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Japan is Giving Away Free Houses (fastcompany.com)

There are some 8 million abandoned homes -- or akiya -- in Japanese suburbia, according to The Japan Times . And if you've got a visa allowing you to live in Japan, some of them can be yours for free or very low prices, and the government may give you a subsidy to renovate one. From a report: There are even databases devoted to helping people find these homes, known as "akiya banks." What's driving the government to give away homes? In part, it has to do with Japan's aging population: According to the World Bank, the country's population decreased by -0.2% in 2017 alone, while China and the U.S. slowly grew 0.6% and 0.7% respectively. There are simply fewer people in Japan than there once were -- roughly 1.3 million fewer people than in 2010 by one count [paywall].

2 of 224 comments (clear)

  1. Re:I don't think they need you Luckyo by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 5, Informative

    Far less than rural America is. I lived there for 6 years, several areas. I never had a problem. They mostly have problems with stupid tourists who get drunk and pick fights and reputations evolve from there. Americans, Britons.
    The usual. They tend to have an "american-esque" attitude towards people who don't bother to learn the language, because as a near monoculture it stands out. You wouldn't fear a racist attack like in the US, as Japanese do.
    Crime is pretty uncommon there. Whether or not people mumble things under their breath or in private about gaijinn tourists I really can't say, but as far as outspoken racist nutters, you won't find many if any.

    Try that in a red state and report back your findings, right?

  2. Re:Free houses!? by Anonymous Coward · · Score: 2, Informative

    Requirement is that you are a couple with kids under 20 (with at least 1 partner under 50 if I recall correctly), or that you are under 40 if you are single.

    You also need to move there full time.