My akiya is located in northern Higashi Hiroshima. Of course, it's far away from the ocean and nuclear plants, and the nearest volcano is a 2-hour drive (popular destination for skiing, too). I obtained the hazard maps before buying, and noticed that the only potential dangers are flooding and possible effects from landslides -- however, the house doesn't actually sit inside any danger zones (it sits just outside a mild cautionary area). Also, upon looking at the house and surrounding area, I didn't see any particularly steep areas nearby that might offer a potential threat. Furthermore, the small waterways aren't close by, and the house sits much higher than the fields and roads in front of it (it is in the very back, with some flat land and then forest behind it). I just paid for it last Christmas morning and got the keys! A couple of days later, I made my first trip out there as the new owner and did a bit of cleaning and poking around. It seems that flooding won't be an issue as long as I get the overgrown grass and excess dirt cleaned up (it's been empty and unkept for 25 years!). This weekend, I'm taking out a power bank to charge the well pump and see what kind of water is going to come out of the ground. Of the items left behind in the house, so far I have found nearly 200 old coins, artwork, manga, an autographed Hiroshima Carp baseball, dolls, vintage toys, Sony Walkman Minidisc players/recorders, multiple old cellphones, a variety of old clocks, some racy photobooks, a ton of futons and clothes, crates and crates of large sake bottles, a metal train model -- and I'm still looking!
It sounds like you scored jackpot! 25 years vacant sounds like there'll be a lot of work to do but I guess that's where all the fun is. I'm looking forward to seeing this place on your videos and hope it becomes your full-time home soon. I'm not doing much labor work for my machiya this time but I do hope to renovate my own one day...
@@GoodOldHousesJapan Thanks! I feel a bit overwhelmed since there's so much to be done, and seemingly more each time I go out to the house. However, I am capable in some ways, plus I watch a variety of videos here on the topic, such as your channel! I learn a lot and it helps me to recognize some important things I would've otherwise overlooked. Thanks again! Arigato gozaimasu!!
@@weirdduos well, the good news is that 1) you can absolutely do it if you believe it, and 2) there is a wide range of akiya available to meet many price ranges. Keep the faith!
Sometimes this question comes up in relation to the nuclear plant issue: *Why are Hiroshima and Nagasaki safe to live in while places like Chernobyl are contaminated?* The answer is two-fold, and very simple: 1. An atomic bomb has vastly smaller amounts of radioactive material than a nuclear power plant, and 2. The bombs detonated in the air, both well over 500 meters above each city. Not only did the bombs have a fraction of the radioactive material in them, but because they exploded in the air, much of the radioactive material was expelled at high speeds and spread across a huge area via the winds. By the time it ended up on the ground, there wasn't enough concentration of it to effect the area like a power plant would, so the land is still habitable. Contrast that with Chernobyl, which had exponentially more radioactive material (talking kgs. vs tons), but wasn't nearly as powerful of an explosion, and also happened on the ground. As such, there was less material carried by the wind and much more concentrated on the ground, which is what makes it unsafe even today.
Thank you for a really informative video about where the risks are assessed to be. You're certainly right that it is sad to know the villages will disappear. The buildings are one thing, but the bigger loss is the cultural fabric of an area - stories, traditions, festivals such as the local お祭り, local art, specific artisan skills, food, farming practices that are integral to the environment, as is the case with 里山, and don't forget the disappearance of local dialects.
with all factors taken into consideration....the final section of the video become most valuable... Thank you so much for your hard work! I just started look into buying and renovating a countryside house in Japan!
Nice, that's just what I was looking for!. Id also avoid the whole west/north coast since I consider the amount of snow that it gets a danger for an old house
I admire the design of the old homes. Japanese people are fantastic craftsman. You are all very detail oriented. I also admire the way ancient buildings were designed to withstand earthquakes.
I actually completly forgott about all the natural disasters in japan. Thank you for this information, now i know what to look out for when buying an akiya myself one day!
Even if you add the deaths from natural disasters to the number of deaths from murders and homicides, Japan is still one of the safest countries in the world to live in.
Feeling so glad I picked Uruguay as home. We may not have all the trains and skyscrapers, but we have NONE of these natural disasters. Still looking forward to visiting my one of my favorite countries, Japan!
Thank you for explaining that in such an easy to understand fashion. The best is you sum it up with an overlay of hazards and conclude with safe region recommendations.
I was very curious to see such maps, thanks for sharing them! Would you have some similar maps for climate/weather along the year ? :) I was wondering which area would be the least humid and hot.
Thank you for sharing your interest in Akiya houses. This one on hazard areas affected by natural disasters is very useful, including the depopulation areas when considering buying a home in Japan. I wished to know more about home insurance which is related to this subject and how do a typical Japanese homeowner deal with it in general. Hope you can make a video on this subject. Thank you.
Thank you, though I don't think I'll be moving to japan, it's interesting to hear about this regardless. The problem of aging/declining population is something my country can also look forward to in the next few decades.
