I held my breath when you opened the fridge!!! I have been loving the way you document the process. Keep up the great work and i am eager to see what you transform the place into.
jigmond ~ even in 🇯🇵 where there’s land, there’s space, hmm? An absolutely beautiful home and superbly solid.. mind-boggling all the fun you will have developing the space(s)! Thank u for posting it all Tokyo Llama. Looking forward to finally making it to Japan next year myself, during the Olympics.. & hopefully for a greater bicycle tour of at least the main island. 🚵🏼♂️ 🌊🍜...⛩ Keep up the good work and enjoy ! 😉👍
jigmond I think that’s common in most country. The suburbs are more affordable and larger whereas downtown is much smaller and much more expensive. Supply and demand.
I seriously can’t believe this was only built in 1987. The craftsmanship and the adhering to traditional styles is just incredible. It’s worth any amount you have to put in to restore it. I wish you and yours all the best in this renovation.
I'm currently living in one built in 1985, many similarities ranging from basic design to some of the light fixtures. They are beautiful houses, worth saving IMO.
altkovac well considering Japan has lots of earthquakes I’d say these houses are built pretty strong. I watched a documentary once showing how they build houses to withstand earthquakes and it’s been a style/method they’ve used for hundreds of years.
As a little girl, I loved reading the Anne of Green Gables series. I don't remember hardly any of it now, but one quote from it that has stuck with me all these years later is when Anne and Diana are driving down a road, and they happen to come across an old abandoned house. Diana thinks it's super creepy, she says the broken window placements make her think of "something dead with its eyes picked out" and she just wants to get away from it as fast as she can. But Anne says that old, deserted houses make her sad, because she believes they remember something of their own lives, and miss the joys of the families that once were in them. "Marilla says that a large family was raised in that old house long ago, and that it was a real pretty place, with a lovely garden and roses climbing all over it. It was full of little children and laughter and songs; and now it is empty, and nothing ever wanders through it but the wind." I'm only just now finding this little series you have, so I have much to catch up on. It sounds incredibly cheesy, but I can somehow feel some of that loneliness even through the video, both of the house and of the former owner. I'm so glad such a beautiful property is getting a new lease on life, with hopefully many more happy memories ahead of it.
I don't think your observation is cheesy. It demonstrates an empathy that we are all able of but feel embarrassed to acknowledge. As he toured the house and all its rubbish all I kept thinking was that none of it was rubbish. Everything there was wanted, needed, perhaps even cherished and loved at one time. For instance. the aquariums in the window sills could easily have been the pet projects of children once upon a time, projects that were 'oohed' and 'aahed' over in there day. And even if that weren't so, everything there had had a purpose at one time or another, even if, at the end of life, it had been a purpose no younger person would have understood. And while it may have seemed chaotic to us, it wasn't because everything had been placed in its location by the hand(s) of the one who had lived. What we saw evidenced, not death, but life, a life lived. I too felt a...melancholy as he toured the property. This still gorgeous property very much once knew laughter and love...and now all that remains is the sad and, perhaps, tawdry physical evidence of that life, but it's a family life that deserves to be remembered. P.S. There is also a joy too in the lonely tour, for, as many have already noted, a chapter for one family has closed, but here is this gentleman, and his wife, and they are going to start a new chapter and that deserves to be celebrated.
I inherited the family farm. About 2 miles down the road are 2 old abandoned farm houses with wilderness growing back. But every spring hundreds of daffodils still burst into bloom!
Love this quote form AoGG, I definitely felt what you said, the loneliness of the house. Glad it will be filled with people again, the silence was uncanny. Thanks for sharing!
Hahaah yes! The portions with more sunlight did actually remind me very much of the Akya in My Neighbor Totoro. But the messier parts of it definitely have a haunted feel to it.
I bought a house in rural Japan .Compared to housing in Kona ,it seemed a great price. Could have paid less but as it turned out to be the education of my 62 years.. My neighbors alone were worth the price. The experience , The new friends I made , Learning from masters of life. The honesty . Great food and generosity and kindness.farming and building techniques. Priceless. Instead of this tight knit village turning their back on a stranger. They raised me like a baby bird until I stood on my own. Changed my life to where I learned real opportunity comes through giving and true wealth is obtained through kindness. .
After hurricane Katrina I’ve learned to never open them lol there isn’t gonna be a million dollars in there. You’re just releasing mold and shit into the air when you open it.
It makes me sad to see how the previous owner lived. It looks like he was pretty lonely and unable to cope with his household anymore. I bet he would love to see this house as a happy family home again!
Sons who leave a farm lifestyle and move to the city are quite common in Japan, they don't want to deal with the everyday work in a big house with garden and they prefer the easy lifestyle of city condos. The problem is that they became so used to the city that they wont even pay a visit to their parents but also don't want to deal with all the work involving their heritage, like in this case they just wanted the money and continue with their relaxed lives.
this place reminds me of how my Grandmothers house got as she got older and older, and less able to manage things. I'm sure the previous owner didn't start out living like that, but old age got the best of him.
For my 2nd year as a foreign student in Japan year 2001, I chose to rent this type of house, next to the owner. Six tatami for my own room & living room, each. Everyday I woke up & open the sliding door, it felt so refreshing! Especially when Springs & Autumn. I could smell the fragrance of the earth directly. I think that the period when I scored the highest grade throughout my entire overboard studies there. Love Japan so much!!! ♥
That sounds quite a serene experience, especially at that time period pre-heavy social media. I might have gotten spooked in such a big empty space, but it sounds very calming too. Thanks for sharing!
@@TokyoLlama You have put in a tremendous amount of work and the improvement is apparent. Your effort, sweat and care have already brought the house back from oblivion. You have done a tremendous job. The house is beautiful.
Its very refreshing to find a youtube channel that is so chilled, laid back and contains so much silence, natural sounds and minimal to no music and it works so well! You let the footage speak for itself and narrate where needed. I feel like im watching the of videos recorded to show family to update them on your life. Its great!
