Hi all! Thank you all for your wonderful comments so far! Just as a reminder, while I read all your comments, unfortunately, I’m unable to respond to them. To assist you better, I have created an FAQ page that contains the answers to some common questions here: www.maigomika.com/about-me/faq/ Thank you! -Mika
as a gardener, i would suggest putting some lavender and rosemary plants around your house to stop the spiders and insects coming in. mint also helps :)
I don't know if anyone said this already, but the wolf spiders, and the house centipedes are both good to have around. They eat the red headed centipedes that are venomous as well as aggressive. I know that wolf spiders and house centipedes both look ferocious, but they're non aggressive and harmless to humans. Geckos are good to have around as well. ^_^
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Can be, but certainly not easy for someone who has almost heart attacks from them just from the video...
The creepy crawly “houseguests” would have absolutely defeated me. You guys are doing great, and I look forward to seeing how you renovate and clean up the house and turn it into a home!
In 1999 my boyfriend and I moved into an abandoned country house near Karatsu on the island of Kyushu. Though we only stayed 3 months, watching this video brought back so many memories. We also had massive spiders, centipedes, and a resident badger that made really weird noises at night. There were also poisonous snakes (mamushi) and a huge natural beehive under the house that we discovered when we tried to use the subfloor fridge box. And until I watched your video I had forgotten about the frogs that came out in force on rainy days. The well kept running dry and we had to go down to the river to get water to prime the pump and start it again. The only blessing was that, being chronically short of water, we treated ourselves to baths at the local onsen every other day. I will never forget this place and the sound of the wind in the bamboo. I wish I had been there long enough to try planting a garden.
How did you manage to find such an accommodation for so cheap and leave after 3 months no strings attached like that? I would like to do the same thing.
@@justanotherguyful we had already lived in Japan for four years by that point. We had been teaching English and traveling, making friends and building a network. Without this network I doubt it would have been possible. The house was owned by a friend of a friend. Wish I could be more helpful.
@@justanotherguyful You can buy property there for your summer house, The currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
@@TraditionalJapaneseHouse I plan to make my first visit (solo probably) this Spring. Should I fly to Tokyo or Osaka if I plan to make a visit of the entire island of Honshu?
I think you may have single handedly talked a lot of people out of moving to Japan with those spiders 😂 The one on the pillow would have been the end of me. I admire your composure! What a beautiful home!
lol you can't just move to Japan. You have to have a work visa, and if you'd ever been to the Japanese countryside you'd know it's incredibly boring. Which is why 99% of young people leave the second they can.
@@Arabzene I was speaking of the fact that spiders are on all continents besides Antarctica. That's good tho. I have a giant one in my garden, I named her Lily... she eats mosquitoes.
This is giving 'My Neighbour Totoro' vibes oh my goodness! A really cute video overall and super admirable how you guys have breathed life into your adorable country side home
@@reneemuller1967 moving to the countryside ✅ renting house for almost no money ✅ Initially failing at your garden ✅ Home renovations ✅ All we need is the reveal that the husband is a Canadian werewolf in Japan.
As a programmer in a highly urbanized city, I have moments when I wonder what's actually like to live in remote countryside. Thanks for including the 'visitors' :D in your lovely video and not cherry-picking only the advantages of such a lifestyle. Can't believe it's your first video ! Best of luck and can't wait to find out more in the others !
I live in the middle of a big city and still have visitors like the ones seen in the video, so not much different to me, except my rent is $2k/month! Sign me up for a Japanese house like this one!
@@veziculorile total de acord. Din pacate, la sat problema e de natura umana. Un fost coleg de munca a facut fix asta, iar cand a plecat in concediu l-au pradat vecinii, de la fructe culese din pom pana la unelte de gradinarit.
Someone may have said this already, but as an Aussie my top tip for spider removal is once you have caught it in the container and you have made it outside, leave the container on the ground open, and then RUN!!!!! Don’t try throw it away 😂 I can assure you that method doesn’t always work
The spider looks like Ashidaka Gumo or Heteropoda venatoria. They are actually very useful because they eat a lot of harmful insects such as cockroaches, mosquitos, and flies. Besides they do almost no harm to humans. If you are not disgusted by their appearance, I think It's better to keep at least one of them in the house.
Its incredible to be able to come across stories like this. TH-cam acts like almost a time capsule for people in 100 years to see the experiences of millions of people around the world, its really amazing when you think about it.
Moving to an old house in the countryside is just like My Neighbor Totoro! So looking forward to more videos and watching the transformation! Best of luck to you!
What a lovely video! About 15 years ago my wife and I traveled all over Japan in search of a place to settle down. We especially loved the Shimanto area, with its steep misty mountains, old farmhouses and rice terraces. We felt like we had traveled back in time and we came very close to making it our home. In the end we chose Miyazaki instead because the people here are just so incredibly friendly. But those days spent driving on narrow roads through tiny mountain villages (often lost 😆) and discovering one beautiful place after another will be forever engrained in my memory. Best of luck on your journey ❤🙏
Very interesting. I too love the Japanese countryside. I envy you very much. I am living in Bangkok now and that is about as far removed from your life as can be. Plan to come back to Japan again later this year and looking forward to it very much.
I'm japanese, born and raised in europe. I keep having this idea of doing a similar project like you and I'm very thankful and happy to see you living my dream!!
You can buy property there for your summer house, The currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
$300 for a year in Japan. That is EPIC damn. Obviously some work involved, but that's a no brainer adventure that would be totally worth it. Have fun! I'm sure you'll have plenty more surprises.
I used to live in rural Yamagata and I would do it again in a heartbeat. All the old homes that get abandoned usually stay that way. It's lovely to see them get used again!
@@Dark_Vader888 spider 🕸 traps mosquitoes and eat them. More useful than harmful. We should be realist in time of AI. Space exploration. How can one still believe in superstitious beliefs.