Very useful. Thanks! My partner and I are developing a winery in Kamigori, Hyogo, which will likely involve agri-tourism. I am hoping that kominka redevelopment will come along with it.
@@titiwa5768 Many thanks for your interest. Our MOTO Farm is in the town of Kamigori, which is the southwest end of Hyogo prefecture. From JR Ashiya, you can take Shinkaisoku to the west. Some Shinkaisoku go all the way to Kamigori, but most stop at Himeji, from where you need to take a local train to further west. From the Kamigori station, the farm is about 15min by taxi. You may be able to spot it by Google map (please Google by “MOTO Farm”).
@@titiwa5768 Thanks for your interest. Our vineyard, MOTO Farm, is located in the town of Kamigori, which is in the southwest end Hyogo prefecture. From Ashiya, you can take Shinkaisoku toward west. Some Shinkaisoku goes all the way to Kamigori, but most stop at Himeji, where you need to change to a local train to get to Kamigori. MOTO Farm is about 15min away from the JR Kamigori station by taxi. You can find it in Google Map by searching with MOTO Farm. Please bear in mind, though, that we are in an early stage of winery development. We are yet to expand the vineyard and build a wine brewery.
@@noritakaakamatsu9713 Thank you for your reply, sounds great, vineyard + brewery! Ok I see where it is. How did you find this property for sale, through some fudosan-ya or Akiya-bank or..? Have a good day!
@@titiwa5768 The property was and is owned by a grape farmer running MOTO Farm. He was looking for an investor to realise his plan to develop the farm into a serious winery. On the other hand, I was looking for an agri-business in Kamigori to invest. Then ex-mayor of Kamigori Town introduced us to each other.
This paints areas with huge brush strokes. I live in Kagoshima. The volcano erupts ALL THE TIME. Sometimes 1,000 times a year, sometimes a few dozen times. We barely notice it unless ash comes our way. I go ice skating in the mountains only 1km from a recently active volcano. The roads are closed a radius of 1km away but life goes on otherwise. Tsunami hit even new homes. I wouldn't exclude places just because there MAY be a tsunami in the next 10,000 years. I'm not keen on living near a nuclear power plant but it's a bit of a scare tactic suggesting that another Fukushima might happen. The only point I totally agree with is places that are suffering from depopulation... if you plan on living there permanently. Services become few and far between.
This is video, especially the combined map at the end, is very helpful for me - thank you! I was doing some research on Nagano city in Nagano Prefecture and it looks beautiful. You didn't mention it in this video, but seeing where it is on the map, I see that it's not near any earthquake/tsunami high risk zones, and not close to any nuclear plant or volcanoes. Would you say it's a relatively safe place?
Very interesting, and I noticed it was 3 years ago when you actually made this video. I have never travelled to Japan, although I would dearly love to. Japan is the most beautiful country on Earth, but as you said, the most dangerous! You obviously did a lot of research to make this video, but you were sure to make no guarantees. Which was just as well, as one of the areas you described as 'probably safe', was the Toyama & Kanazawa region. I remember at the beginning of the year, the awful earthquake to affect to Noto peninsula (The same day as the terrible accident at Haneda). Nobody is able to accurately predict any disaster in Japan - or anywhere else in fact - but your video did your best. Thank you for your hard work making this.
Thank you for the kind words. There’s no escaping from natural disasters when living in a country like Japan, the best to do is be prepared. The Japanese people are the most resilient people in the world so they always find a way to come back on its feet.
@@GoodOldHousesJapan This is so completely true. Japan will always get back to their feet. I remember seeing many videos about the terrible earthquake in Sendai in 03/2011. I saw all the destruction and personal tragedies caused by it, and the resulting tsunami. It made me cry and I thought to myself 'How does anyone recover from this?' Not only did they recover, and start rebuilding, but they did it with nobody else's help! I love Japan so much, even though I have never been there, because of what they do in the face of disaster. They don't talk about it and feel sorry for themselves, they just get on and do it - for their families, friends, neighbours and all their fellow countrymen.
Uda city should be relatively safe from earthquakes, but just make sure the house is not in the landslide danger zone! Lots of rain in southern part of Nara prefecture.
Lots of solid, akiya in fair condition in Chichibu, Saitama...which is an awesome traditional town that has a comfortable 90 minute express train to Tokyo
Interesting that Okayama or Hiroshima are completely left off as options for your recommendation. My wifes family is in okayama and I think it seems like a nice area. They are on the coast and seem to be relacitely isolated from most od the disasters except earthquake. But i lived in Nara and I definitely like Kansai more. Of course that area is just as earthquake prone. Sad the see rhe rate of population decline in South Nara and Wakayama, but its not totally unexpected.