It's always a little sad to see a house that's been abandoned, especially a house as beautiful and traditional as yours. Good to see that you're willing to put in work to restore it. I hope it's everything you want and more, friend.
Absolutely gorgeous house, that wood work is unbelievable, that's worth the value alone. Feel sad for the former owner, you can see how much he struggled to take car of himself near the end. Usually homes like this are meant to be passed down through generations. You can tell he worked so hard to leave something for his children. I'm glad atleast you will be able preserve this beautiful piece of history.
You’ve summed it up nicely there. It’s a pity there are many homes like this that have been lost through the generations (though most don’t see the market or TH-cam). Would be great to see more taken over and restored, though can understand why it wouldn’t be for everybody.
I find your house videos extremely interesting! After WWll my Father spent a year in Japan helping restore the war ravaged machine tool industry! He was a young industrial engineer and fought in WWll in Europe. I was a very young boy and this was in the early 1950s. My Father came home quite impressed with Japan. He learned to play Golf during that year and was overwhelmed that the architecture was built with hand made carpentry joints instead of nails and screws for fasteners like in the USA. He spoke of this his whole life. As a boy I met many Japanese men that Dad made life long friends with and came to visit our family in America. Dad's been gone 12 years now but he left me all his pictures (slides) that he took on his journey to Japan. I'm in my retirement years now, but I plan on visiting Japan before I get much older. Thanks again! PS what is your name? Sincerely, Newk from Kentucky USA
Man, with all the possessions of theirs in there... I don’t know how to put it other than it feels like this house, in this state, is as close to ghosts as we might ever feel. You can walk through this farmer’s house. You can feel some of the rhythms of his life. It’s like you could touch the earthen walls or one of the load bearing posts and hear some sort of echo in the past. It’s sad. It feels weary somehow. Like a place built for children and a family and land and summer memories and winter dreams, but like it’s owner it got old. The lives that it cradled left it. Its still beautiful, but the house feels sad to me like this. Even if it were clean it would feel sad. Not to be super spiritualist or anything but somewhere deep in my soul it feels like this house wont be happy until someone who lives there laughs in it, you know?
I love to buy and renovate old houses. You can literally 'feel' their happiness when they know they are going to be fixed up. This house knows. Its just waking up from a long sad sleep.
I agree and feel the same way. It feels like it was abandoned by the children. The farmer left an investment for his children, an investment he must have toiled endlessly for because of them - to provide for them.... And the photographs??....of the parents, perhaps?? What's leaving them in the house about... It's so sad. Or is it cultural to leave items of the deceased in the house because the closet had clothes in it, the fridge even had food items in it. The farmer died FIVE YEARS AGO. I fear that he was abandoned by his children way before he died.
ZChata Abba: Mhm. You absolutely get the feeling that the farmer’s children never even went back to the house at all. And I’m sure they did but it makes me wonder if they visit his grave at all...
My wife and I bought a 140 year-old minka a little outside of Nara city. I’m working through, taking notes and cataloging your (and others’) episodes for our renovations. I have always wanted to buy an older wafu style house. We found the right one this summer. You are helping make it easier for others to do as you have. Thanks.
I was morbidly excited to see this after the bits I've seen in your other videos, but as soon as I saw the worn shoes just sitting in the genkan.... man it broke my heart. The whole rest of the video I could only think of the old fella that must've lived the rest of his days there.
It's fascinating to me the condition of the house, if that was here in the UK it would have been stripped for anything of value by thieves and trashed by kids
Philipp JUTZI What does this have to do with ethnics ? Teenagers are just teenagers. They tent to use abdonend places for partys but these are not places like this one with personal stuff but empty and old
Wow it is Heart breaking when that person died their whole world just stood still . Sad to see the family did not want to take care of that place it looks beautiful
I discovered your later videos and decided to go back to the beginning and watch all of them. I admire the spirit in which you have approached this property and knowing what is required to achieve your goals and wish you and your family much happiness in your beautiful home. It is an incredible process to see unfold, Truely inspirational indeed! That BBQ when its all done will be well worth it!
I started tearing up when I saw the kotatsu like that. Imagine what it was like with the family gathered around it, the kids staying under and keeping warm in a blizzard. All the media that depicts it as a center of the room where everything happens. Just to see it abandoned and covered in garbage is incredibly sad.
My childhood home was lost to tax collectors and after it was ripped apart and remodeled, it helped me deal with the loss. Almost like I literally took the memories with me since my home as I remembered it was gone
Hey I sold my mom's house with all the stuff in it. I didn't want any of it. It looked just like this house. Full of junk. The colors they chose for the walls are dated. What do you see in the house that has value? "the stuff the kids didn't bother taking away" to do what with?
@@AaaaNinja memories but i know what you mean not everything has value and japanese should be pretty scared of death and stuff items (even when their suicide rate is so high)
@@AaaaNinja It's not necessarily the item itself but the memories and emotions attached to said item. It's amazing how everyone thinks differently...I can't imagine abandoning everything since I am an incredibly sentimental person like the ol' gramps in UP.
@@ttaibe the maintenance too wow. its gonna be expensive! but worth it though. its a little bit too big for me. this house is probably for a family of 6+
When I hear the word “farmhouse” I automatically think “shabby-ugly”. This house is actually very beautiful. I can already see that it will be stunning when you are done! Congratulations and good luck!
Wow, I loved this! Can’t wait to see how the renovation turns out, I can see the potential already! Wish I could live in one of these traditional houses close to nature myself someday.
Not much in there to steal. Just country side old people junk. In Fukushima after the nuclear plant failed and entire neighbourhoods were abandoned i heard there was looting, so the Japanese aren't exempt from it.
What a beautiful house! The wood details, the windows, the ceiling with that carving. The concept of the room that then has other doors that open. The land is large, you will be able to make a very beautiful garden. Congratulations and I wish you well in this one that will be a great task. I'll be enjoying your work. Lots of excitement, desire to change soon and hope that everything will be perfect.
