Why Is Nobody Buying These Abandoned Japanese Houses Buried in Snow? (From $2,000)

Ten abandoned Japanese houses (akiya) for sale in Aomori, at the northern tip of Japan's main island — from $2,000 to $23,300. This is snow country: the city of Aomori gets around eight meters of snowfall a season, and roofs here have to be cleared or the weight takes the house down. One of these houses was built in 1879. One has already had its price cut and still hasn't sold. And the cheapest one comes with almost half a hectare of rice field attached, whether you want it or not. 00:00 Intro — eight meters of snow a year 01:12 Number 10 — Hachinohe ($23,300) — the Fireworks Sunroom 03:14 Number 9 — Kuroishi ($16,700) — the Price-Cut House 05:21 Number 8 — Goshogawara ($12,000) — the 1930 Bungalow 07:33 Number 7 — Tsugaru ($10,000) — the Meiji Farmhouse, built 1879 09:53 Number 6 — Towada ($9,000) — the Five-Car House 11:47 Number 5 — Fukaura ($8,700) — the Two-Veranda House 13:45 Number 4 — Hirakawa ($6,700) — the Hot Spring Valley House 15:38 Number 3 — Tsugaru ($4,000) — the Station House 17:31 Number 2 — Tsuruta ($3,333) — the Open-Frame House 19:25 Number 1 — Kizukuri ($2,000) — the Half-Hectare House 22:34 Why none of this is moving 24:40 Outro Aomori grows around six out of every ten apples eaten in Japan. It has the Nebuta festival, Lake Towada and the Oirase gorge, the Shirakami beech forest — a UNESCO World Heritage site — and the wooden komise arcades of Kuroishi, built so people could walk the shops through deep snow. So why does none of it sell? A wooden house in Japan is commonly written down to zero value after about 22 years, while demolition runs $20,000 to $40,000. Aomori adds its own costs: snow has to come off the roof every winter, heating runs six months a year, half the houses on this list are still on pump-out toilets, and three of them come with farmland that needs a committee's approval before it transfers at all. For someone comparing these prices to a median American home at over $400,000, a British town they were priced out of, or the Australian market, the math looks very different. Which one stayed with you? Not the prettiest one — the one you kept thinking about. Tell us in the comments. Disclaimer: This video is for informational and educational purposes only. Property prices, availability, conditions, taxes, zoning, and other details can change. Always independently verify property information and consult qualified professionals before making a real estate decision. #AkiyaJapan #AbandonedHouses #Aomori #JapanRealEstate #SnowCountry #MoveToJapan #RuralJapan #LivingInJapan