Very informative content indeed and your voice sound like Tokyo Llama youtube channel he lives in Tokyo Japan as well originally from Australia Very clear and understandable
Shikoku actually looked better than almost every other region. Only the southern coast in the hypothetical earthquake/tsunami scenario was an issue. No volcanoes, One isolated nuclear plant, not particularly at risk of landslides (and landslides are very localized issues). Overall, Shikoku and Chugoku were consistently "safer" areas.
I would add any house built on landfill. Avoid neighborhoods that have names with kanji like 池 (pond)etc, which no longer has an apparent pond present. Landfill plots move MUCH more in an earthquake.
Every place has some kind of natural disaster. I have grown up in a earthquake area; so I’m fairly numb to earthquakes. I respect them, however I don’t live in fear of them. Everyone weighs the pros and cons and makes their own decisions. I’m getting old and I have more of the mindset of when it’s time it’s time. I’m not going to dare my time to come sooner than it needs to, but I’m living in fear of it. A place where I can enjoy my life is most important. I’m not a Japanese citizen, however I would like to purchase a place and live part time in Japan, avoiding the bad weather times. 😂 😉 Thank you for the information!
Thanks for the video, although it's a broad-brush approach. Street crime and violence far outweighs natural disasters, so one shouldn't worry too much in Japan compared to the USA, but yes, avoid buying waterfront property. I live in the mountains of Gunma, where we have population decline and dangerous wild animals (including bears, wild boar, giant hornets and monkeys). No centipedes or cockroaches (due to altitude), but there are gossipy neighbors who are suspicious of foreigners. Many beautiful dormant volcanoes surround us, and hopefully will stay that way. Nonetheless, clean air and water, safe streets, spacious lots, nice views, a low cost of living, and cooler summer weather make it a pleasant place to live. So if you can handle living 20-60 minutes away from urban civilities, the mountains of Japan are wonderful.
Outweighs in Japan? Clearly not. Many people die in major earthquakes and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami had major mortality. I hope you prepare for such events as it's a matter of when, not if they will occur.
Even in the US, a significant percentage of street crime and violent crimes are committed in very isolated areas of the country. Even within cities, much of the crime is limited to specific areas.
I would happily live right next to a nuclear power plant if I could, there's practically nowhere safer to live. There were two closer plants to the epicentre of the 2011 earthquake, hit by stronger shaking and taller tsunami waves, but they had sufficient seawalls (Onagawa) or sensible placements of backup generators (Fukushima II). It's truly telling that in such a seismically active country, there's never been a major radiological accident due to earthquakes.
These ares are not really safe though, they are located on the coast which itself has the risk of both tsunami and landslides. Fukushima Daiichi and Daini were major radiological disasters with uncontrolled release of radioactive materials and all units never to operate again.
@@rsmith02..Daini never released any radioactive materials though Did you miss the part where I talked about Onagawa? That plant's slated to have its two newer reactors restarted. It got hit by the strongest shaking and tallest tsunami waves. TEPCO's corruption and lax safety attitudes are no inherent inditement of nuclear power.
@@TheSonic10160 TEPCO's corruption and lax safety attitudes ARE an indictment of nuclear power in Japan if TEPCO is running the nuclear power plants. "Nuclear power is safe" is an empty statement if the actual plants are unable or unwilling to operate safely. Nuclear power can be made safer or more dangerous depending on how it is operated, and that is the only meaningful way to assess it.
@@vlo4829 But nuclear power objectively is safe, it has the least deaths per kW/h of any generating source. Furthermore, TEPCO as a business has been raked over the coals for their lackadaisical attitude. Firstly the PR hit has been enormous, secondly they've lost income by having to shut down their nuclear reactors, and thirdly they've had to pay damages and also for the retrofitting to their remaining plants. Where it would really suck would be the company that runs Onagawa or some other NPP that was well above the tsunami and earthquake code at the time and could have been generating power all this time in TEPCO's stead but were also forced to close as part of the Japanese Government's kneejerk overreaction.
@@TheSonic10160 I don't disagree. My point is just that the reality of the specific company or plant must be taken into account, because safety can be sabotaged if they have lax protocols, are shirking regulations, are not being regulated or properly audited/checked on, etc.
I think one reason is that it hasn’t been inhabited by the Japanese for as long as the other main islands. It used to be sparsely populated by the native Ainu people, and a concerted effort to settle the island by Japan wasn’t made until the latter half of the 1800s. In addition to this, a major goal for the settlement of Hokkaido was to bolster Japan’s agricultural output. As a result, much of the island’s land area became, and continues to be, sparsely populated farmland. Even without taking the declining birth rate into account, many rural areas across Japan also lose some of their population because many young people leave in order to pursue job opportunities in large cities like Tokyo. While Hokkaido does have a few sizable cities (namely Sapporo, Hakodate, and Asahikawa), I’m sure there are still a lot of young people who opt to move to cities in other prefectures instead. From what I’ve gathered, Hokkaido also seems to get a bad rap from some people in the more southern prefectures as being a cold, frozen wasteland. Although this is more-so just a stereotype, the supposed harshness of the climate does dissuade people from moving there.
