clean spaces. But there was no mini-split in the place. So for heating, we bought kerosene heating, which are the typical for your heaters that people use in Japan. But you can't sleep with those on because you'll asphyxiate.
Speaker: So you can use them in the day while you're awake and venting the room every now and then. And so the exhaust goes right back into the room. we had to sleep. Basically it felt like we were camping outdoors yeah because there's no insulation and we were sleeping in the room in the T suite that had just a wooden shutter over a bamboo lattice. So there's no glass.
Speaker: to protect you from the outdoors and then just a shoji and then shoji right over there. So we were basically, it was like, be yeah, you could see our breath foggy in the morning. There was one night in December when we were panicking because it was so cold that were panicking about how we could, we could just strange.
Speaker: Yes, the aircraft. Like the gas were closed, so we couldn't even get kerosene for the heaters. Yeah, yeah. Yeah, yeah. We ran out of Toru over New Year because we didn't know that. Oh, no. Like, what?
Speaker: and like what Wait a second. Like, who's the wriggle? Yeah. Someone warned us to, like, stock that stock up on Toru. So, like, ah, yeah he's fearing with that. So, we were, yeah, we were definitely on the call of the Yeah. I think like, honestly, like October and May, I think if you're trying first time seeing your property in like the summer or the winter, it's going to be like difficult camping. Yeah.
Speaker: So, um, but you know, we survived it. This winter will be really different because now everything is done and clean and we have a lot heaters as well as mini splits. So we can have that, the air, hot air, formatory, mattress warmers and all, all of this stuff to keep people very comfortable and ourselves.
Speaker: ah to say because yeah, we like tolerated it with the minimum of equipment. Did you guys have a moment where you're like, oh no, we made a mistake or, you know, was there ever like, okay. Like I, obviously you first get there, you realize a big project, but was there a moment where you're like, look at each other, you like, uh-oh.
Speaker: The termite moment. Okay. Let's, let's get into it. Let's get in. Everything was just so great. And then we, what was it about day? It was like a Tuesday with you got the keys on the adventure day.
Speaker: no and now we met everyone. Right. Then we did the Kia. workshop on Sunday and everyone came over on Tuesday to help us start cleaning the garden and and do cleaning. Like we'd connected with community members and they all were all like, well, come and help you.
Speaker: And he came over to help us wash the windows and weed the garden. And our neighbor who had, he's in the same town, he's a kind of an peer expert. He loves studying them. And he was giving a workshop about them on the Sunday that we attended.
Speaker: pops over and he just stopped in quickly. Just to like, as a check it out. Yeah. yeah There's ah a few people that stopped going to like look at place and they're Because we kind of said open house, come look, everyone's curious. Let's let the community come in see what where we're starting.
Speaker: Yeah. And so he's checking all the place the play out. You see him but in the corners of each of the rooms, there's cobwebs. And in those cobwebs are these little weeds.
Speaker: Yeah, I know. he like yes's He's like, was is there was the termites here? And we were like, yeah, but you know we got it cleared. everything They did it long before we didn't. Yeah, but through the inspection, they said it was clear. And so we were like, shul, whatever. With confidence? It's just their old wings.
Speaker: And so he's like kind of just like hesitant. Totally. And so then he goes upstairs with Mel to check out the upstairs. And I'm downstairs with couple other people looking around.
Speaker: And I just hear Mel like scream. run I was like, want off I go up and apparently Kihiro-san had stepped on the tatami mat.
Speaker: And in the ri report, there was like, it said, there's a soft spot in this one tatami mat. But it's probably my age. It's yeah. Use wear and tear. Maybe a bit of rush underneath. Yeah. No big deal. Nothing.
Speaker: And so she apparently like stepped on it and was like, and just reached out and pulled it up and live termites just teeming inside.
Speaker: it was not And so Mel screamed, I go up and she's like, there's termites. what's going on? I got thought we got this cleared and then so... kid He was just like, bye. Yeah. He was just like, see you later.
