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When Lawrence Covian’s five-year employment contract ended, he had no plans to return to the United States.
Cobian and his wife, Chiyoko, moved to Japan from North Carolina in July 2017 for his job with the U.S. government, and initially planned to return to the U.S. after that, but as they got used to their new life, they realized they didn’t want to leave Japan.
“After living here for five years, I felt comfortable here and loved it, so I was determined to stay,” Cobian told Business Insider.
In order to remain in Japan, he decided to continue working for the U.S. government as a contract employee.
Around the same time, the couple, who met as young adults in California and have been married for more than 30 years, decided they wanted to settle in the country more permanently.
A fan of old houses, Covian was already intrigued by the idea of ​​buying and renovating one of the 8.5 million so-called vacant houses in rural Japan.
“I’ve always loved the spaciousness and character of older homes, but it was actually the low price that prompted me to go this route,” Covian said.
Choose vacant houses over new homes
Covians aren’t the only ones attracted to this. Old abandoned house in the Japanese countryside.
In Japan, population decline and internal migration have resulted in millions of vacant houses in rural areas.Ghost Town” problem.
But low prices and a lack of restrictions on foreign property buying have seen an increasing number of foreigners buying these older homes, which many see as a way to own a home without the same financial stresses as buying property in their home countries.
Covian’s work had brought him to Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, many years ago, and the U.S. military veteran wanted to continue living in the area because it was close to his workplace.
Iwakuni is 20 miles It is about 10 minutes from the nearest big city, Hiroshima. 400 miles From Tokyo.
A few years ago, the couple happened to stop in the nearby small town of Miwa while on a bike ride, and Covian recalled how much he loved the place, with its beautiful mountain views and rice fields.
He decided to focus his search for vacant houses in the town through a vacant house bank. Database A facility maintained by local governments for abandoned or vacant buildings.
“A small local real estate agency had one request, so we reached out to them through the website,” Cobian said.
Touring the property was quite a shocking experience, he added, given its vacant condition.
The house had been vacant for about five years, with the furniture and other household items still there, while outside, weeds and vines had grown overgrown and overrun the yard.
“My wife and I were excited, but not too excited because it looked bad and we didn’t know any carpenters who could help us do the work,” he said.
But a chance encounter with a local cafe owner led the couple to Carpentry In that area.
After touring the vacant house with a carpenter, Mr. Cobian and his wife decided to buy the property. The couple paid 5 million yen (about $35,000) and hired a carpenter to do the renovations.
The asking price for the vacant house was 6 million yen, but the real estate agent offered to give them a 1 million yen discount if they were to remove it themselves.
“I said, ‘OK, I’ll do it.’ Unfortunately, they left behind beds, sheets, clothes, pots and pans and a lot of their personal belongings,” Cobian said. “I bought one of those little trucks for $1,200 and moved everything out myself.”
A fusion of Japanese and Western design influences
The entire property includes a two-story main house, guest house, garage, storage unit and 3/4 acre of land. It’s about a 40-minute drive up the mountain from his workplace.
The renovated main house is a blend of traditional Japanese and Western features.
Cobian has a tatami room and Veranda Inside the house, they added a small hallway running alongside the windows, as well as a pantry and laundry room, both of which are not often found in traditional Japanese homes.
Additionally, he didn’t want to create any small ledges in the house, except for the front steps.
“I told my husband I wanted the Roomba to be able to move around the house without getting caught,” Cobian says, “but I don’t really want a Roomba. I want it for the day when either my wife or I are in a wheelchair and can’t get out of a room because of stairs.”
Covian estimates the renovations will cost about $230,000 in total, a cost he acknowledges is higher than people might expect, but he has no regrets.
“A lot of the things we did weren’t necessary and we could have saved a lot of money if we had wanted to,” he said, adding that he and his wife wanted the home to be beautiful and comfortable just the way they envisioned it.
With the amount of money they spent, they could have bought a brand new house, but that was never their dream.
“I don’t want a new house. They’re all the same, all plastic or vinyl. No personality,” Covian added.
Most importantly, the renovated vacant house is one the couple can be proud to call their own. YouTube Channel I am recording my journey in search of vacant houses.
“Before, we moved every few years, so we never painted the walls or hung pictures,” Covian said, “but this is a place we can call home. It’s our home.”
Country Living in Japan
Before moving to Japan, Covian had been there several times to visit her mother-in-law, but those trips were not long enough to explore the countryside.
He’s been living in Japan for seven years, but still finds each day a struggle to adjust.
Although Covian takes regular Japanese language classes, he still struggles to communicate in certain situations.
“I can manage my daily life, but for example I had to go to the hospital the other day for surgery, and the medical terminology is beyond my ability,” Covian said. “So I have to rely on my wife, and I think this will be the case for years to come.”
That being said, he loves being in the country.
“Driving through the mountains is a great way to relax. I always joke with my wife that here I’m outside all the time on my own, and I’m totally happy,” Covian said. “I don’t like going to Tokyo. I don’t like going to big cities. It’s stressful.”
The slow pace of life and being surrounded by nature has also had a positive effect on his physical and mental health, he says, and life in the countryside in Japan is completely different from the ever-competitive US lifestyle.
““Of course, we like the finer things in life, but in America we’re always trying to keep up with everyone else, getting new cars, and all that nice stuff,” Covian said. “And before you know it, you’re working forever with no end in sight.”
Cobian is still working in Japan, but when he retires he plans to travel around the country in a camper van.
“I don’t want to be 60 or 70 and get sick and regret not pursuing the things I wanted to do,” he added.
Have you recently built or renovated your dream home? If you have a story you’d like to share, contact me. Agof.