Kanazawa city & most of Toyama prefecture (except Himi, which is part of Noto peninsula) actually have only minimal damage from the earthquake. Noto peninsula though is off the list for now I guess.....
It's just a risk map. Toyama, Kanazawa, Osaka, Kyoto, etc. have been deemed to be low-risk areas, but all it takes is ONE earthquake and any of those cities could be devastated. Also, marking the fault lines as the places to avoid is not a good way to assess where the most damage will occur in an earthquake. It is almost never the fault line itself that experiences the worst of an earthquake.
"Land of the Rising Sun" means nothing to 99.9% of Japanese these days. That is because it is an expression created in China to refer to Japan since Japan is east of China. However, about 90 years ago the west expanded it's meaning to refer to Japan's imperial ambitions and territorial expansion of that time.
Really good map, yeah i don’t want to be by plants, that could new nuclear waste transport vehicles driving by, they might vent to test it or whatever, then the 1000000 year particle’s landing on my roof, birds flying into storage buildings then carrying the particles on my house (happened in uk already)
It’s not about nuclear plants in general, but one of the worst natural disasters in Japanese history, which happened very recently involved all the things he just mentioned at one, a tsunami, earthquake and Nuclear plant disaster at one (one affecting the others). So for Japan, this is something to really consider.
I finally watched this video, and despite the silly thumbnail, it's a really informative video.
Thanks for the compliment and sorry for the silly thumbnail...😂
Really good info. Although I am an old person, I wish I can be your student or something.
My akiya is located in northern Higashi Hiroshima. Of course, it's far away from the ocean and nuclear plants, and the nearest volcano is a 2-hour drive (popular destination for skiing, too). I obtained the hazard maps before buying, and noticed that the only potential dangers are flooding and possible effects from landslides -- however, the house doesn't actually sit inside any danger zones (it sits just outside a mild cautionary area). Also, upon looking at the house and surrounding area, I didn't see any particularly steep areas nearby that might offer a potential threat. Furthermore, the small waterways aren't close by, and the house sits much higher than the fields and roads in front of it (it is in the very back, with some flat land and then forest behind it). I just paid for it last Christmas morning and got the keys! A couple of days later, I made my first trip out there as the new owner and did a bit of cleaning and poking around. It seems that flooding won't be an issue as long as I get the overgrown grass and excess dirt cleaned up (it's been empty and unkept for 25 years!). This weekend, I'm taking out a power bank to charge the well pump and see what kind of water is going to come out of the ground. Of the items left behind in the house, so far I have found nearly 200 old coins, artwork, manga, an autographed Hiroshima Carp baseball, dolls, vintage toys, Sony Walkman Minidisc players/recorders, multiple old cellphones, a variety of old clocks, some racy photobooks, a ton of futons and clothes, crates and crates of large sake bottles, a metal train model -- and I'm still looking!
It sounds like you scored jackpot! 25 years vacant sounds like there'll be a lot of work to do but I guess that's where all the fun is. I'm looking forward to seeing this place on your videos and hope it becomes your full-time home soon. I'm not doing much labor work for my machiya this time but I do hope to renovate my own one day...
@@GoodOldHousesJapan Thanks! I feel a bit overwhelmed since there's so much to be done, and seemingly more each time I go out to the house. However, I am capable in some ways, plus I watch a variety of videos here on the topic, such as your channel! I learn a lot and it helps me to recognize some important things I would've otherwise overlooked. Thanks again! Arigato gozaimasu!!
Good for u 💖.. hopefully i can get one too in future 🥺🥺🙏 need to save more 💵💵 1st 💪💪
@@weirdduos well, the good news is that 1) you can absolutely do it if you believe it, and 2) there is a wide range of akiya available to meet many price ranges. Keep the faith!
Living near a nuclear power plant is not dangerous. There’s more radioactivity in a potato chip. This is a scientific fact
Sometimes this question comes up in relation to the nuclear plant issue: *Why are Hiroshima and Nagasaki safe to live in while places like Chernobyl are contaminated?*
The answer is two-fold, and very simple: 1. An atomic bomb has vastly smaller amounts of radioactive material than a nuclear power plant, and 2. The bombs detonated in the air, both well over 500 meters above each city.
Not only did the bombs have a fraction of the radioactive material in them, but because they exploded in the air, much of the radioactive material was expelled at high speeds and spread across a huge area via the winds. By the time it ended up on the ground, there wasn't enough concentration of it to effect the area like a power plant would, so the land is still habitable. Contrast that with Chernobyl, which had exponentially more radioactive material (talking kgs. vs tons), but wasn't nearly as powerful of an explosion, and also happened on the ground. As such, there was less material carried by the wind and much more concentrated on the ground, which is what makes it unsafe even today.
Thanks for the explanation, but I don’t think I would visit those two cities.