Speaker: it's Like he was in the house for five minutes. Yeah. Termite's sensor though. He knows where they are. Yeah. Whisperer. And so it's very savvy.
Speaker: Yeah. And so then he left us and we're like, good luck with that. And then Yuki, how did we, how did we communicate to get Yuki-san to send Yuki-san? Well, Yuki-san came through Yoko. We'd already met her. We'd already been to her.
Speaker: and something No, maybe. But she brought Shimokawa over before Akihira-san found the termites. And so, because he was just going to fix the door frame that was already rotten and eaten by termites.
Speaker: And so when Akihira-san found the termites, we immediately called Yuki-san, who was in touch with Shimokawa again. don't know.
Speaker: For a new problem. And then he... yeah I mean, he's, he's our magical carpenter. Yeah. He's the other reason why we have gotten where we've gone because he saved our lives. of For sure.
Speaker: And like, he came by, looked the damage, knew exactly who to call. He got a quote from his exterminator friend. And then we have, um, the inspection company that had cleared it before, come back and look at it again because they get to see what they missed.
Speaker: And, uh, And we showed them the quote for the exterminator that Shibukawa provided. And he was like... shocked of how good of a deal it was. He's like, this is actually really great.
Speaker: So, cause the other quote was higher than we got from another company. Yeah, like much higher. And so they, Shimakawa brought his exterminator in. They spent the whole day crawling under the house, lifting up on tatami and the four boards and treating all the wood.
Speaker: They drill, drill into the wood and put the poison in. And then going even out in the ah two days. Two days altogether. And then I'm back in the garden too. They were treating all like the wood stumps that they were back there and and all around and the Kuda.
Speaker: Um, ah The good thing was that when Sakura, the Lee Inspection Company, came back and spent whole day very thoroughly looking at what they should have found before and confirming it all, they said, well, the damage level from in in the beams is less than 20%.
Speaker: So what we were lucky about, you know, the the silver lining of this was that it was caught soon enough that it was only less than 20% damage, which means you don't have to replace beams or do anything major. So it seems like that termite infestation had come a little more recently.
Speaker: And so it was a really... For how bad it could have been, we were very lucky that the damage was more minimal and could just be treated like that. And then wouldn't we had to replace some wooden flooring on top. And then brand new tatami.
Speaker: But then exterminator Chimokawa both deduced why started. And so it all stemmed from broken nutter that was leaking water into the house, into the corner, which then stepped through.
Speaker: And yet the termites were just attracted the wet wood. They love the water. and Like on that corner side of the house. And that was where the damage in the dining room had occurred too. On that same wall and corner area.
Speaker: ah So we feel there is definitely some compromise to that corner of the house. um But when we pointed it out to our carpenter, he's like, I'm not concerned about that. We're like, we are. special He's not. So we'll see how long that corner holds up for.
Speaker: You're a little nervous. Yeah. I remember when you guys sent us the email and you had the videos in it. I opened it up and I was just like, yes oh, shit. And we jumped on a call with Dio right away. We're just like, oh, no. what like Up until this point, we had thought building inspections in Japan were bulletproof. 40 page paper. You're like, OK, they did everything.
Speaker: And, uh, you know, this was a real learning moment. So thank you guys, one for being so cool and and working with ah through us, working through this with us. But yeah, me and me, you know, Joey, we're just like, what the hell just happened?
Speaker: like We tell your story almost ah every console we do. We're like building inspections going to seem really great, but just, you know, bear in mind, we had this one experience. You know, it's it's interesting because the building inspectors argument was that, well, we don't do invasive in inspecting, like picking up to tell me. And I'm like, I'm sorry, but in the past week,
Speaker: Eight different people have picked up tatami. It is extremely normal tatami. We pick up tatami all the time now. It is not problematic or damaging to pick up tatami. So don't let anyone tell you that. All these little things, like we've become quite savvy about what the specifics of Japanese properties entail and what is okay, what is not okay, what you should be looking for. And so those tatami have been picked up a million times. And so that excuse on their end was really pathetic well.
