I managed an old japanese house as an airbnb back in 2015. The house was at least 50-60 years old and was doing pretty well except for some exterior problems. I

I managed an old japanese house as an airbnb back in 2015. The house was at least 50-60 years old and was doing pretty well except for some exterior problems. I will say that the traditional style houses are built with way fewer materials and way less insulation than western style houses which means the material waste is not nearly as high on demo. Also, they were remarkably bug free due to the wood used, being elevated, and not having tons of wall cavities to harbor pests. Overall, this style of house fits their very humid climate without needing AC to be livable whereas here in the US southeast, a house without AC and with contact with the ground, will become a bug infested mess in no time. And then the demo will create probably 10x the waste.