Thank you for a really informative video about where the risks are assessed to be. You're certainly right that it is sad to know the villages will disappear. The buildings are one thing, but the bigger loss is the cultural fabric of an area - stories, traditions, festivals such as the local お祭り, local art, specific artisan skills, food, farming practices that are integral to the environment, as is the case with 里山, and don't forget the disappearance of local dialects.
Absolutely....decreasing population leads to one thing and another....very sad and will only get worse with the current immigration policies.
I live in Okayama for 27 years but there’s no big calamity except the bitchu Takahashi flood in 2018 the river overflow …
Yes I feel Chukoku region (including Okayama) is relatively safe, except the recent heavy rain falls and flooding...
that compiled map at the end was a very useful addition, thank you for the video!
Thank you I am glad the map was useful!
めちゃ普通の日本人が正しい英語でまともな話してる！とても良いですね！👍
This is exactly what I’ve been looking for, thank you for sharing!
No problem! I hope this helps.
Kanazawa and Toyama cities are deep snow area. It’s not “disaster,” but it’s pain in the butt to remove snow from the roof or entry way frequently.😅
with all factors taken into consideration....the final section of the video become most valuable... Thank you so much for your hard work! I just started look into buying and renovating a countryside house in Japan!
then i saw your other video on maps on crime .... ah more maps to lay on top :,D (cry silently)
Nice, that's just what I was looking for!. Id also avoid the whole west/north coast since I consider the amount of snow that it gets a danger for an old house
I admire the design of the old homes. Japanese people are fantastic craftsman. You are all very detail oriented. I also admire the way ancient buildings were designed to withstand earthquakes.
Very helpful, thank you! I can see why Hokkaido is depopulating, but I also feel like it's a great place to move as far as overall quality of life.
I actually completly forgott about all the natural disasters in japan. Thank you for this information, now i know what to look out for when buying an akiya myself one day!
Even if you add the deaths from natural disasters to the number of deaths from murders and homicides, Japan is still one of the safest countries in the world to live in.
Not from investors' point of view also other safe countries exist with less disaster and dying population
Feeling so glad I picked Uruguay as home. We may not have all the trains and skyscrapers, but we have NONE of these natural disasters. Still looking forward to visiting my one of my favorite countries, Japan!
Thank you for explaining that in such an easy to understand fashion. The best is you sum it up with an overlay of hazards and conclude with safe region recommendations.
I was very curious to see such maps, thanks for sharing them! Would you have some similar maps for climate/weather along the year ? :) I was wondering which area would be the least humid and hot.
And if none of those 5 areas affect you, you still have to worry about Godzilla, Mothra, and Ghost.
First video I’ve seen from your channel, glanced at the other videos and instantly subscribed. I hope your channel grows 🙏 Thank you!
Great video! Currently sitting in a cafe in Nagoya worried about the Nankai trough!
Thank you for the information. I will keep this in mind on my search
Thank you for sharing your interest in Akiya houses. This one on hazard areas affected by natural disasters is very useful, including the depopulation areas when considering buying a home in Japan. I wished to know more about home insurance which is related to this subject and how do a typical Japanese homeowner deal with it in general. Hope you can make a video on this subject. Thank you.
Thanks! This was very informative! I am looking at buying an Akiya home so knowing where to avoid is good!
I was comforted by the soothing music in the background of your video.
Thank you! Hope you didn't fell asleep...
I didn't plan on it, but nice to find out my neighborhood in Kamigyo is safe from flooding. 😀
You forgot Godzilla
Ok Ok I'll see myself out... :(
(slow clap)
@@GoodOldHousesJapan HAHAHA
This is gold :))
Thank you, though I don't think I'll be moving to japan, it's interesting to hear about this regardless. The problem of aging/declining population is something my country can also look forward to in the next few decades.
Thank you for watching! If nothing changes Japan is going to be full of Oji-san Oba-san by 2050...
Very useful. Thanks! My partner and I are developing a winery in Kamigori, Hyogo, which will likely involve agri-tourism. I am hoping that kominka redevelopment will come along with it.
Hello, where’s located in Hyogo? ( I’ve living in Ashiya for 25 years) 👍
@@titiwa5768 Many thanks for your interest. Our MOTO Farm is in the town of Kamigori, which is the southwest end of Hyogo prefecture. From JR Ashiya, you can take Shinkaisoku to the west. Some Shinkaisoku go all the way to Kamigori, but most stop at Himeji, from where you need to take a local train to further west. From the Kamigori station, the farm is about 15min by taxi. You may be able to spot it by Google map (please Google by “MOTO Farm”).
@@titiwa5768 Thanks for your interest. Our vineyard, MOTO Farm, is located in the town of Kamigori, which is in the southwest end Hyogo prefecture. From Ashiya, you can take Shinkaisoku toward west. Some Shinkaisoku goes all the way to Kamigori, but most stop at Himeji, where you need to change to a local train to get to Kamigori. MOTO Farm is about 15min away from the JR Kamigori station by taxi. You can find it in Google Map by searching with MOTO Farm.
