You get what you pay for, the old saying goes. That may be more true than ever with this condominium listing that went viral on Japanese social media recently.
A lot of English language websites tout that you can buy old, abandoned properties for cheap in Japan. And that’s true. The number of akiya (空き家) is sitting at about 13% of all homes in Japan currently. This number is liable to rise as population decline continues.
What these articles don’t tell you is that many of these homes are in a state of disrepair and will likely cost multiple times what you paid to bring them into a useful state.
Which brings us to the subject of today’s article.
The listing on Japanese realty site SUUMO went viral thanks to user @rea87736817 on X. On January 12th, they posted this picture of the listing for a cheap condominium unit in Kure City, Hiroshima Prefecture. The listing in the building, Uzushio Mansion Number 1, is a two bedroom going for 2.8 million yen – a mere USD $17,888.
“I can see myself going nuts and buying this on an impulse,” they wrote. “Heck, I might buy Uzushio Mansion Number One.”
(Note that “mansion” here is a Japanese false friend loan word that designates a large, spacious apartment building; “condominium” is the word that best approximates it in English.)
A quick search reveals that, yes, this is an actual, active listing on SUUMO. (Here’s an Internet Archive link in case someone snaps up this hot property and they take the listing down.)
The apartment is actually quite spacious by Japanese apartment standards, coming in at 93.14 square meters (around 1,000 sq. ft.). However, the interior may leave a little to be desired. As one user put it, “the decor is charming lol.”
Then again, if you’re in the market for an apartment that looks like a Showa-era retro kissa, this may just fit the bill!
The SUUMO listing touts this place as having an “oceanside view” and that it would serve well as a “second house.” Be prepared for a healthy stroll to get anywhere, however: the closest train station, Akikawajiri, is 39 minutes away by foot.
On the plus side, you might have a good neighbor. One eagle-eyed Netizen discovered a room in the building has a banner proclaiming it as “Chiitan’s House,” a reference to the self-proclaimed “crazy mascot” whose antics have made headlines in Japan and abroad.
The user wrote about their discovery: “Horrifying, I’m crying.”
I can see a YouTuber or similar somebody with money to burn buying this place on a whim. Personally, I’d worry about the building being condemned. It looks like it’s one city ordinance away from getting the Nara Dreamland treatment.
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