Hey, fellow Vancouverite in Japan here. We escaped in early-2022 and are now in rural Hokkaido. Definitely a huge learning curve living in Japan but worth it overall. We lived like nomads for a while before finding a house to buy. Best wishes to you guys!
Thank you so much for showing everything because this at 05:11 dispelled all the awe and made me really think if I would handle the countryside. You guys are giants for taking this on.
Yeah Japan is really not the place for people who don't like spiders. They're everywhere there, small and large. You'll probably see at least one spider almost every day even in cities
Lol the creepy crawlies part is so relatable for someone who grew up where I did in Australia. The bed time ritual of removing enormous spiders and centipedes from around the house was such a normal part of childhood but since moving to a city I almost forgot about it, this brought back some nostalgia for me! I'm impressed how well you guys handled it considering you're from Canada where there are typically less 'visitors' in your house!
Typically not, the thing is these “visitors” need somewhere with heat throughout the winters, where as in Australia and warmer climates they do not; so it’s more common, and frequent to find them throughout our winters, comparatively.
I don't know if it is that much less creepy crawlers in Canada. I live in Sweden, similar fauna as in Canada. I would say the biggest difference is the size, here they are so smal that many insects get unnoticed cous you don't see them. That japanese spider that he removed from the house was like a small sized chiwawa here in Sweden. One time, probably 50 years ago when I was 8 years old my family visited some friends living in the country side nearby the sea. We spent the night in their gesthouse but my Sister could not sleep. She complained that there was something tickeling her back, my parents looked several times but did not find anything. She still complained and my dad undid the whole bed and under the sheet a smal centipede about 2 inches long were crawling around, so she was right al along. 2 inches are about as big as they get here and they are not venomous either, don't think they even are strong enough to bite you. Are there venomous snakes and spiders in Japan that could harm you or even kill you?
@@JingaBBB As a Canadian, I'd FAR prefer our "visitors" to the Japanese critters! All the critters in my house are tiny, completely safe and hide for the most part lmfao. But, then again, the Japanese don't have to contend with quite as much for big game - Canadians have wild bears (3 different kinds), wolves, coyotes, badgers, moose, bison, etc.
The house looks immaculate inside for a rural house in such a field..impressive. Does not look abandoned. It must have been well managed and maintained by the house owner.
Wow. This looks like an absolute dream of a place to live! So beautiful. Hopefully clearing the brush away from the house will help minimize some of the house guests😆
The spiders look like huntsman spiders. They're harmless to people. Their main defense is to run away. Their favorite food is cockroaches so I always let them live in my house when I was in the Philippines. That centipede is a different story. I'd have probably killed it on the spot. Yuck! I'm in Osaka now and looking forward to moving out to the countryside in a few more years. Thanks for sharing your adventure!
You are right about the spiders! In Japanese they are called taka-ashi-kumo, literally tall-legged spider. Harmless to people and great pest control, the house centipedes too. The mukade (venomous centipede) on the other hand are super dangerous and should be tossed out very carefully though!
i was stupid and killed the huntsman spider near the door in my kitchen. and so like a curse there appeared a steady stream of ipis (cockroaches) the long months after. talk about awful 😖
I recommend homemade peppermint spray as repellent for the smaller centipedes (the blue spindly guys in your case, not the baby kaiju on your cutting board). Just mix a bit of peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle and spray down points of entry every so often. Even if it's not full-proof, it can help. There are other scent-based bug and rodent repellents that can work as well that won't be unpleasant to you. I couldn't even smell the peppermint spray myself, but I've seen no more centipedes since then.
Shikoku stole my heart when I visited Japan in 2019. Traveled around Shikoku for 9 days andits people and landscaper were the highlight of my visit. Now, after 4 years, I am about to finally come back to Japan for a few weeks. And dream of Shikoku's people, nature and temples. Thanks for bringing me back a bit earlier :)
@@littlepole323 Renting a car is virtually a necessity if you want to get around easily. There's lots to do in each prefecture. I live in Tokushima, so I know a little more about that part. For the highlights, there's Iya Valley in Tokushima, Ritsurin Garden in Kagawa, Kochi Castle in Kochi and Dogo Onsen in Ehime. There are also lots of scenic beaches all over, but especially in southern Tokushima and into Kochi. Some other things to check out in Tokushima are Mt. Bizan, Awa Odori Kaikan, some aizome (indigo dying) shops, waterfalls in the mountains near Kamikatsu and Kamiyama. If you're into things on the slightly creepy side, you might also check out Nagoro, which is a village with a shrinking population (common in rural Japan), but has some locally-made dolls to take the place of people around town. You can even make your own doll if you want. For food, Sanuki udon and Tokushima ramen are popular, but my must-eat would be katsuo no tataki in Kochi.
My grandparents live in the Japanese countryside and their homes looked quite similar to this 15 years ago, except with Tatami mats. They’ve done a lot of repairs so that they no longer get insects crawling through the floorboards and have better sliding doors for their rōka. Their family home has been there for over 400 years, so many things could still use repairing. It’s super cool to see how you all are managing the nature making their way into the house. Stay away from the monkeys though - they’re the real troublemakers! 😂
This is incredible. Apart from the gorgeous countryside, the house looks so homely and welcoming. As for the local locals - the spiders and other creatures, it's just like outer suburbia/ countryside in Australia. You have bio pest control in place - using other creatures that keep away the harmful ones and all is good. Thankyou for sharing this wonderful experience on youtube with everyone!
I watched the first minute and knew that this is going to be my favorite channel this year. Everything is so simple, so adorable, so challenging at the same time… please, make more of this, I love the way you guys treat nature BTW
This is so crazy. I knew exactly where this was in the first few seconds of the video! This area is my dream to live in. I often explored Shikoku when I lived in Kansai, and the Shimantogawa was my favorite. It reminds me of southern Oregon where I'm from. I went swimming in the river there, just like back home. The water is crystal clear up at the top of the mountain. So beautiful! There were a couple onsen right off the road, and I then dreamt I could live in a house right next to one of those Onsen on the river. I'm very envious!
