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Given Japan’s problem with depopulation, is this better than just renovating a free house? For context, in many prefectures there are houses that are either fre

Given Japan’s problem with depopulation, is this better than just renovating a free house? For context, in many prefectures there are houses that are either free or cost $15,000 or less.

pancrufty 4y ago
Nobody renovates houses in Japan. You're supposed to destroy it and build anew. For 15k you're buying the lot and the right to spend a lot more than that.
- gusgus01 4y ago
  Well there's at least one person who has: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwRjO3kHxU4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwRjO3kHxU4 He mentions renovation companies as well as builders who will undertake renovations. He has many more videos detailing the process. However, being a youtuber does open up possibilities that aren't common.
- zzzbra 4y ago
  this is changing.
- justusthane 4y ago
  How come? Is it just cultural? Are there laws against it?
  - michaelt 4y ago
    > Unlike in other countries, Japanese homes gradually depreciate over time, becoming completely valueless within 20 or 30 years. When someone moves out of a home or dies, the house, unlike the land it sits on, has no resale value and is typically demolished. This scrap-and-build approach is a quirk of the Japanese housing market that can be explained variously by low-quality construction to quickly meet demand after the second world war, repeated building code revisions to improve earthquake resilience and a cycle of poor maintenance due to the lack of any incentive to make homes marketable for resale. -- https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusable-housing-revolution https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusabl... Of course, houses can be renovated - as the article explains. But going along with a country's traditional building methods is often cheaper than bucking the trends.
  - raincole 4y ago
    Because of earthquakes. Old houses are considered unsafe even after renovation. Of course things are changing as modern materials are getting more trust.
  - barking_biscuit 4y ago
    It's just cultural.
- twblalock 4y ago
  People renovate older homes, which have historical value, but most homes built in the postwar period are rightly discarded because they are thin, flimsy junk.
  - wrp 4y ago
    Yeah, it most cases it would be like renovating a used kleenex.
- fomine3 4y ago
  This is myth now. Renovation is getting more popular. Tax valuation isn't real value for resident.
- chaostheory 4y ago
  No native Japanese are renovating houses, but we’re talking about foreigners who are vlogging from their vehicles. Gaijin do renovate old Japanese houses.
Manuel_D 4y ago
The crucial difference is that vans are mobile: most of the people I know living in vans travel constantly, and that kind of nomadic life is part of the appeal.
GoldenRacer 4y ago
Depends on your goals. If you want to travel to and explorer new places on a regular basis, a van can make more sense since you aren't tired to a specific location and can go anywhere driveable at a moments notice. There are certainly tradeoffs to having that ability but for some people, it's obviously worth it.
diceduckmonk 4y ago
I don’t think the vanlife demographic in Japan are prioritizing saving money. If anything, housing would be cheaper. I pay very little on housing and considering getting a van as a luxury addition to my apartment. The tolls are quite high, too. Between Kyoto and Tokyo, which is a 6 hour drive, the tolls are about $100. In Asia, vanlife and glamming is becoming an aesthetic almost. It’s especially popular among affluent people and influencers. People in Japan buy expensive gear such as SnowPeak, including clothing to match, just to sit in a park. With all lifestyle things in Japan, people have to dress a certain way.

Given Japan’s problem with depopulation, is this better than just renovating a free house? For context, in many prefectures there are houses that are either free or cost $15,000 or less.

pancrufty 4y ago

Nobody renovates houses in Japan. You're supposed to destroy it and build anew. For 15k you're buying the lot and the right to spend a lot more than that.

gusgus01 4y ago
Well there's at least one person who has: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwRjO3kHxU4 https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=TwRjO3kHxU4 He mentions renovation companies as well as builders who will undertake renovations. He has many more videos detailing the process. However, being a youtuber does open up possibilities that aren't common.
zzzbra 4y ago
this is changing.
justusthane 4y ago
How come? Is it just cultural? Are there laws against it?
- michaelt 4y ago
  > Unlike in other countries, Japanese homes gradually depreciate over time, becoming completely valueless within 20 or 30 years. When someone moves out of a home or dies, the house, unlike the land it sits on, has no resale value and is typically demolished. This scrap-and-build approach is a quirk of the Japanese housing market that can be explained variously by low-quality construction to quickly meet demand after the second world war, repeated building code revisions to improve earthquake resilience and a cycle of poor maintenance due to the lack of any incentive to make homes marketable for resale. -- https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusable-housing-revolution https://www.theguardian.com/cities/2017/nov/16/japan-reusabl... Of course, houses can be renovated - as the article explains. But going along with a country's traditional building methods is often cheaper than bucking the trends.
- raincole 4y ago
  Because of earthquakes. Old houses are considered unsafe even after renovation. Of course things are changing as modern materials are getting more trust.
- barking_biscuit 4y ago
  It's just cultural.
twblalock 4y ago
People renovate older homes, which have historical value, but most homes built in the postwar period are rightly discarded because they are thin, flimsy junk.
- wrp 4y ago
  Yeah, it most cases it would be like renovating a used kleenex.
fomine3 4y ago
This is myth now. Renovation is getting more popular. Tax valuation isn't real value for resident.
chaostheory 4y ago
No native Japanese are renovating houses, but we’re talking about foreigners who are vlogging from their vehicles. Gaijin do renovate old Japanese houses.

Manuel_D 4y ago

The crucial difference is that vans are mobile: most of the people I know living in vans travel constantly, and that kind of nomadic life is part of the appeal.

GoldenRacer 4y ago

Depends on your goals. If you want to travel to and explorer new places on a regular basis, a van can make more sense since you aren't tired to a specific location and can go anywhere driveable at a moments notice. There are certainly tradeoffs to having that ability but for some people, it's obviously worth it.

diceduckmonk 4y ago

I don’t think the vanlife demographic in Japan are prioritizing saving money. If anything, housing would be cheaper. I pay very little on housing and considering getting a van as a luxury addition to my apartment. The tolls are quite high, too. Between Kyoto and Tokyo, which is a 6 hour drive, the tolls are about $100. In Asia, vanlife and glamming is becoming an aesthetic almost. It’s especially popular among affluent people and influencers. People in Japan buy expensive gear such as SnowPeak, including clothing to match, just to sit in a park. With all lifestyle things in Japan, people have to dress a certain way.