Amazing and beautiful house. I can’t understand why his children didn’t want it! And to leave all his things in there seems so heartless. Have subscribed and am now bingeing the renovation process. I wish I could fine something equivalent to buy in Australia that was as cheap and with good rainfall. Buckleys chance.
When you open the door my jaw dropped. The house is so beautiful. Such amazing craftsmanship. It really made me sad ( I cried) thinking of when my mother in law passed and we had all her things to pack and go through. The were all in order and clean but there was so much to go through. She was from Tokyo as well. As far as Japan standards go this house is huge. The wood work is stunning. I reminded me of the beautiful houses you see in the Samurai movies. I am sure he was quite sick before he passed and couldn't keep up. Maybe had lost his wife etc. I do hope you keep the woodwork at least. It's so stunning. I love the shoji screens and all the gorgeous natural light that comes into the house. I would have purchased it too. It just needs a blessing and a family after you fix it. ♡ Good luck. I hope there are/will be pictures of the progress. Can't wait to see it finished
Even if the renovations took three times the amount you paid for the house, that is still going to be a steal. Good luck and hope everything goes well for your family
I’ve been watching your Reno videos but some how missed this one, I had no idea the property was in THAT kind of shape when you got it!!! You are doing such a great job restoring it to absolute beauty!
Good for you guys for seeing the potetial in this dump, I feel like I'm getting teutanus just by watching this video, my whole body was screaming "don't open the fridge damn it!!!" I just discovered this channel today and I have been binging the renovation vids all day so I've seen what you guys has turned this into, very well done! Greetings from Sweden.
Amazing ... if you left a house abandoned like this anywhere else it would have been ransacked if not burned to the ground. Really says something about Japanese culture & respect.
Wow, such a waste of a good house! That fridge must've stank to high heaven! 😷 In any case, I'm so glad you saw potential in the house and are willing to take on the challenge of its restoration. I do hope you can bring it back to its former glory coz it looks like a really solid and beautiful house. Keep updating us please. Thank you!! 😊
Funnily enough, the fridge didn't smell at all, in spite of the very old egg. I think when stuff goes off, if it sits there long enough, it reaches a turning point where even the smell disappears.
I’m not moving to Japan but I find this whole process very fascinating. It’s wonderful that you and your family are young enough to be able to invest your energy in this for the long haul. I will keep track of you. And old lady in California
This house is stunning! Just beautiful! I can totally see it all refinished and the wood glowing after a final polished up. Worth the work, I hope. I think so! 😊 Best Regards
Hi, I’ve just started watching your channel & I must say your house is absolutely beautiful, I can’t wait to go through all your videos to see what you do with it.
Good for you, it looks worth the effort and seems to be a high quality house. Please keep the traditional elements. Its a little spooky now and I thought of The Grudge movie. I will keep watching.
Thanks - we will try to keep a nice balance between traditional and modern, just finalising the design plans now. It was slightly scary in the house by myself at the beginning, and I'm yet to go in the house at night...
I’m surprised they sold they home with everything in it though. If your property goes to the government when there is no will set in place they usually clean it out and try to auction it off for as much as they can.
The house is abandoned for five years, the windows are over all intact and no Graffiti on the walls? Japan is definitively different to the rest of the world (and that's why I love Japan)
The amount of healthy tidiness and and respectfulness in Japan is mindblowing in comparison to the dirty cities in the West... Probably their xenophobia helps keep the country clean alongside their own tidy culture.
I wouldn't consider decorating, but rather removing previous owners belongings, rubbish, clearing overgrown plants and grass, then refurbishing and renovating existing structure back to original. It is a lovely property waiting under there.
Атомный Танк i don’t feel like it was just the man who owned the house living there alone, but maybe I’m just being optimistic.... I don’t like the idea of him being alone....
they left everything! 1:09 the ancestral family shrine. the teacups. serving platter. the table everything. what did their family do, just forget their relative(s) lived there and that's where they grew up and anything? I'm so sad now for their family. that's just terrible! abandoning all that beautiful work to rot away slowly for five years? 2:27 that lattice work! the wood cutout. wow! :o just soo cool! and the vegetation printed on the paper screens. wow. just so pretty! it's something, that I think of. every time I step onto someone's property who's died, or gotten sick, or just abandoned it for some reason. that instant you come upon their property, that's a snapshot in time. yes, five years passed since that owner or his family or her relatives left the house alone. maybe they searched the house for money or easily sold valuables or something. but, there's always signs of how that home owner lived. mhm even after half a decade you can see. the public parts of the house were well kept. they were neat and tidy and organized. but the private parts of the house, they were a mess and lived in and covered in clothes and such. you mentioned you'd talked to the neighbors and how it'd taken THREE YEARS TO BUILD THIS HOUSE!? :o is that normal? :o built in 1987? did you ever learn anymore about the previous owners? how and why they built that house, did he/she actually farm and such? I love how flimsy and thin the exterior doors are! :o so shocking! the R-Value for insulating purposes must be horrid! no wonder so many Japanese folks huddle around their kotetsu and electric heaters. yeah, it's 45 minutes outside Tokyo, so the snow has to be pretty rare in the Winters. I remember recently watching on The Weather Channel how for the first time in 50 years it snowed inside the City Limits of Tokyo. 2018? 2017? the family didn't even empty out the fridge? how horridly terrible! that's just... so weird to me.
I held my breath when you opened the fridge!!! I have been loving the way you document the process. Keep up the great work and i am eager to see what you transform the place into.
Thanks for the comment, I was nervous too when I opened it - luckily it wasn't too bad apart from the egg!