いやいや、こんな田舎の古い家に住もうとされるなんて、素晴らしいです。これからもお二人力を合わせ、楽しく生活されてください。 Thank you for the movie.I admire you two have survived in such Do-Inaka,lol.Everything may be very curious and interesting there. Enjoy your life together surrounded by authentic nature.
I love how all of our Japanese countryside fantasies were crushed as soon as we saw the spiders 😅😅😅. Great video. Can’t wait to follow your journey (far away from the insects)!
It's because this place has tropical climate. If they chose somewhere farther north to reside, there would be less bugs. Hokkaido especially is almost like Canada, very cold and long winter. I'm surprised they don't chose to live in Hokkaido.
@@doodletime1512 my guy, it's not a 'tropical' climate place. It is hot yes, but it's not the tropical climate of hot temperature of 30~ °c and wet environment that I live in everyday. And tbf, this house is located in Shikoku, one of the south big island in Japan. For reference, Shikoku is located at west of Osaka state.
I came for the Tom content and I enjoyed the whole story. Also the wooden stove reminded me of my first country house living experience in Japan. It's crazy how fast and warm a wooden stove heats up a room, if you're close to it. Can't wait for the next video. Loved all the little bits
Haha glad you stayed for the whole thing. 😂 Tom adds personality. 😽. The wood stove was such a game changer- the winter would had been much less comfortable without it. We basically section off an entire portion of the house to insulate as much of that wood stove heat as we can. 🔥
Literally my dream. I just want to retire in an old house in the Japanese countryside, have a farm, some animals, chill and read books, maybe have a significant other share this lifestyle with me, which is why I now work extra hard to save up for this. This video is great!
You can buy property there for your summer house, The currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
During the few trips that I have made to Japan, I have only stayed at one traditional home, and of course, it was during the winter, North of Sendai. Two walls of rice paper to hold back the weather. The one you have seems so much better. I am almost envious of the adventure you two are having. Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
While it probably wasn't the intended focus of this video, I can't help but feel melancholy at the thought of everything being so ephemeral. On the flip side, it's great to see a house with so much love and memories getting a second life from you guys.
As a chaperone for a group of high school kids from the States almost 30 years ago I stayed with a host family who lived in a semi rural area. Nearby was the father’s family home, now abandoned. He took me to see it, it was one of the large thatch roofed traditional houses one associates with “traditional” Japan. After seeing it I understood why they preferred the modern house the family lived in now, better water, better heat and insulation!!!! Better everything!
Mad respect for you guys to pull this off. I can imagine some days were a test of resilience, both mental and physical, but the upsides do seem absolutely worth it.
Loved the entomology part. Your way of putting it all together makes an interesting calme yet funny , highly agréable format, the music of course strings it all Together. It's that " not taking too seriously, witnessing even the tiniest joy. Arigatou gozaimasu
Your channel is aspiring for me. As I moved to Japan too and looking to buy a home with my wife and live in the country. Currently we live in Sapporo in a apartment.
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, Okayama Province Japan. You can buy property there for your summer house, The western currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Oh wow, I'm so glad this came up on my feed. I went to Japan forty years ago and have never forgotten it. I stayed with a Japanese family on Kyushu and still remember their kindness and their sense of humour - which was very close to my British humour so we shared lots of laughter. I am looking forward to watch your battles with the wildlife (yikes!), and the whole process of living in rural Japan. Can't wait!
One of my favorite videos this year, love the genuine look at the endeavor. Following for more, wishing you two, and all the more friendly critters the best!
I'm from Switzerland and living in Tokyo. House prices in Japan is very affordable. After I bought a house here in Tokyo, I began to ponder about the possiblity of buying another one in a countryside. I finally found a perfect one in a coubtryside of Nagano. I would never be able to buy 2 houses in Switzerland with the same price that I spent for 2 houses in Japan !
@@azabujuban-hito-dake wow, comparing to the income that's would be a very good price even in countryside or in Tokyo. In my country (Vietnam), $30k is just enough for a little house in countryside. I think our house's prices are very high compare to developed country, that's sad. I've dreamed to have my own land and a small house but it may take more and more time than I can expect...
@@azabujuban-hito-dake Is that the house in Tokyo or in Nagano? I am also exploring how to buy a modest home in Japan, how should I start the process (from the US)?
I'm a 66 yo male and you and your partner are living the dream for me and my cats Niko, Hana, and Setsuko. We, my cats and I wish you both the very best!
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, Okayama Province Japan. You can buy property there for your summer house, The western currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Immediately adopt a cat for creepy crawlies would be my first move. 😂😂😂 Although the monkeys scare me more than anything! 😮 Love seeing your projects and progress! Bringing a homestead back to life.
So impressed by how you handled the houseguests! I'm terrified of all types of insects (to a point that it sometimes limits my life) so it was so inspiring to see how you reacted to the situation and learned to coexist. I wish you a lot of happiness in your new life, I'll be following your adventures!
I stumbled upon your video, decided to watch it and I honestly love your content. I’m recently looking to move into the country side and you have inspired me to do so. Please keep making these videos and I’m excited to see your progress! May god bless both of you ❤
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, and ( only pay $300 a year for everything).Okayama Province Japan. Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, and ( only pay $300 a year for everything).Okayama Province Japan. Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Your hard work & perseverance are clearly paying off. Thanks for sharing this beautifully filmed & edited video with us, this is a work of art on many levels. I’m anxiously anticipating updates 😍😘👏💓
Watching from Tokyo! Love the style of your videos and so happy you guys made the decision to do this. I used to live in the countryside in Niigata and the life in the countryside is the best.