Please bear in mind, though, that we are in an early stage of winery development. We are yet to expand the vineyard and build a wine brewery.
@@noritakaakamatsu9713 Thank you for your reply, sounds great, vineyard + brewery! Ok I see where it is. How did you find this property for sale, through some fudosan-ya or Akiya-bank or..? Have a good day!
@@titiwa5768 The property was and is owned by a grape farmer running MOTO Farm. He was looking for an investor to realise his plan to develop the farm into a serious winery. On the other hand, I was looking for an agri-business in Kamigori to invest. Then ex-mayor of Kamigori Town introduced us to each other.
Thank you for the insight! I will take this into consideration when suggesting my family's emigration.
Thank you! I'm glad the video was helpful.
Thank you for providing helpful & detailed information. 🙏🏻
All very interesting. But practically speaking - when one wants to do their due diligence, are any of these data maps available in English?
This paints areas with huge brush strokes. I live in Kagoshima. The volcano erupts ALL THE TIME. Sometimes 1,000 times a year, sometimes a few dozen times. We barely notice it unless ash comes our way. I go ice skating in the mountains only 1km from a recently active volcano. The roads are closed a radius of 1km away but life goes on otherwise. Tsunami hit even new homes. I wouldn't exclude places just because there MAY be a tsunami in the next 10,000 years.
I'm not keen on living near a nuclear power plant but it's a bit of a scare tactic suggesting that another Fukushima might happen.
The only point I totally agree with is places that are suffering from depopulation... if you plan on living there permanently. Services become few and far between.
Very informational, much appreciated!
Thank you Levi and Yetta for watching!
This is video, especially the combined map at the end, is very helpful for me - thank you!
I was doing some research on Nagano city in Nagano Prefecture and it looks beautiful. You didn't mention it in this video, but seeing where it is on the map, I see that it's not near any earthquake/tsunami high risk zones, and not close to any nuclear plant or volcanoes. Would you say it's a relatively safe place?
Very interesting, and I noticed it was 3 years ago when you actually made this video. I have never travelled to Japan, although I would dearly love to. Japan is the most beautiful country on Earth, but as you said, the most dangerous! You obviously did a lot of research to make this video, but you were sure to make no guarantees. Which was just as well, as one of the areas you described as 'probably safe', was the Toyama & Kanazawa region. I remember at the beginning of the year, the awful earthquake to affect to Noto peninsula (The same day as the terrible accident at Haneda).
Nobody is able to accurately predict any disaster in Japan - or anywhere else in fact - but your video did your best. Thank you for your hard work making this.
Thank you for the kind words. There’s no escaping from natural disasters when living in a country like Japan, the best to do is be prepared. The Japanese people are the most resilient people in the world so they always find a way to come back on its feet.
@@GoodOldHousesJapan This is so completely true. Japan will always get back to their feet. I remember seeing many videos about the terrible earthquake in Sendai in 03/2011. I saw all the destruction and personal tragedies caused by it, and the resulting tsunami. It made me cry and I thought to myself 'How does anyone recover from this?'
Not only did they recover, and start rebuilding, but they did it with nobody else's help!
I love Japan so much, even though I have never been there, because of what they do in the face of disaster. They don't talk about it and feel sorry for themselves, they just get on and do it - for their families, friends, neighbours and all their fellow countrymen.
What about Uda city, located in northeastern Nara Prefecture? In your opinion is it a safe place? Greetings from Brazil.
Uda city should be relatively safe from earthquakes, but just make sure the house is not in the landslide danger zone! Lots of rain in southern part of Nara prefecture.
Love your content, keep going man! Any chance you could share the summarised AI doc with us? (12:40 time)
Lots of solid, akiya in fair condition in Chichibu, Saitama...which is an awesome traditional town that has a comfortable 90 minute express train to Tokyo
Thank you so much for this video
This was incredible! Much appreciated.
Thank you Stefan, I hope you liked the maps!
would you be able to do an updated version of this video, if anything has changed since the noto earthquake on new years
Very informative video👍 could you share the links of the various reports for my further research? Thanks 🙏
Hi Sean, thanks for watching! I've included most if not all links in the description. Is there any particular report you want to see?
Thank you very much
Wakayama, should be safe, yes?
Protect this man at all cost. He is singlehandedly keeping Japan safe from gentrification 😂
😂
Interesting that Okayama or Hiroshima are completely left off as options for your recommendation.
My wifes family is in okayama and I think it seems like a nice area. They are on the coast and seem to be relacitely isolated from most od the disasters except earthquake. But i lived in Nara and I definitely like Kansai more.
Of course that area is just as earthquake prone.
Sad the see rhe rate of population decline in South Nara and Wakayama, but its not totally unexpected.
The self deprecation, "you can ignore..." made me laugh harder than it should have but, it gave definite cassandra vibes.