Didn't open the freezer though,,,,
From what I've seen of cleanup videos on the internet, you never open the fridge. Duct tape it closed and have someone haul it away. Brrrrrrr
@@TokyoLlama the egg got me. Trying to block that memory out. lol
Jsuis14 ~ it had defo turned into some sorta little zombie unfertilized 🐔 creature.. ‘the guardian of the abandoned refrigerator’. ⛩
Regardless of the mess, that house is ridiculously gorgeous
Emily yes it’s beautiful made! Doesn’t even look that old
Previously said it was 30 urs old
It amazes me so much that a house in Japan can be so huge, when modern Japanese young people live in pods in the city. It's all so backwards!
jigmond ~ even in 🇯🇵 where there’s land, there’s space, hmm? An absolutely beautiful home and superbly solid.. mind-boggling all the fun you will have developing the space(s)! Thank u for posting it all Tokyo Llama.
Looking forward to finally making it to Japan next year myself, during the Olympics.. & hopefully for a greater bicycle tour of at least the main island. 🚵🏼♂️ 🌊🍜...⛩
Keep up the good work and enjoy ! 😉👍
jigmond I think that’s common in most country. The suburbs are more affordable and larger whereas downtown is much smaller and much more expensive. Supply and demand.
The fact that those sliding doors were still smooth when opened, shows the great workmanship of the house. A treasure!!
aznboycols agreed
The house is probably only twenty years old. They tear down houses of that age.
Most doors still function after a few decades
@@michaelcharach The house is 34 years old.
I seriously can’t believe this was only built in 1987. The craftsmanship and the adhering to traditional styles is just incredible. It’s worth any amount you have to put in to restore it. I wish you and yours all the best in this renovation.
yeh
I'm currently living in one built in 1985, many similarities ranging from basic design to some of the light fixtures. They are beautiful houses, worth saving IMO.
So glad that this house wasn't vandalized and pieces ripped out!
Abandoned japanese house looks better than my house
Ditto.☹️
You can afford a house with property taxes water bills ? And the light bills plus heat and insurance wow
🤣😂😂😂😆
good idea to buy a lost place, watch my japan videos and tell me how i can get the beach house . i would renovate the house on paradise island
altkovac well considering Japan has lots of earthquakes I’d say these houses are built pretty strong. I watched a documentary once showing how they build houses to withstand earthquakes and it’s been a style/method they’ve used for hundreds of years.
As a little girl, I loved reading the Anne of Green Gables series. I don't remember hardly any of it now, but one quote from it that has stuck with me all these years later is when Anne and Diana are driving down a road, and they happen to come across an old abandoned house. Diana thinks it's super creepy, she says the broken window placements make her think of "something dead with its eyes picked out" and she just wants to get away from it as fast as she can. But Anne says that old, deserted houses make her sad, because she believes they remember something of their own lives, and miss the joys of the families that once were in them. "Marilla says that a large family was raised in that old house long ago, and that it was a real pretty place, with a lovely garden and roses climbing all over it. It was full of little children and laughter and songs; and now it is empty, and nothing ever wanders through it but the wind."
I'm only just now finding this little series you have, so I have much to catch up on. It sounds incredibly cheesy, but I can somehow feel some of that loneliness even through the video, both of the house and of the former owner. I'm so glad such a beautiful property is getting a new lease on life, with hopefully many more happy memories ahead of it.
Thanks for sharing that!
I don't think your observation is cheesy. It demonstrates an empathy that we are all able of but feel embarrassed to acknowledge. As he toured the house and all its rubbish all I kept thinking was that none of it was rubbish. Everything there was wanted, needed, perhaps even cherished and loved at one time. For instance. the aquariums in the window sills could easily have been the pet projects of children once upon a time, projects that were 'oohed' and 'aahed' over in there day. And even if that weren't so, everything there had had a purpose at one time or another, even if, at the end of life, it had been a purpose no younger person would have understood. And while it may have seemed chaotic to us, it wasn't because everything had been placed in its location by the hand(s) of the one who had lived. What we saw evidenced, not death, but life, a life lived.
I too felt a...melancholy as he toured the property. This still gorgeous property very much once knew laughter and love...and now all that remains is the sad and, perhaps, tawdry physical evidence of that life, but it's a family life that deserves to be remembered.
P.S. There is also a joy too in the lonely tour, for, as many have already noted, a chapter for one family has closed, but here is this gentleman, and his wife, and they are going to start a new chapter and that deserves to be celebrated.
I inherited the family farm. About 2 miles down the road are 2 old abandoned farm houses with wilderness growing back.
But every spring hundreds of daffodils still burst into bloom!
That was 😍 👌
Love this quote form AoGG, I definitely felt what you said, the loneliness of the house. Glad it will be filled with people again, the silence was uncanny. Thanks for sharing!
Everyone: the grudge’s house!
Me: Totoro’s movie house!!
Same❤️
Yes!!!💕🙏🏻
Yeahh!
Lol! The grudge 😱 house! When he was pointing at the ceiling I was like hell no!
Hahaah yes! The portions with more sunlight did actually remind me very much of the Akya in My Neighbor Totoro. But the messier parts of it definitely have a haunted feel to it.
I bought a house in rural Japan .Compared to housing in Kona ,it seemed a great price. Could have paid less but as it turned out to be the education of my 62 years..
My neighbors alone were worth the price. The experience , The new friends I made , Learning from masters of life. The honesty . Great food and generosity and kindness.farming and building techniques. Priceless. Instead of this tight knit village turning their back on a stranger. They raised me like a baby bird until I stood on my own. Changed my life to where I learned real opportunity comes through giving and true wealth is obtained through kindness. .
Such kindness
Wow...make a video on that
What a beautiful sharing...
What a valuable life lesson!
Wonderful! Would love for you to tell your story
great idea to buy a lost place, watch my japan videos and tell me how i can get the beach house . i would renovate the house on paradise island
After years of working on rentals and abandon homes I’ve learned to tape the fridge shut and get it outside before ever opening.
After hurricane Katrina I’ve learned to never open them lol there isn’t gonna be a million dollars in there. You’re just releasing mold and shit into the air when you open it.
That was my first thought. Cost of business's you just assume it's infested with bugs and mold, tape it shut and it goes straight to the dump.