What a great testament to the safety and security in Japan. You can't even leave a railway track abandoned in South Africa for that long, and find any tracks after 7 years.
I have been here in Japan for years, but I always live in Tokyo city. I traveled to some places, but I’ve never seen such a traditional place like this video. Hope someday I would rent and live in countryside for a while.
I loved your video Mika! Once again you show us how talented you are at telling stories in the simplest and most poetic way possible! I can't wait to see the next video! I know how much work it is to produce videos like this, but I hope you will never stop! 🙌
Thank you Romeo! You seriously have no idea what that means a lot coming from you 😭😭😭🥹I’m already planning out my next video with your comments in mind. 🤩
Kudos to you for the courage and dedication, the love you are showing toward the house and the place you chose to live. I did the same thing with an old farmhouse in Italy, and i know very well the efforts, patience and love you must have to recover abandoned buildings. I will gladly follow your adventures and wish you a long, healthy and happy life in your home. Love from Italy!!
I lived in Kochi City for 4 years, and visited Shimanto a few times. Buying/renovating an akiya has always been in the back of my mind, but I don't know if I'd want to do it all by myself. I'm eagerly awaiting the next time I can go back to Japan (either as a visitor or a resident again).
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, Okayama Province Japan. You can buy property there for your summer house, The western currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Wow, thank you for showing the huge insects, the cold nights--that really humbled me because living in a countryside like this initially sounded very romantic and appealing to me. However, as a city raised and born myself I began to doubt if I could handle that at all! Besides that, what a beautiful place teeming with wildlife and quaint neighbors. Especially the cat. I can see your hard work will pay off and that house will look absolutely beautiful one day. Amazing job taking on a challenge like this, I really admire your dedication, and taking the time to show us. Best of luck to the two of you, and may your nights be warm and summers be cool!
you dont know how really lucky are, your life guys is precious. please dont take it for granted, its a daydream! both the cozy and the "ferocious" stuff haha. thank you for inspiring us too and sharing it!
Well done. While I lived in Japan for many years, my best friends (Japanese) from Yokohama decided to move to Hokkaido. They found a home similar to yours and have for the past 8 years been living rent free and having the best life ever with their garden and flower business. Their first winter was tough with their learning curve, but they too have adapted to a beautiful life within nature. Looking forward to more of your journey.
what a fun and interesting story. I hope you will get into why you both decided to do this and move to rural Japan- certainly Canada has many small rural villages- but not for 300$ yr.!
Hey! Thanks for the comment. That’s a good idea, I’ll think about how to answer those in the upcoming videos. I have a few others planned right now, but I’m definitely open to answering more of those types of questions in the next little while 😚
Let's not forget, you don't just pack everything one day, fly to Japan and rent a house like that. You usually need to build a relationship with the owner and community first, or at least someone who knows the owner really well, before you get offered a chance like this. And while the housing might be cheap, as already evidenced in this video, it also comes with a lot of work usually.
Well done on your first TH-cam video! It is brilliant! I am in love with your bathtub but not so much with some of the wild life (spiders!). Can't wait to see the next one!
You can build a small concrete river around the house, like a castle moat, it will keep most of the crawlers out. Can even make it into a pond for beautiful fish, so it will be nice to look at.
Pretty scary by all those "insects" but, still be Japan and the rural part is probably the most interesting to live. Thanks for this first video, it looks so promising this journey 😃
You can buy property there, We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and I will give you all advice you want to know about buying property in Japan, our house around $30,000 right now
I lived in Japan for a year and a half as a student back in the day and loved it. Studied Japanese for the last 15-20 years recreationally as a hobby since then and have passed JLPTN2. I am very impressed with your endeavors! I’m also curious what kind of visa you guys obtained to be able to reside in Japan? It’s not easy and I am frankly jealous of what you guys are doing so I need to ask! 😂
@@ChickenPaulYT right, I thought the same. Japan, however, really should consider creating a venue for potential immigrants with an income stream who can support themselves; a language requirement would even be understandable. It would help to pump more money into the economy and grow the country’s population.
@@Haleigh_Tortilla I wasn't refering to adult dual citizenship (which can be hard to get in any country). My best guess is one of her parents is/was a japanese born citizen.
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, and ( only pay $300 a year for everything).Okayama Province Japan. Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your journey! We are a family from Vancouver (Gulf Islands) and we're leaving for Japan in May to hopefully find a house in the countryside similar to yours. We can't wait to follow along on your adventure!
Neighbour from Victoria here. What kind of visa did you need to get in order to live in Japan? Was it difficult to obtain? I travel to Japan often...but am always limited to 3 month stays as a tourist..so I'm very curious. Good luck on your adventure in Japan!
@@rockinronnie2 Hey neighbour! We are considering the business manager visa, which requires moving a certain amount of $$ into the country and starting a corporation. It's not ideal for sure, but the 90 days is juuuust a little too limiting! We'll be sharing more about it on our channel as we work towards it :)
@@maigomika Thanks! We have friends in Osaka so will probably start looking around the Kansai area, maybe Nara or Wakayama. But if you have any suggestions of other places to check out, we'd love to hear them!
@@Slowsteading what was the capital amount needed for the business manager visa? I believe when I had last checked, it also required you to employ Japanese employees
oh my god whyyy are the spiders so big, i would dieeee AND THE CENTIPEDES OMG beautiful house, though!! PS: thank you for returning them to nature! that is very kind ♥
Good question! There’s a bit of driving involved since there aren’t grocery stores nearby, so we have to plan our errand trips to the city strategically every week. I’ll go into detail more in future videos. Thanks for the suggestion!