Very informative content indeed and your voice sound like Tokyo Llama youtube channel he lives in Tokyo Japan as well originally from Australia
Very clear and understandable
Japan is so beautiful
Very interesting - I notice the areas I like, Nara & Shikoku don't look too good!!
Out of the two I would choose Nara over Shikoku! Although living close to the Setouchi inland sea is quite a romantic idea...warm and sunny as well.
@@GoodOldHousesJapan I'd settle for Nara!
Shikoku actually looked better than almost every other region. Only the southern coast in the hypothetical earthquake/tsunami scenario was an issue. No volcanoes, One isolated nuclear plant, not particularly at risk of landslides (and landslides are very localized issues). Overall, Shikoku and Chugoku were consistently "safer" areas.
Thank you for the great information))
No problem and hope it was useful to you :)
Exceptional work and thanks for sharing!!
I would add any house built on landfill. Avoid neighborhoods that have names with kanji like 池 (pond)etc, which no longer has an apparent pond present. Landfill plots move MUCH more in an earthquake.
Thank you for the valuable input. This is exactly the 上級編 video that I have been wanting to make...!
Great video...very informative and eye opening!
Thank you!! Glad you enjoyed the video :)
Thank for your video
really informative
Every place has some kind of natural disaster. I have grown up in a earthquake area; so I’m fairly numb to earthquakes. I respect them, however I don’t live in fear of them. Everyone weighs the pros and cons and makes their own decisions. I’m getting old and I have more of the mindset of when it’s time it’s time. I’m not going to dare my time to come sooner than it needs to, but I’m living in fear of it. A place where I can enjoy my life is most important. I’m not a Japanese citizen, however I would like to purchase a place and live part time in Japan, avoiding the bad weather times. 😂 😉 Thank you for the information!
Extremely useful information. Thank you so very much. You made it so easy to understand and well put together. Big thank you again
No problem! I am glad you find the video helpful :)
thank you for your extensive research and making this plan both informative and useful.
Glad it was helpful!
how to find such akiyas? is there any real estate agent whom you would recommend?
Thats a nice first focus information needed in any place, thank you
Good work!
Thank you for the comment!
So happy to see that although I knew nothing of Japan, I ended up in Takaoka and I am in the green area lol
hey thanks thanks , very helpful informations ! How about Narita area is it save ?
It's flat farmland. Do you want to live there?
Which area have less snow 🤔
Wakayama mountains villages are very nice. Too bad people are moving out...
Cool video. Thanks for putting this together.
bough my second home in Fukuoka, i didn't take into account the nuclear power plants we have here. hmmmmmmmmmmmmm
This is so helpful, thank you!!!
Thank you and glad it helped! :)
A lot of people dont address these issues it was the first concern on my husband mind
Thanks for the video, although it's a broad-brush approach. Street crime and violence far outweighs natural disasters, so one shouldn't worry too much in Japan compared to the USA, but yes, avoid buying waterfront property. I live in the mountains of Gunma, where we have population decline and dangerous wild animals (including bears, wild boar, giant hornets and monkeys). No centipedes or cockroaches (due to altitude), but there are gossipy neighbors who are suspicious of foreigners. Many beautiful dormant volcanoes surround us, and hopefully will stay that way. Nonetheless, clean air and water, safe streets, spacious lots, nice views, a low cost of living, and cooler summer weather make it a pleasant place to live. So if you can handle living 20-60 minutes away from urban civilities, the mountains of Japan are wonderful.
Outweighs in Japan? Clearly not. Many people die in major earthquakes and the 2011 earthquake and tsunami had major mortality. I hope you prepare for such events as it's a matter of when, not if they will occur.
Even in the US, a significant percentage of street crime and violent crimes are committed in very isolated areas of the country. Even within cities, much of the crime is limited to specific areas.
I would happily live right next to a nuclear power plant if I could, there's practically nowhere safer to live. There were two closer plants to the epicentre of the 2011 earthquake, hit by stronger shaking and taller tsunami waves, but they had sufficient seawalls (Onagawa) or sensible placements of backup generators (Fukushima II).
It's truly telling that in such a seismically active country, there's never been a major radiological accident due to earthquakes.
These ares are not really safe though, they are located on the coast which itself has the risk of both tsunami and landslides. Fukushima Daiichi and Daini were major radiological disasters with uncontrolled release of radioactive materials and all units never to operate again.
@@rsmith02..Daini never released any radioactive materials though
Did you miss the part where I talked about Onagawa? That plant's slated to have its two newer reactors restarted. It got hit by the strongest shaking and tallest tsunami waves.
TEPCO's corruption and lax safety attitudes are no inherent inditement of nuclear power.
@@TheSonic10160 TEPCO's corruption and lax safety attitudes ARE an indictment of nuclear power in Japan if TEPCO is running the nuclear power plants. "Nuclear power is safe" is an empty statement if the actual plants are unable or unwilling to operate safely. Nuclear power can be made safer or more dangerous depending on how it is operated, and that is the only meaningful way to assess it.