TAPE IT RIGHT TO THE HAND CART
Why
@@Lanidoinglife read the comments
The stopped clock at 1:29 felt poetic, exploring a place frozen in time
It makes me sad to see how the previous owner lived. It looks like he was pretty lonely and unable to cope with his household anymore. I bet he would love to see this house as a happy family home again!
I get the sense that it wasn't a happy family home because if it had been, the children and grandchildren wouldn't have so utterly abandoned it.
Sons who leave a farm lifestyle and move to the city are quite common in Japan, they don't want to deal with the everyday work in a big house with garden and they prefer the easy lifestyle of city condos. The problem is that they became so used to the city that they wont even pay a visit to their parents but also don't want to deal with all the work involving their heritage, like in this case they just wanted the money and continue with their relaxed lives.
this place reminds me of how my Grandmothers house got as she got older and older, and less able to manage things. I'm sure the previous owner didn't start out living like that, but old age got the best of him.
Jon Sobrer Why was it abandoned?
Rike Cooper Aging alone.
For my 2nd year as a foreign student in Japan year 2001, I chose to rent this type of house, next to the owner. Six tatami for my own room & living room, each. Everyday I woke up & open the sliding door, it felt so refreshing! Especially when Springs & Autumn. I could smell the fragrance of the earth directly. I think that the period when I scored the highest grade throughout my entire overboard studies there. Love Japan so much!!! ♥
That sounds quite a serene experience, especially at that time period pre-heavy social media. I might have gotten spooked in such a big empty space, but it sounds very calming too. Thanks for sharing!
Wonderful story.❤ It is a beautiful place indeed.
I can sense the loneliness of the former owner of that house.
Hopefully we can make it a happy place again.
I can't. I'd be very happy there (as long as there was a decent wood heater and an internet connection)!
The way things were left.. It felt very depressing to me. Indeed, very lonely. It spoke of mental anguish to me.
@@SkippyTheRedKangaroo He doesn't mean the area or the house, but the state in which the house remained. Complete lack of care.
@@TokyoLlama You have put in a tremendous amount of work and the improvement is apparent. Your effort, sweat and care have already brought the house back from oblivion. You have done a tremendous job. The house is beautiful.
Its very refreshing to find a youtube channel that is so chilled, laid back and contains so much silence, natural sounds and minimal to no music and it works so well! You let the footage speak for itself and narrate where needed.
I feel like im watching the of videos recorded to show family to update them on your life. Its great!
Yes! That's it! I hadn't even realized it, but the lack of a frantic soundtrack and chatter is surreal and refreshing. And greatly appreciated.
It's always a little sad to see a house that's been abandoned, especially a house as beautiful and traditional as yours. Good to see that you're willing to put in work to restore it. I hope it's everything you want and more, friend.
Absolutely gorgeous house, that wood work is unbelievable, that's worth the value alone.
Feel sad for the former owner, you can see how much he struggled to take car of himself near the end. Usually homes like this are meant to be passed down through generations. You can tell he worked so hard to leave something for his children.
I'm glad atleast you will be able preserve this beautiful piece of history.
You’ve summed it up nicely there. It’s a pity there are many homes like this that have been lost through the generations (though most don’t see the market or TH-cam). Would be great to see more taken over and restored, though can understand why it wouldn’t be for everybody.
Re: your second paragraph… This was my observation as well: his struggle. It seems not only the house was abandoned.
I can't get over how gorgeous this house is, despite the state it's in QwQ
I find your house videos extremely interesting! After WWll my Father spent a year in Japan helping restore the war ravaged machine tool industry! He was a young industrial engineer and fought in WWll in Europe. I was a very young boy and this was in the early 1950s. My Father came home quite impressed with Japan. He learned to play Golf during that year and was overwhelmed that the architecture was built with hand made carpentry joints instead of nails and screws for fasteners like in the USA. He spoke of this his whole life. As a boy I met many Japanese men that Dad made life long friends with and came to visit our family in America. Dad's been gone 12 years now but he left me all his pictures (slides) that he took on his journey to Japan. I'm in my retirement years now, but I plan on visiting Japan before I get much older. Thanks again! PS what is your name? Sincerely, Newk from Kentucky USA
I wonder if Totoro is around the area!
Wow! Over 1000 likes! Arigato de geso!
I looked at the comments just to see if there was a Totoro reference! I was looking really hard for travelling soots all through the video! Haha!
Literally was looking for a comment like this aha
I saw a soot sprite
Brittany Stephenson me too!
Me: Wonder if The grudge used to live there
The exterior of the house is so beautiful, also love the main living area, dining room with the lovely screens. Such a peaceful design.
I can’t believe this was 4 years ago! The house feels truly yours now it’s weird to look back.
Man, with all the possessions of theirs in there... I don’t know how to put it other than it feels like this house, in this state, is as close to ghosts as we might ever feel. You can walk through this farmer’s house. You can feel some of the rhythms of his life. It’s like you could touch the earthen walls or one of the load bearing posts and hear some sort of echo in the past.
It’s sad. It feels weary somehow. Like a place built for children and a family and land and summer memories and winter dreams, but like it’s owner it got old. The lives that it cradled left it. Its still beautiful, but the house feels sad to me like this. Even if it were clean it would feel sad.
Not to be super spiritualist or anything but somewhere deep in my soul it feels like this house wont be happy until someone who lives there laughs in it, you know?
I love to buy and renovate old houses. You can literally 'feel' their happiness when they know they are going to be fixed up. This house knows. Its just waking up from a long sad sleep.
I agree and feel the same way. It feels like it was abandoned by the children. The farmer left an investment for his children, an investment he must have toiled endlessly for because of them - to provide for them.... And the photographs??....of the parents, perhaps?? What's leaving them in the house about... It's so sad. Or is it cultural to leave items of the deceased in the house because the closet had clothes in it, the fridge even had food items in it. The farmer died FIVE YEARS AGO. I fear that he was abandoned by his children way before he died.
Had the same feeling, an overwhelming sadness looking at a life lived and forgotten.