This reminded me of my childhood in Japan. I will never forget the nights my sister fell asleep with her window open and all the creepy crawly guests we woke up to 😭 thanks for sharing your new home. Beautiful place ☺️
I'm from Vancouver too. i used to work with seniors, and one of them offered me their countryside home, but her classmates were concerned that i was a young woman living alone, so it wouldnt be secure ..but watching you, i wish i had jumped on the chance ...except the cold ...brrr...and those spiders ...oh my !!! i had heard of those ..and apparently those are small ...they can be up to the size of a bread and butter plate, and clasp their legs together in 2 directions to be as long and narrow as a pencil to lay in narrow cracks/crevices ...oh you can keep the spiders. i just found you today, and will enjoy watching some more of your episodes...good luck to you both, and enjoy the journey : )
I’ve really come to love this channel and I’m hoping you or some other TH-camr will finally do an in-depth video on how to move to Japan and buy a country house. I don’t know if Japan allows Americans that have old Felonies to move there but I’m praying they do because my dream in life is to live in the countryside in a old Japanese house. And be like a homesteader , grow some food have some honeybees and being productive member in the local community. .I have the money already I’m just afraid to take that last step I need guidance I guess
@@gigijohnson9250 write a story? I just want to live a beautiful life in the countryside of Japan. I’m not trying to write a story I’m not even trying to be public.
It is great that you waited over an year to give a glimpse of lifestyle, often times people are either glittered by romantic idea of moving into a new place and then disappointed when it doesn't meet their expectation. Your video did a good job providing a well balanced view of the whole thing and added a refreshing flavour of treating nature as your family/neighbours. Kudos!
We moved recently into an Australian cottage and we have had just the same amount of creepy crawly guests. Getting some free range chickens helps tremendously! My favourite Japanese anime is totoro and this totally gives me the vibes. I'm eagerly awaiting the next video because of that. Congratulations on the move I can understand the workload and how hard it is to film and edit on top of it all! ❤
so glad to see u folks turned this abandoned beauty into a livable home. i love all the living creatures out there. i used to do the same when encountering spider in my home. sweet home.
You can buy property there for summer home, We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
Planting potatoes in buckets or sacks or even mushrooms would be an ideal thing to do... Chicken for eggs is also something nice. Chicken eggs 🥚🥚🥚🍳 are quite a commodity to have available for sale.
I hope you don't mind me asking, but as Canadians, how are you able to stay in Japan long term? Do you have Japanese citizenship/PR? Do you work as digital nomads? This stuff fascinates me because whenever I fantasize about this sort of stuff, I always get overwhelmed by all the potential obstacles and logistics. Either way, wishing you all the best on your journey and looking forward to seeing more videos
![[ Winter Morning Routine ] A Micro Apartment Life in Tokyo - 7sqm/76sqft](http://i.ytimg.com/vi/kBCFjSeGu6I/mqdefault.jpg)
Hi all! Thank you all for your wonderful comments so far! Just as a reminder, while I read all your comments, unfortunately, I’m unable to respond to them. To assist you better, I have created an FAQ page that contains the answers to some common questions here: www.maigomika.com/about-me/faq/ Thank you! -Mika
ohhhh man I heard about these towns thanks for showcasing and sharing! Great format!
Thank you for creating the FAQ page 😊
I just have 2 questions
How good is the Internet in there?
and, WTF IS THAT GOIN DOWN THE WALL? 1:52
@@user-xl5kd6il6can animal i guess.
If you can get a product called fipronil ...it's a insecticide..it will greatly help ...I'm a exterminator..
as a gardener, i would suggest putting some lavender and rosemary plants around your house to stop the spiders and insects coming in. mint also helps :)
Oh thanks. Will use this tip inchallah
Please provide more tips for balcony gardens..
Just don’t plant mint in the ground, only in pots.
So does a flame thrower 🍷
As does pennyroyal, but it may be poisonous to the kitty, not sure.
I don't know if anyone said this already, but the wolf spiders, and the house centipedes are both good to have around. They eat the red headed centipedes that are venomous as well as aggressive. I know that wolf spiders and house centipedes both look ferocious, but they're non aggressive and harmless to humans. Geckos are good to have around as well. ^_^
Can be, but certainly not easy for someone who has almost heart attacks from them just from the video...
Those didn't look like wolf spiders to me.
@ I had a suspicion when it said 'Meeting the house guests'. And I was right ;v;
Thanks--I was wondering what the spider was.
@@debrak3594 Looking at the spider again, I believe it may be a huntsman, and not a wolf spider. Both are relatively harmless to humans.
The creepy crawly “houseguests” would have absolutely defeated me. You guys are doing great, and I look forward to seeing how you renovate and clean up the house and turn it into a home!
Spooder be like _"nuuuuu, why u kick me out? it finally nice and warm in here"_
bro if i saw that fkn centipiede thing, id burn the house
Need chicken to bash those spider and thousand legs. Problem solved
I can't do the bugs. LOL!!! And the spiders were the size of your hand. OMG!!!
Spiders are good friends, they helping you clean (eat) all of those cockroaches infestation.
In 1999 my boyfriend and I moved into an abandoned country house near Karatsu on the island of Kyushu. Though we only stayed 3 months, watching this video brought back so many memories. We also had massive spiders, centipedes, and a resident badger that made really weird noises at night. There were also poisonous snakes (mamushi) and a huge natural beehive under the house that we discovered when we tried to use the subfloor fridge box. And until I watched your video I had forgotten about the frogs that came out in force on rainy days. The well kept running dry and we had to go down to the river to get water to prime the pump and start it again. The only blessing was that, being chronically short of water, we treated ourselves to baths at the local onsen every other day. I will never forget this place and the sound of the wind in the bamboo. I wish I had been there long enough to try planting a garden.
How did you manage to find such an accommodation for so cheap and leave after 3 months no strings attached like that? I would like to do the same thing.