@@vlo4829 But nuclear power objectively is safe, it has the least deaths per kW/h of any generating source.
Furthermore, TEPCO as a business has been raked over the coals for their lackadaisical attitude. Firstly the PR hit has been enormous, secondly they've lost income by having to shut down their nuclear reactors, and thirdly they've had to pay damages and also for the retrofitting to their remaining plants.
Where it would really suck would be the company that runs Onagawa or some other NPP that was well above the tsunami and earthquake code at the time and could have been generating power all this time in TEPCO's stead but were also forced to close as part of the Japanese Government's kneejerk overreaction.
@@TheSonic10160 I don't disagree. My point is just that the reality of the specific company or plant must be taken into account, because safety can be sabotaged if they have lax protocols, are shirking regulations, are not being regulated or properly audited/checked on, etc.
That mukade drawing is way to cute compared to the reality of them 😂
I didn't even want to search for actual mukade photos 😂 luckily there were people who drew the cute illustrations.
Wow Great video!!
Thank you Julie! Glad you liked it.
Thanks for very detailed information👏
No problem! I hope the video was helpful.
Why is Hokkaido so depopulated?
I think one reason is that it hasn’t been inhabited by the Japanese for as long as the other main islands. It used to be sparsely populated by the native Ainu people, and a concerted effort to settle the island by Japan wasn’t made until the latter half of the 1800s. In addition to this, a major goal for the settlement of Hokkaido was to bolster Japan’s agricultural output. As a result, much of the island’s land area became, and continues to be, sparsely populated farmland.
Even without taking the declining birth rate into account, many rural areas across Japan also lose some of their population because many young people leave in order to pursue job opportunities in large cities like Tokyo. While Hokkaido does have a few sizable cities (namely Sapporo, Hakodate, and Asahikawa), I’m sure there are still a lot of young people who opt to move to cities in other prefectures instead.
From what I’ve gathered, Hokkaido also seems to get a bad rap from some people in the more southern prefectures as being a cold, frozen wasteland. Although this is more-so just a stereotype, the supposed harshness of the climate does dissuade people from moving there.
nicely done!
Thank you! It has one of the fewest views so I might have to change that thumbnail... :(
@@GoodOldHousesJapan i think people underestimate the value of the information the video provides. the topic is important to consider.
@@GoodOldHousesJapan I appreciated the information, even if it didn't get a lot of views. :)
@@Munchprime Then I shall keep making them!
11:27 composite map of all disaster areas
It boils down to do you want to deal with gun crime or natural disasters
Thank you!
What about Okinawa? Seems to be in Kyoto is the intelligent choice 😅
kinda scary, but i just want to live in japan, i was there in my 20s and now in my 40s too old for what ifs good info though
🙏Very useful video. Thank you! 🙏
Thank you! Glad you liked the video.
Thank you for the information it will be helpful.
Thank you! Glad you find the video helpful :)
If the house is old and still standing you're probably good.
Since when are centipedes worse than cockroaches?
But on a serious note, thank you… this video was extremely informative.
Appreciate the kind words :)
I guess Kanzawa / Toyama City are off the list now.
Kanazawa city & most of Toyama prefecture (except Himi, which is part of Noto peninsula) actually have only minimal damage from the earthquake. Noto peninsula though is off the list for now I guess.....
It's just a risk map. Toyama, Kanazawa, Osaka, Kyoto, etc. have been deemed to be low-risk areas, but all it takes is ONE earthquake and any of those cities could be devastated. Also, marking the fault lines as the places to avoid is not a good way to assess where the most damage will occur in an earthquake. It is almost never the fault line itself that experiences the worst of an earthquake.
great info thanks!
"Land of the Rising Sun" means nothing to 99.9% of Japanese these days.
That is because it is an expression created in China to refer to Japan since Japan is east of China. However, about 90 years ago the west expanded it's meaning to refer to Japan's imperial ambitions and territorial expansion of that time.
Kanazawa and Toyama... didn't age very well, lol
Nuclear plants aren’t a problem, the American design is.
Really good map, yeah i don’t want to be by plants, that could new nuclear waste transport vehicles driving by, they might vent to test it or whatever, then the 1000000 year particle’s landing on my roof, birds flying into storage buildings then carrying the particles on my house (happened in uk already)
......I want to live on the edge of a volatile volcano
Kagoshima is ideal
Let’s not forget Fukushima
Avoid haunted houses.
A supernatural disasters map would be fun!
Be careful with godzilla too
Don't mind living next to a nuclear power plant at all. The fear of nuclear is so overblown and exploited.
It's really just personal choices...
It’s not about nuclear plants in general, but one of the worst natural disasters in Japanese history, which happened very recently involved all the things he just mentioned at one, a tsunami, earthquake and Nuclear plant disaster at one (one affecting the others). So for Japan, this is something to really consider.
Who wants to live close to nuclear plants? I do.
San Diego has the human poop map.