Your feelings apply on this whole worldy life not just a house
ZChata Abba: Mhm. You absolutely get the feeling that the farmer’s children never even went back to the house at all. And I’m sure they did but it makes me wonder if they visit his grave at all...
This is the "why-is-this-my-youtube-recommendation-?" - appreciation post
My wife and I bought a 140 year-old minka a little outside of Nara city. I’m working through, taking notes and cataloging your (and others’) episodes for our renovations. I have always wanted to buy an older wafu style house. We found the right one this summer. You are helping make it easier for others to do as you have. Thanks.
Really looking forward to the final result, such a beautiful building has a lot of potential.
As someone who is a fan of older japanese culture this was extremely interesting to watch and the fact that its in such decent condition is so cool~
I was morbidly excited to see this after the bits I've seen in your other videos, but as soon as I saw the worn shoes just sitting in the genkan.... man it broke my heart. The whole rest of the video I could only think of the old fella that must've lived the rest of his days there.
It's fascinating to me the condition of the house, if that was here in the UK it would have been stripped for anything of value by thieves and trashed by kids
Philipp JUTZI What does this have to do with ethnics ? Teenagers are just teenagers. They tent to use abdonend places for partys but these are not places like this one with personal stuff but empty and old
@Philipp JUTZI just close your eyes, spin and point. I'm sure you'll find a nasty one, if your finger lands on a brit ;)
It depends on how their raised,and societies views on such behavior. It would have happened in the USA too.
@@sierrajade63 Japan too
sierrajade63 Totaly right .Probably would have happend in Germany too.
I like how you blurred out their photos outta respect
Princess Serenity Logan Paul would blurred them too 🤔
Ikr
Asians look alike, it was useless.
@Sm h and real
Plantifolia that’s one dumb and racist thing to say
Wow it is Heart breaking when that person died their whole world just stood still . Sad to see the family did not want to take care of that place it looks beautiful
A lot of the wood trim is difficult to acquire/replace as it's all hand made. Keep them.
Yes, am keeping as much of the wood as we can.
Even in its present state, it is a very beautiful house.
I discovered your later videos and decided to go back to the beginning and watch all of them. I admire the spirit in which you have approached this property and knowing what is required to achieve your goals and wish you and your family much happiness in your beautiful home. It is an incredible process to see unfold, Truely inspirational indeed! That BBQ when its all done will be well worth it!
I started tearing up when I saw the kotatsu like that. Imagine what it was like with the family gathered around it, the kids staying under and keeping warm in a blizzard. All the media that depicts it as a center of the room where everything happens. Just to see it abandoned and covered in garbage is incredibly sad.
What is a kotatsu?
@@jazmincardozo2462 google it man
this makes me cry. the memories of my childhood old house (i lived with ny grandparents) suddenly returned.. how i miss the good old days.
My childhood home was lost to tax collectors and after it was ripped apart and remodeled, it helped me deal with the loss. Almost like I literally took the memories with me since my home as I remembered it was gone
Me being a somewhat nosy person, I would have loved looking through the previous owner's stuff
Seeing the stuff the kids didn't bother taking away reminds me that I should call my mother.
Hey I sold my mom's house with all the stuff in it. I didn't want any of it. It looked just like this house. Full of junk. The colors they chose for the walls are dated. What do you see in the house that has value? "the stuff the kids didn't bother taking away" to do what with?
@@AaaaNinja memories but i know what you mean not everything has value and japanese should be pretty scared of death and stuff items (even when their suicide rate is so high)
@@AaaaNinja I was thinking of things like the photos of their grandparents and the family shrine.
@@AaaaNinja It's not necessarily the item itself but the memories and emotions attached to said item. It's amazing how everyone thinks differently...I can't imagine abandoning everything since I am an incredibly sentimental person like the ol' gramps in UP.
@@ZacharyDBrooks Them leaving the shrine and photos has to be a direct insult to the person who owned the house. There's no other explanation.
Miss Japan
Even the mess is tidy.
The craftsman ship that they put into building their houses, tatami mats, and rice paper panels are beautiful
Wow. Thats huge.
I want a japanese style house also
Yes, the house was bigger than I expected when I first saw it.
Lorelyn Garcia me too
Lovely indeed. But the upkeep.... You can't be lazy, or a complete clutch, when living in a house like that!
@@ttaibe the maintenance too wow. its gonna be expensive! but worth it though. its a little bit too big for me. this house is probably for a family of 6+
What’s even creepier is that it looks like someone was trying to move out then abandoned it all together.
ArmoredCricket yeah sadly they died :(
@@RelateRelay all of them??
Ikr. The amount of stuff just laying around is kinda suspicious, no? It looks as if they just bolted out and never came back.
This is scary
redcandy 45 He said the farmer living there passed away, I think it was a single person living there and when he passed away no one came to clean up.
When I hear the word “farmhouse” I automatically think “shabby-ugly”. This house is actually very beautiful. I can already see that it will be stunning when you are done! Congratulations and good luck!
Wow, I loved this! Can’t wait to see how the renovation turns out, I can see the potential already! Wish I could live in one of these traditional houses close to nature myself someday.
Thanks for watching - renovation starting early September!
The fact that this is an abandoned house with all the things left inside isn't stolen is amazing already
yes these people have dignity and teach their children well
But it wasn't abandoned. The owner passed away
Not much in there to steal. Just country side old people junk. In Fukushima after the nuclear plant failed and entire neighbourhoods were abandoned i heard there was looting, so the Japanese aren't exempt from it.
There was too much dirty stuff also dishes with food maybe somebody took what it needs
Is Japan, that's why, i guess they still have respect for other people property 🤷🏼♀️
What a beautiful house! The wood details, the windows, the ceiling with that carving. The concept of the room that then has other doors that open. The land is large, you will be able to make a very beautiful garden. Congratulations and I wish you well in this one that will be a great task. I'll be enjoying your work. Lots of excitement, desire to change soon and hope that everything will be perfect.