Speaker: Yeah, I think Ryo mentioned, he's like, I'm not working with this company anymore. Yeah. they I think they were initially attracted because they handled most of Japan, which is, you know, rare for the, for a building inspection business. But yeah, I think it was just such sloppy work. I mean, when they came in and did that second inspection, that was why you would think, oh, this is so impressive. They really are doing a thorough job. And that is the thing that would give you confidence if you were witnessing that and level of inspection happening. I mean, they crawled under every fourth base.
Speaker: in the house. I mean, we know where all our crawl faith entries are now because we've watched them go under, now crawling in like just a couple of feet under the floor between the floor and the dirt. Um, and so that was like really impressive. and one of the guys talked to us a lot about things and he was very concerned about earthquake safety and kept kind of going on about that.
Speaker: It's such a shame that that follows through what hadn't come through in the beginning. We weren't willing to be involved in a way that would make a customer happy, especially in the West. How are you being dealt with? mean,
Speaker: Yeah. Okay. I want to go back to Airbnb real quickly. As we're ending here, we do get a lot of people that are like, Hey, I want to buy a house. I want to Airbnb it. And we're cool. I think one thing at a time, because they are two very large, I would say almost separate projects.
Speaker: how do you How did you guys feel about that? How do you feel, you know, people that are gung-ho about buying a property and Airbnb-ing it from the start? um i There's a lot to say about that. Yeah. There's this whole thing of, and it is very trendy right now, of like a form of like neocolonization if I'm going to come in with my money, I'm going to Snap up something that a local couldn't afford and transform it into a money-making thing, whilst not necessarily being be present yeah at all.
Speaker: ah For us, it's a really different approach. We were personally captivated by the house, not for just business reasons. And then with the idea of like, happy this was in order to be able to live in Japan and be involved in community in Japan. It wasn't to be able to make a buck or just to say own a property in Japan.
Speaker: So we have come in with like such a different approach and it's such a unique situation in this small town where the very second night we were there, the day we picked up the keys to the house and looked at the house, we met the entire town at a bar in the building where we were staying.
Speaker: And it was through that, that we had pulled the key people in the town and had instant community. It was the very next day we went to this IKEA workshop tour thing and met more people. And then to two days after that, they were all at our house helping.
Speaker: That we kind of landed into a community that we have so actively been participating in and cultivating ah extremely actively. And that has made all the difference in terms of the help that we've received, the support The welcome that we've had into the community, when you tell people like, oh, we just bought a house, they do a double take and then they behave a lot differently towards you when they realize you're not just a tourist.
Speaker: um And then as they've realized over time, the way we do events for the community, we've had a really open door policy to everyone. We tell them to ping pong anytime we're there. And so we're constantly having to drop what we're doing and make tea or coffee with people and tour the house, tour them around the house and hang out.
Speaker: But that is our intentionally we're doing that because we want the community to feel very involved and invested in our business and our home and us so that we are very clear that we're coming in to be to with a reciprocal relationship.
Speaker: arrangement and we're not there just to take, we're not there to just walk in, make a business and not talk to anybody. And so our success is dependent upon the community and we want to be able to contribute and bring back to the community.
Speaker: And so, and we're in this place where it's like just the perfect storm of like tourism and artistry and community involvement and support. So I think our case is like super unique in that stance and you can find community in all of these small towns in Japan, but we're in this place that as artists actually suits us in a really ideal way.
Speaker: But that, that level of involvement and like we, we help our neighbors as much as we can. Like our friend taught us how to fix the shoji like the first time. And then I ended up having to do all of her shoji at her house.
Speaker: You know, we we help people back and forth and we we try to be as useful to them. We've done rewriting for some of the English stuff for the town. Christian will do some of the records in the future for them. And we just want to be as involved with the town itself as well as, you know, like the actual city as well as the, you know,
Speaker: Awesome. You hit the nail on the head. you know I think that's exactly the the type of person that we want to help bring into Japan because it it's sad if you're buying something and just Airbnb-ing it, never there, don't know who your neighbors are.
