Akiya Banks Explained: The Hidden Front Door to Japan's Vacant Homes

The Horse Ranch in Hakodate — A Place Worth Saving

This one is different. Jonah Lane — OHJ's newest akiya liaison — visited a working horse ranch in Hakodate, Hokkaido. He didn't just look at it. He rode the horses, fed the animals, and spent real time inside the daily life of this operation. A massive piece of land with room to grow in almost any direction. An experience that people come to and remember. And it's looking for a new owner. In this episode Jonah tells the story honestly — what the ranch looks and feels like when you arrive, what working the land taught him, what the owner has built there and why they're ready to hand it on. What he saw when he looked at that property not just as a visitor but as a licensed real estate agent with an eye for what something is actually worth and what it could become. Old Houses Japan is in active conversation about finding the right person to carry this place forward. Not just any buyer. The right one. Someone who understands that what makes this ranch worth saving isn't just the land or the facilities. It's everything that's already alive on it. If something moves in you while you're listening to this — reach out. This is exactly the kind of conversation we're here to have. Links: 🎙️ Podcast: oldhousesjapanpodcast.com 🌐 Property platform: oldhousesjapan.com 📋 Grants database: oldhousesjapan.com/grants 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/oldhousesjapan 📧 Interested in the ranch: hello@oldhousesjapan.com [hello@oldhousesjapan.com]

Meet Jonah Lane — Old Houses Japan's Newest Akiya Liaison

Old Houses Japan is growing. And today you get to meet the newest member of the team. Jonah Lane is a licensed real estate agent covering DC, Maryland, and Virginia. He studied at Temple University Japan. He speaks conversational Japanese. He's been traveling back to Japan annually for years — keeping a network alive, staying connected to a place that planted its roots in him early. How early? Watching Kurosawa films with his dad as a kid. In this episode host David sits down with Jonah for a genuine introduction — no credentials list, no polished bio. The real story. How Japanese films and media built something in him long before he ever set foot in the country. Why Temple University Japan was the only college that felt right — and what he was actually looking for that staying in DC couldn't give him. The sacrifice of leaving Japan when he wanted to stay, paying for college himself, choosing Washington DC over a Niseko internship at twenty-one. What came next: three years in the luxury fitness industry coaching executives, politicians, and a certain Japanese professional basketball player's family. Then real estate at Compass — where his luxury client network, his experience closing deals across time zones with diplomat buyers, and his ability to work through transactions in Spanish and network in Japanese with commercial real estate professionals in Virginia gave him something most agents in his market didn't have. And now — why OHJ, why Japan, and why this specific moment felt like the right one. Jonah is going to be spending the majority of his time in Japan doing liaison work and business development. This is the episode where you get to know who he is before you meet him on the ground. Links: 🎙️ Podcast: oldhousesjapanpodcast.com 🌐 Property platform: oldhousesjapan.com 📋 Grants database: oldhousesjapan.com/grants 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/oldhousesjapan 📧 Get in touch: hello@oldhousesjapan.com [hello@oldhousesjapan.com]

The Best Regions in Japan Right Now — Our Current Top Four

Not historically. Not theoretically. Right now — where in Japan are the properties worth paying attention to, and why? In this episode David and Victoria each pitch two regions they're actively excited about today. Then they challenge each other. No backing down. Victoria makes the case for Niigata — specifically Joetsu and Itoigawa in the southwest, where the Hokuriku Shinkansen access most people don't know about meets snow country property prices that make no sense until you see them. And Nagasaki — where centuries of Dutch, Chinese, and Western trading history are written into the architecture, the climate is mild, and the international buyer community hasn't arrived yet. David makes the case for Hokkaido — specifically Asahikawa and Ashibetsu, a former coal mining town in central Hokkaido where David and the OHJ team just completed a client tour and found something worth paying serious attention to. And Tochigi — two hours from Tokyo, Edo-period minka and prominent kura storehouses, and almost no competition from international buyers. Closing with a rapid fire round: one sentence on who each region is actually for. The window on all four of these is moving. This is the episode that explains why. Links: 🎙️ Podcast: oldhousesjapanpodcast.com 🌐 Property platform: oldhousesjapan.com 📋 Grants database: oldhousesjapan.com/grants 📸 Instagram: instagram.com/oldhousesjapan 📧 Get in touch: hello@oldhousesjapan.com [hello@oldhousesjapan.com]

The True Cost of Owning an Old House in Japan — What Nobody Tells You Before You Buy

The purchase price is not the number. In episode four, host David and co-founder Victoria make that very clear — and they do it with a game. True or False to start. Guess the Number throughout. Victoria keeps score and has opinions about David's answers. The information is serious. The delivery is not. They cover the full cost picture of owning a traditional property in Japan — from acquisition through renovation through the annual costs most buyers never think about until they're already in it. Including Reagan's kitchen and bathroom renovation in Chiba, currently underway near the beach. The Nagasaki property David and Victoria just visited — what they found when they opened the wall panels, what was underneath, and what happens next month when the tear-down renovation begins. And why the konbini utility bill payment system is either completely brilliant or completely insane depending on who you ask. Plus: why some municipalities will cover up to fifty percent of your renovation costs — and why most buyers never find out that money exists. And Monohaus Japan — the property management company built specifically for foreign owners of traditional rural properties, for when you own the building but can't always be there. David scores eight and three quarter out of eleven. Victoria has thoughts about that. Links:🎙️ Podcast: oldhousesjapanpodcast.com🌐 Property platform: oldhousesjapan.com🏠 Property management: monohausjapan.com📋 Grants database: oldhousesjapan.com/grants📸 Instagram: instagram.com/oldhousesjapan📧 Get in touch: hello@oldhousesjapan.com [hello@oldhousesjapan.com]

Why I Became a Real Estate Agent in Japan

David was offered the chance to become a real estate agent in Japan twice. He said no both times. Then he spent two months back in the States, stepped away from the day-to-day, and came back with a different answer. In this episode Victoria turns the tables — she's asking the questions. David explains why he finally said yes, why he chose eXp Realty, and how real estate licensing in Japan actually works for agents (spoiler: no exam required). More importantly, what this changes for every client who comes to Old Houses Japan looking for property. Including the thing he'll say plainly: some agents in Japan will tell you to pick one area and only look there — not because it's the right strategy for you, but because they don't want to travel. And why that is completely unacceptable. Plus a phase-by-phase walk through the buying process as David now runs it — property tour, offer, the acceptance period, and what the key handover actually feels like after everything it took to get there. This is the episode about what OHJ is really built to do. And why the license makes it faster. Links:🎙️ Podcast: oldhousesjapanpodcast.com🌐 Property platform: oldhousesjapan.com📋 Grants database: oldhousesjapan.com/grants📸 Instagram: instagram.com/oldhousesjapan📧 Work with David: david@oldhousesjapan.com [hello@oldhousesjapan.com]