OK, let's be honest: it is very spooky but it has a lot of potential
Hi car wasup!
The house is fine. It is spooky because your mind wants it to be.
That egg was a whole other ecosystem.
@@davidr.g.9118 that was a little beyond fermented.
Awesome roofs!! The house is huge. Waiting to see the final makeover!!❤❤❤❤❤
OMG! The house is beautiful, dirty but beautiful!! Congrats!!
Their abandoned houses are better than our occupied ones! 😂
Hhhhhh 😂 love from Morocco
Such a beautiful place, may good fortune smile upon all who watch this video and all other videos
This feels like the beginning of a horror movie
TOTALLY AGREE JUNE REEL CREEPY PLACE WAY TOO MUCH WOOD GIVE ME BRICKS AND MORTER ANY DAY 😝😝😝😝😝
Sí
Noo, it is the beginning of a Totoro story 😍😊
The grudge!!
I feel like the grudge was going to crawl out from the closet and say “peekaboo!”
So sad there were no relatives who wanted to come and take away personal items like the Family photos.
Because owner killed all relatives and hide their bodies in the walls of the house.
2:31...What a beautiful house. That wood finish looks so beautiful and delicate.
So sad, the family didn't even come back for any family pictures.
It's haunted. I can see it.
@@gerloke914 i agree, i can see it too
@@gerloke914 wait what? What did you guys see?
@@gerloke914 free housemate
I mean japanese do strike me as cold when it comes to these things
Rural area? ✔︎
Abandoned house? ✔︎
Owner is dead? ✔︎
Perfect setting for a horror game.
Perfect opportunity to make a nice house look beautiful again.
Fatal Frame IRL
Amazing and beautiful house. I can’t understand why his children didn’t want it! And to leave all his things in there seems so heartless. Have subscribed and am now bingeing the renovation process. I wish I could fine something equivalent to buy in Australia that was as cheap and with good rainfall. Buckleys chance.
I'm not religious, but even I would feel the need to say a prayer or something before entering a house like this...
The builder usually builds temples, so not bad idea...
Ichigoeki then what for(?) lol
@@ravien6273 for any ghost👻
@@sofiaruss8958 just call 'em Ghostbusters lol
I agree with you.
You seam to be people with courage and good heart, the house will live again.
When you open the door my jaw dropped. The house is so beautiful. Such amazing craftsmanship. It really made me sad ( I cried) thinking of when my mother in law passed and we had all her things to pack and go through. The were all in order and clean but there was so much to go through. She was from Tokyo as well. As far as Japan standards go this house is huge. The wood work is stunning. I reminded me of the beautiful houses you see in the Samurai movies. I am sure he was quite sick before he passed and couldn't keep up. Maybe had lost his wife etc. I do hope you keep the woodwork at least. It's so stunning. I love the shoji screens and all the gorgeous natural light that comes into the house. I would have purchased it too. It just needs a blessing and a family after you fix it. ♡ Good luck. I hope there are/will be pictures of the progress. Can't wait to see it finished
Such a lovely house just abandoned and not cared for when the farmer passed away, what a waste! But at least it now secure in your hands
I wish you the best of luck. That house definitely needs kids laughter !
I can see the potential. For me it is a beautiful house and I can already imagine how incredible it will be
Even if the renovations took three times the amount you paid for the house, that is still going to be a steal.
Good luck and hope everything goes well for your family
This house was auctioned to him for just a little more than the cost of a new Toyota Camry.
Danny Ly : The taxes were a bit much though. It was around $35,000 USD.
Holy wow I wish
Amazing. Even with taxes.
@@MrChugwater it would have worth over 100,000 in my opinion.. old, well crafted houses like this costs a lot in Japan as far as I know
@@MrChugwater on the second note though, the person said it needs 450,000 to build alone so i guezs 35,000 is a massive massive steal
I’ve been watching your Reno videos but some how missed this one, I had no idea the property was in THAT kind of shape when you got it!!! You are doing such a great job restoring it to absolute beauty!
This house is a sleeping beauty. Take your time and enjoy every minute of waking her up
I absolutely love they way you said that..beautiful..
Lovely words!
@@pam1574 ❤❤❤
@@tanyatigermarshall7878 💓💓
i'd kill to have a house like this my gosh despite it being kinda cluttered I'd take this house in a heartbeat its so pretty
Rin린 me 2, looks like my dream house
@@suzakucsgo feelsweirdman weeb
@@Greenstriker9235 not rly, it's actually really refreshing to see how it looks and i really like their style of houses it's something diffrent
Same
Good for you guys for seeing the potetial in this dump, I feel like I'm getting teutanus just by watching this video, my whole body was screaming "don't open the fridge damn it!!!"
I just discovered this channel today and I have been binging the renovation vids all day so I've seen what you guys has turned this into, very well done! Greetings from Sweden.
Thank you!
Amazing ... if you left a house abandoned like this anywhere else it would have been ransacked if not burned to the ground. Really says something about Japanese culture & respect.
Wow, such a waste of a good house!
That fridge must've stank to high heaven! 😷
In any case, I'm so glad you saw potential in the house and are willing to take on the challenge of its restoration. I do hope you can bring it back to its former glory coz it looks like a really solid and beautiful house.
Keep updating us please. Thank you!! 😊
Funnily enough, the fridge didn't smell at all, in spite of the very old egg. I think when stuff goes off, if it sits there long enough, it reaches a turning point where even the smell disappears.
Maria. C. Ramirez. I. Don't. Know. But. I. Don't. Like. That. House. Is. Very. Cool
That's such a traditional house. I'd definitely love to stay there.
Last day in this home frozen in time
Nicely put.
God now that is metaphorical O .O
This looks like the real home where that movie "The Grudge" was filmed
Thought that 2 seconds in. I would GTFO
Hahaha ,exactly the same as I was thinking
I was thinking the same thing
doublestufforeo123 you were the comment I was looking for
Yes. Seeing the opening of the door thrilled me
I’m not moving to Japan but I find this whole process very fascinating. It’s wonderful that you and your family are young enough to be able to invest your energy in this for the long haul. I will keep track of you. And old lady in California
This reminds me of that scene in Wolf Children.