Speaker: We could do a better job, Jerry, of befriending our neighbors, but we try our best every time we're there, at least to Aesatsu, give them gifts. But um I think the way you guys are approaching it is so cool that you've found this termite guy who found, or this Akiya guy who identified this problem and it's it's it's it shows the community is helping you out and the more you invest in it.
Speaker: And you know, the support that a lot of the people we know are the other people who own guest houses there. And they're the ones who have given us advice or c sent their carpenters or given us some furniture.
Speaker: So, you know, there's a sense of like, well, it's not competitive because we're all doing a slightly different thing and taking a different approach. And so even though we are technically coming in as ass new foreign competition, they've been really supported.
Speaker: And, um, And, you know, if we can't accommodate people, we send them to the other place. And so there is so much support in that sense. then also from the older generation and from, yeah, it's just amazing.
Speaker: I think we're we're really blessed. And it just is a sign that we've gone to the right place. And all of this and has been exactly how it's meant to be. And we really want to create that impression in Japan that foreigners come in and they want to speak Japanese, they want to be involved with the community and to help this sell this trend that's happening, which is so If you want to call it gentrification neoclinialism or something, you know, get heady about it, but it does have an effect on the communities. And with more and more foreigners coming to Japan and some more change in their aging population requires it, we want that to be a smooth thing that people embrace rather than feel and interact to watch.
Speaker: Awesome. Well, this is some some good stuff here. I guess just a final question here. What advice would you give to someone thinking about buying Anakia or kind of embarking on this journey you guys have been on?
Speaker: have access to more money than you think you'll need. It's totally true. It's true. um That of course, mean, that goes with anything, especially when it comes to renovation, you know, of course, try to see it in person before you buy it. But even if you do, you need to know what you're looking for.
Speaker: So, um, even and just listening to the but this podcast and probably what they need to look for and learn Japanese. Yeah. If you want to ingratiate yourself with your community, you really need to make an effort.
Speaker: And we came in with me speaking some like basic Japanese I'd forgotten a lot, but um and Christian was learning from scratch and it's been really sweet to every time I'm being like to notice how I'm improving. And that's just really fun. And it just helps with community. Right on.
Speaker: Any other meat and you other major advice? I mean, kind of just touching on what we just talked about with in, in regard to like community and building that community. If you are serious about buying a property out there, know that that is probably of the most important things to, to at least expect of yourself is like be involved.
Speaker: Awesome. Sorry. Final question. What's next for you guys in Sado Inn? When are you guys going to be there next? What's happening? So it has been open since April and um we've had a lot of bookings already for our you know first couple of months of being open, which is amazing.
Speaker: We also went into that, you know, if you're thinking about being an Airbnb, I've been Airbnb-ing in my own five hundred states for the last nine years. So I already had a lot of experience as a host, how to deal with guests, what how to manage expectations and communicate and had a five-star host rating.
Speaker: So I went into this project with some confidence in Japan. And so... For the rest of this year, we just want to like get as many footings as we can start paying for the running of the place and paying back what we own.
Speaker: I'll be there for the October, October through November, which is the full session of the Seto Uchi Triunale. So it's a huge push of tourism. for the Puyunali art exhibition in the Seto Inland Sea.
Speaker: And then by 2026, we hope to be in a position where we can be there a little more permanently and um launching the first stage of the artist residency, which will be finishing the kura. Hopefully I can get there started on that in the fall so the kura can be ready by 2026 and we can get onto some websites that specialize in artist residencies and start building that up.
Speaker: And then the next level of that would be finding a property to rent Ideally, I know she meant to expand the artist. Fantastic. Well, we're excited for you. Taki and I got to get down and visit the house sometime when you guys are around.
Speaker: Yeah, October or May, I think, are my favorite seasons in Japan. April as well. Yeah. Thank you so much for joining us. um I'm sure Take will put ah your property in the show notes for people who want to check it out and maybe come stay or visit. And yeah, looking forward to what exciting things you guys accomplished in 2026. So thanks for all of your assistance.