@@justanotherguyful we had already lived in Japan for four years by that point. We had been teaching English and traveling, making friends and building a network. Without this network I doubt it would have been possible. The house was owned by a friend of a friend. Wish I could be more helpful.
@@AHibbs-tu7ks that was helpful enough thanks
@@justanotherguyful You can buy property there for your summer house, The currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
@@TraditionalJapaneseHouse I plan to make my first visit (solo probably) this Spring. Should I fly to Tokyo or Osaka if I plan to make a visit of the entire island of Honshu?
I think you may have single handedly talked a lot of people out of moving to Japan with those spiders 😂 The one on the pillow would have been the end of me. I admire your composure! What a beautiful home!
they're everywhere besides Antarctica....
lol you can't just move to Japan. You have to have a work visa, and if you'd ever been to the Japanese countryside you'd know it's incredibly boring. Which is why 99% of young people leave the second they can.
Not Australians. We just say, "You call that a spider?" It doesn't even kill you. What's that about?
@@D4rthsunny Well, not inside the house we live in! In previous houses, there were a few small ones, but nothing as big as the one in the video!
@@Arabzene I was speaking of the fact that spiders are on all continents besides Antarctica. That's good tho. I have a giant one in my garden, I named her Lily... she eats mosquitoes.
This is giving 'My Neighbour Totoro' vibes oh my goodness! A really cute video overall and super admirable how you guys have breathed life into your adorable country side home
It’s giving huuuge wolf children vibes😭😭
totoro must be somewhere nearby
@@reneemuller1967 moving to the countryside ✅
renting house for almost no money ✅
Initially failing at your garden ✅
Home renovations ✅
All we need is the reveal that the husband is a Canadian werewolf in Japan.
@@zacharydouglas4309 YESYESYSES😍
More like wolf children :)
As a programmer in a highly urbanized city, I have moments when I wonder what's actually like to live in remote countryside. Thanks for including the 'visitors' :D in your lovely video and not cherry-picking only the advantages of such a lifestyle.
Can't believe it's your first video ! Best of luck and can't wait to find out more in the others !
La Cluj-Napoca ?:))
@@cosmindvd Cluj e highly urbanized ? :)))) Glumesc
I live in the middle of a big city and still have visitors like the ones seen in the video, so not much different to me, except my rent is $2k/month! Sign me up for a Japanese house like this one!
se poate la tara in Romania. Sunt multe case vechi, mai ales cele sasesti, care ar fi locuri ideale.
@@veziculorile total de acord. Din pacate, la sat problema e de natura umana. Un fost coleg de munca a facut fix asta, iar cand a plecat in concediu l-au pradat vecinii, de la fructe culese din pom pana la unelte de gradinarit.
Someone may have said this already, but as an Aussie my top tip for spider removal is once you have caught it in the container and you have made it outside, leave the container on the ground open, and then RUN!!!!! Don’t try throw it away 😂 I can assure you that method doesn’t always work
LOL so true I’ve had so many spiders just cling to the container and scuttle around trying to get onto my hand 😂
as long as it sits on the paper, you're totally fine :) because you "swipe it off" with the container or glass
just spray bomb ur house every 6months
The spider looks like Ashidaka Gumo or Heteropoda venatoria. They are actually very useful because they eat a lot of harmful insects such as cockroaches, mosquitos, and flies. Besides they do almost no harm to humans. If you are not disgusted by their appearance, I think It's better to keep at least one of them in the house.
Instructions unclear I have burned my house down 😂 I have to make sure they don’t come back for good! Sadly now I am looking for a new place
I've read stories for years about small towns in Japan dying. It's nice to see people moving into these places.
I would live out the rest of my days like this if I had a partner to tackle this task with. So cool.
Its incredible to be able to come across stories like this. TH-cam acts like almost a time capsule for people in 100 years to see the experiences of millions of people around the world, its really amazing when you think about it.
i wonder how much it'll cost them in 100 years.. probably 20 years servitude
TH-cam will be gone by then and all of this lost
Moving to an old house in the countryside is just like My Neighbor Totoro! So looking forward to more videos and watching the transformation! Best of luck to you!
I thought the same thing! Love it!!
Also reminded me alot of Mamoru Hosoda's Wolf Children!
@@SovietMarmalade hehe the place looks eerily similar to the house they lived in. And the surrounding countryside as well.
thats the first thought which came to my mind when thsi video started.
Looks more like Wolf Children to me with the backyard farming
What a lovely video! About 15 years ago my wife and I traveled all over Japan in search of a place to settle down. We especially loved the Shimanto area, with its steep misty mountains, old farmhouses and rice terraces. We felt like we had traveled back in time and we came very close to making it our home.
In the end we chose Miyazaki instead because the people here are just so incredibly friendly. But those days spent driving on narrow roads through tiny mountain villages (often lost 😆) and discovering one beautiful place after another will be forever engrained in my memory. Best of luck on your journey ❤🙏
That sounds like a wonderful adventure. I hope you share your stories in a book or vlog one day!
What about the internet?did the place you visited have a good signal?
Very interesting. I too love the Japanese countryside. I envy you very much. I am living in Bangkok now and that is about as far removed from your life as can be. Plan to come back to Japan again later this year and looking forward to it very much.
That sounds so nice! What kind of visa were you able to get?
Is it possible to buy property there..hw much and hw to move there..pls advise kindest tq...
Being a steward to a neglected space and helping it heal and come back to life is such a rewarding and fulfilling thing.
I'm japanese, born and raised in europe. I keep having this idea of doing a similar project like you and I'm very thankful and happy to see you living my dream!!
You can buy property there for your summer house, The currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
$300 for a year in Japan. That is EPIC damn. Obviously some work involved, but that's a no brainer adventure that would be totally worth it. Have fun! I'm sure you'll have plenty more surprises.
