Renovating Abandoned Houses in Japan
An expensive and yet exciting decision !
Akiya houses or abandoned houses are pretty common in Japan. The rapid increase of depopulation in rural areas is one of the main causes for this situation all over the countryside of Japan. Therefore, many houses in remote areas of “the land of the rising sun” can be so cheap that sometimes, you can have them for free…
As you can imagine, the state of Akiya houses is not always the best. For people who are keen on living in remote areas of Japan, the main challenge is not really finding a place to live, but being able to make it livable. Sometimes, Akiya houses are so bad in shape that they require a huge amount of money to be repaired and maintained.
Now comes the fabulous story of *insert drum roll sounds*
Utsunomiya san !
Hiroko Utsunomiya san (宇都宮 弘子) is a gentle Japanese lady who found a big Akiya house decades ago, in Higashiyoshino Village located in the northeastern part of Nara prefecture.
The house belonged to a rich Japanese man who was working in the Japanese doll industry. He was so good at his job that he got many awards and a statue of his own in the front yard !
You can imagine how enormous such an important man’s property is. And how hard it would be to renovate it when you’d be living in it … alone.
Utsunomiya san took on the challenge. She started by cleaning up and repairing the southern wing of the house, where she has been living since then. She decided to transform the northern wing, the center and the two annexes into a host house for guests who would like to spend time in the center of Nara prefecture, surrounded with nature and calming bird sounds in the morning.
Utsunomiya san is also an entrepreneur who runs a dyeing and weaving studio called “Utsusemi”, where she makes sustainable handmade face masks, scarfs colored with sakura, Japan blue flower and more. Using her unique imagination, she wants to cover all the wooden parts of the bathroom with wax from … Kaki.
I know right … you and I probably had no clue kaki could do that.
As part of my journey of getting more familiar with Japanese culture, I participated in cleaning a tiny part of Utsunomiya san’s house during a business trip. We kept discovering more and more hidden rooms and closets, as we kept opening one door after another. I could never imagine anybody would need this much space !
I expected to come across dust, insects of all sorts, a snake ? ahah .. my mind went straight into some Jumanji scenarios. Luckily, we only disturbed a big spider-like colony, and most probably a beehive, since one of us got stung and ran to the hospital.
If this sounds scary to you, it was rather an amazing experience and adventure for me ! We didn’t get to clean that much, as we stayed there only for one day. There is still so much work to be done, and so much adventure to live in this beautiful country.
Through SPIN, a unique story funding platform in Japan where transparency, traceability and trustability are the core values, Utsunomiya san raised funds to renovate the house that I nicknamed “the little Jumanji castle” ! Not only does she want it to be a hosting house for visitors, but also host a workshop program where you can experiment dyeing clothes (scarfs, masks, kimono & more) with her.
It’s such a beautiful way to share her knowledge! If you ever visit Nara prefecture, I highly recommend visiting Utsunomiya’s studio. And If you are thinking of raising funds for your unique story, SPIN is the right platform for you. Visit Freewill Inc., for more information !