Me too
Me three
Me four
That renovation was so beautiful and the music in Wolf children made it seem like a dream
This house has so many features that I absolutely adore about Japanese houses...I am still amazed by your design choices and changes though.
Amazing home......so lovely to build/customize to your own living quarters.
This house reminds me of “My Neighbor Totoro”
Mikey Garcia Glad I'm not the only one
Me too
Me too
Gaby BIZ that says a lot about you...
This is such a "The Grudge" situation... Every time you opened something I sat on the edge of my share
@mason deeks you are kidding, right ?! 😅 what happend that they thought there was one???
What an amazing old home! Beautiful entrance- can’t wait until you have finished!
This house is stunning! Just beautiful! I can totally see it all refinished and the wood glowing after a final polished up. Worth the work, I hope. I think so! 😊 Best Regards
It is definitely my neighbor Totoro's house
I was thinking the same thing That kitchen must be filled with sut gremlins that is one of my all time fav anime im passing dwn to my kids
Hi, I’ve just started watching your channel & I must say your house is absolutely beautiful, I can’t wait to go through all your videos to see what you do with it.
A house abandoned,
Old memories forgotten,
Silent no longer.
Trevor Hill Edge.
5-7-5 Beautiful
Haunted 🤭
Fran F 6-7-5 :(
Nick Patella no
It should make us each stop and think, how much ‘stuff’ do I need to really live a safe, comfortable & content life ☝️
I have so many questions watching this.... it’s a gorgeous house. So jealous of you. Please give it the TLC it deserves.
Good for you, it looks worth the effort and seems to be a high quality house. Please keep the traditional elements. Its a little spooky now and I thought of The Grudge movie. I will keep watching.
Thanks - we will try to keep a nice balance between traditional and modern, just finalising the design plans now. It was slightly scary in the house by myself at the beginning, and I'm yet to go in the house at night...
The interior reminds me so much of the house from Fruits Basket. Especially the kitchen (before Torhu was through with it anyways😅)
Omg! I wasn't the only one!
I can't believe this was 2 years ago. time flies...
Ever seen "The Grudge"? This house looks like that one, down to the red gas cans by the door...
It does look like it!
Dude yes
I was thinking the same thing. My first thought, "It's haunted! "
Agreed
Kimberly M I was thinking the same thing!!
When you die without anyone, this is the case.
😢 that's sad af homie.
Mary Wrong this is most probably what happened
I’m surprised they sold they home with everything in it though. If your property goes to the government when there is no will set in place they usually clean it out and try to auction it off for as much as they can.
Wow, this has really come a loooong wa, nice work!
The house is abandoned for five years, the windows are over all intact and no Graffiti on the walls? Japan is definitively different to the rest of the world (and that's why I love Japan)
The amount of healthy tidiness and and respectfulness in Japan is mindblowing in comparison to the dirty cities in the West... Probably their xenophobia helps keep the country clean alongside their own tidy culture.
Id love a house like this but i wouldnt even know where to begin decorating the layout is so different from an American house
I wouldn't consider decorating, but rather removing previous owners belongings, rubbish, clearing overgrown plants and grass, then refurbishing and renovating existing structure back to original.
It is a lovely property waiting under there.
Start with Eames LCWs
cavman7 well obviously.. i was saying id decorate over their trash i meant when its clean i wouldnt know how to decorate
@@diskozoid Yes, I recon mid-century modern would fit very well there.
The wood work is incredible, no caulked joints to hide flaws...only tight precision! Quite the jewel, will shine once again!
imagine being the people who lived in that house and seeing this video
brodie campbell well....
I doubt they have TH-cam in the afterlife... or at least I kinda hope not.
Атомный Танк i don’t feel like it was just the man who owned the house living there alone, but maybe I’m just being optimistic.... I don’t like the idea of him being alone....
brodie campbell other comments have suggested they knew that the man was a farmer with kids who moved away, and he died there alone. So sad.
MacyLouWho that’s very sad to think about :7(
Checks out empty room:
"They really left everything in here."
normie x he was referring to the family photos. People leave clothes and furniture but photos of your parents/grandparents is not usual.
they left everything! 1:09 the ancestral family shrine. the teacups. serving platter. the table everything. what did their family do, just forget their relative(s) lived there and that's where they grew up and anything? I'm so sad now for their family. that's just terrible! abandoning all that beautiful work to rot away slowly for five years? 2:27 that lattice work! the wood cutout. wow! :o just soo cool! and the vegetation printed on the paper screens. wow. just so pretty!
it's something, that I think of. every time I step onto someone's property who's died, or gotten sick, or just abandoned it for some reason. that instant you come upon their property, that's a snapshot in time. yes, five years passed since that owner or his family or her relatives left the house alone. maybe they searched the house for money or easily sold valuables or something. but, there's always signs of how that home owner lived. mhm even after half a decade you can see. the public parts of the house were well kept. they were neat and tidy and organized. but the private parts of the house, they were a mess and lived in and covered in clothes and such. you mentioned you'd talked to the neighbors and how it'd taken THREE YEARS TO BUILD THIS HOUSE!? :o is that normal? :o built in 1987? did you ever learn anymore about the previous owners? how and why they built that house, did he/she actually farm and such?
I love how flimsy and thin the exterior doors are! :o so shocking! the R-Value for insulating purposes must be horrid! no wonder so many Japanese folks huddle around their kotetsu and electric heaters. yeah, it's 45 minutes outside Tokyo, so the snow has to be pretty rare in the Winters. I remember recently watching on The Weather Channel how for the first time in 50 years it snowed inside the City Limits of Tokyo. 2018? 2017?
the family didn't even empty out the fridge? how horridly terrible! that's just... so weird to me.
I loved this video. Please post more about the house renovation :)
Renovation starting soon! Will post video as soon as I can!