They are basically renovating the house for free for the owners. The house will keep it's value better instead of just rotting away like it was before
@@korpakukac I agree. It's a win-win situation.
I used to live in rural Yamagata and I would do it again in a heartbeat. All the old homes that get abandoned usually stay that way. It's lovely to see them get used again!
The spiders and bugs creep me out, you are so brave
It’s all a very inseparable part of this countryside life. 😅They are very polite though, so we’ve gotten used to them 😆
Spiders or bugs are a man named Pikachu
Insects doesn't harm us. We have just to be careful not to hurt them. We were breed to react in this behavior. Weirdos creep me out.
In Japan you need to kill spiders at night and let them out during the day. Night spiders bring bad luck.
@@Dark_Vader888 spider 🕸 traps mosquitoes and eat them. More useful than harmful. We should be realist in time of AI. Space exploration. How can one still believe in superstitious beliefs.
Love the simplicity and minimalism Japanese homes have.
Hey, fellow Vancouverite in Japan here. We escaped in early-2022 and are now in rural Hokkaido. Definitely a huge learning curve living in Japan but worth it overall. We lived like nomads for a while before finding a house to buy. Best wishes to you guys!
Hi! May I ask, are there spiders like the ones in the video in Hokkaido too?
Thank you so much for showing everything because this at 05:11 dispelled all the awe and made me really think if I would handle the countryside. You guys are giants for taking this on.
I would simply pass away after finding that spuder in my bed.
Growing up in Florida has it's advantages I guess.
I'd be fine with the spiders, but the centipedes, NOPE
Yeah Japan is really not the place for people who don't like spiders. They're everywhere there, small and large. You'll probably see at least one spider almost every day even in cities
@@orinblank2056 I have visited Japan three times and never saw a spider :( Going back in ten days, so maybe!
Lol the creepy crawlies part is so relatable for someone who grew up where I did in Australia. The bed time ritual of removing enormous spiders and centipedes from around the house was such a normal part of childhood but since moving to a city I almost forgot about it, this brought back some nostalgia for me! I'm impressed how well you guys handled it considering you're from Canada where there are typically less 'visitors' in your house!
Typically not, the thing is these “visitors” need somewhere with heat throughout the winters, where as in Australia and warmer climates they do not; so it’s more common, and frequent to find them throughout our winters, comparatively.
lol. The visitors we🇨🇦 do like, are from Australia.🤙
I don't know if it is that much less creepy crawlers in Canada. I live in Sweden, similar fauna as in Canada. I would say the biggest difference is the size, here they are so smal that many insects get unnoticed cous you don't see them. That japanese spider that he removed from the house was like a small sized chiwawa here in Sweden.
One time, probably 50 years ago when I was 8 years old my family visited some friends living in the country side nearby the sea. We spent the night in their gesthouse but my Sister could not sleep. She complained that there was something tickeling her back, my parents looked several times but did not find anything. She still complained and my dad undid the whole bed and under the sheet a smal centipede about 2 inches long were crawling around, so she was right al along. 2 inches are about as big as they get here and they are not venomous either, don't think they even are strong enough to bite you.
Are there venomous snakes and spiders in Japan that could harm you or even kill you?
@@johanselander7708 yeah there are a few! I'd be most concerned about bears though lol, but maybe that's because we don't get those in Australia...
@@JingaBBB As a Canadian, I'd FAR prefer our "visitors" to the Japanese critters! All the critters in my house are tiny, completely safe and hide for the most part lmfao. But, then again, the Japanese don't have to contend with quite as much for big game - Canadians have wild bears (3 different kinds), wolves, coyotes, badgers, moose, bison, etc.
The house looks immaculate inside for a rural house in such a field..impressive. Does not look abandoned. It must have been well managed and maintained by the house owner.
Wow. This looks like an absolute dream of a place to live! So beautiful. Hopefully clearing the brush away from the house will help minimize some of the house guests😆
dream place with living bugs crawling all over you at night. good luck with that.
The spiders look like huntsman spiders. They're harmless to people. Their main defense is to run away. Their favorite food is cockroaches so I always let them live in my house when I was in the Philippines. That centipede is a different story. I'd have probably killed it on the spot. Yuck! I'm in Osaka now and looking forward to moving out to the countryside in a few more years. Thanks for sharing your adventure!
I always kill centipedes on the spot!
You are right about the spiders! In Japanese they are called taka-ashi-kumo, literally tall-legged spider. Harmless to people and great pest control, the house centipedes too. The mukade (venomous centipede) on the other hand are super dangerous and should be tossed out very carefully though!
@@soulsurfseeker Be careful, they are hard to kill and often come in pairs!
I think I'd shit my pants. How dangerous is the centipede and how likely is it that it will attack?
i was stupid and killed the huntsman spider near the door in my kitchen. and so like a curse there appeared a steady stream of ipis (cockroaches) the long months after. talk about awful 😖
I recommend homemade peppermint spray as repellent for the smaller centipedes (the blue spindly guys in your case, not the baby kaiju on your cutting board). Just mix a bit of peppermint oil with water in a spray bottle and spray down points of entry every so often. Even if it's not full-proof, it can help. There are other scent-based bug and rodent repellents that can work as well that won't be unpleasant to you. I couldn't even smell the peppermint spray myself, but I've seen no more centipedes since then.
chickens also take care of centipedes.
Shikoku stole my heart when I visited Japan in 2019. Traveled around Shikoku for 9 days andits people and landscaper were the highlight of my visit. Now, after 4 years, I am about to finally come back to Japan for a few weeks. And dream of Shikoku's people, nature and temples. Thanks for bringing me back a bit earlier :)
will visit shikoku in a couple weeks, do you have any advice / tips regarding waht to see / do?
@@littlepole323 I rented a car from Kochi y I simply wandered into gorges, waterfalls and nature places all around, it is truly wonderful
@@sonatartica2590 I planned on camping outside in a tent, and hike into nature (on existing paths obv). Got a bit scared by this video ngl.
@@littlepole323 Renting a car is virtually a necessity if you want to get around easily. There's lots to do in each prefecture. I live in Tokushima, so I know a little more about that part. For the highlights, there's Iya Valley in Tokushima, Ritsurin Garden in Kagawa, Kochi Castle in Kochi and Dogo Onsen in Ehime. There are also lots of scenic beaches all over, but especially in southern Tokushima and into Kochi.
Some other things to check out in Tokushima are Mt. Bizan, Awa Odori Kaikan, some aizome (indigo dying) shops, waterfalls in the mountains near Kamikatsu and Kamiyama. If you're into things on the slightly creepy side, you might also check out Nagoro, which is a village with a shrinking population (common in rural Japan), but has some locally-made dolls to take the place of people around town. You can even make your own doll if you want.
For food, Sanuki udon and Tokushima ramen are popular, but my must-eat would be katsuo no tataki in Kochi.
I spent 4 years of my life studying in Tokushima back in early '90... Would love to go back again soon. Lay back place and nice people...
My grandparents live in the Japanese countryside and their homes looked quite similar to this 15 years ago, except with Tatami mats. They’ve done a lot of repairs so that they no longer get insects crawling through the floorboards and have better sliding doors for their rōka. Their family home has been there for over 400 years, so many things could still use repairing. It’s super cool to see how you all are managing the nature making their way into the house. Stay away from the monkeys though - they’re the real troublemakers! 😂
This is incredible. Apart from the gorgeous countryside, the house looks so homely and welcoming. As for the local locals - the spiders and other creatures, it's just like outer suburbia/ countryside in Australia. You have bio pest control in place - using other creatures that keep away the harmful ones and all is good. Thankyou for sharing this wonderful experience on youtube with everyone!
What a lovely video! You guys delt with your unwelcome house visitors so well! Glad to see the three legged cat is well loved too :)
Completely delightful. A perfect first YT video. ❤
Thank you gurlie! 🥹 finally ripped that bandaid off but good to get started 😃
I watched the first minute and knew that this is going to be my favorite channel this year. Everything is so simple, so adorable, so challenging at the same time… please, make more of this, I love the way you guys treat nature BTW
This is so crazy. I knew exactly where this was in the first few seconds of the video! This area is my dream to live in. I often explored Shikoku when I lived in Kansai, and the Shimantogawa was my favorite. It reminds me of southern Oregon where I'm from. I went swimming in the river there, just like back home. The water is crystal clear up at the top of the mountain. So beautiful! There were a couple onsen right off the road, and I then dreamt I could live in a house right next to one of those Onsen on the river. I'm very envious!
いやいや、こんな田舎の古い家に住もうとされるなんて、素晴らしいです。これからもお二人力を合わせ、楽しく生活されてください。
Thank you for the movie.I admire you two have survived in such Do-Inaka,lol.Everything may be very curious and interesting there.
Enjoy your life together surrounded by authentic nature.
I have no idea why and how this ended up in my recommendations, but I'm happy it did. Looking forward to follow your journey, guys!
I love how all of our Japanese countryside fantasies were crushed as soon as we saw the spiders 😅😅😅.
Great video. Can’t wait to follow your journey (far away from the insects)!
It's because this place has tropical climate. If they chose somewhere farther north to reside, there would be less bugs. Hokkaido especially is almost like Canada, very cold and long winter. I'm surprised they don't chose to live in Hokkaido.
@@doodletime1512 3 degree it's tropical?
Sorry,I'm from tropis and I didn't know this
for me it was the centipedes!
@@doodletime1512 my guy, it's not a 'tropical' climate place. It is hot yes, but it's not the tropical climate of hot temperature of 30~ °c and wet environment that I live in everyday.
And tbf, this house is located in Shikoku, one of the south big island in Japan. For reference, Shikoku is located at west of Osaka state.
If you dont like the countryside in your own country, why would you like the countryside in Japan?
I came for the Tom content and I enjoyed the whole story.
Also the wooden stove reminded me of my first country house living experience in Japan. It's crazy how fast and warm a wooden stove heats up a room, if you're close to it.
Can't wait for the next video. Loved all the little bits
Haha glad you stayed for the whole thing. 😂 Tom adds personality. 😽. The wood stove was such a game changer- the winter would had been much less comfortable without it. We basically section off an entire portion of the house to insulate as much of that wood stove heat as we can. 🔥
Literally my dream. I just want to retire in an old house in the Japanese countryside, have a farm, some animals, chill and read books, maybe have a significant other share this lifestyle with me, which is why I now work extra hard to save up for this. This video is great!
You can buy property there for your summer house, The currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
During the few trips that I have made to Japan, I have only stayed at one traditional home, and of course, it was during the winter, North of Sendai. Two walls of rice paper to hold back the weather.
The one you have seems so much better. I am almost envious of the adventure you two are having.
Thank you for sharing your journey with us.
While it probably wasn't the intended focus of this video, I can't help but feel melancholy at the thought of everything being so ephemeral. On the flip side, it's great to see a house with so much love and memories getting a second life from you guys.
Having lived in the Japanese countryside I can concur on the melancholy aspect. It's also a traditional part of the culture.
As a chaperone for a group of high school kids from the States almost 30 years ago I stayed with a host family who lived in a semi rural area. Nearby was the father’s family home, now abandoned. He took me to see it, it was one of the large thatch roofed traditional houses one associates with “traditional” Japan. After seeing it I understood why they preferred the modern house the family lived in now, better water, better heat and insulation!!!! Better everything!
Mad respect for you guys to pull this off. I can imagine some days were a test of resilience, both mental and physical, but the upsides do seem absolutely worth it.
Loved the entomology part. Your way of putting it all together makes an interesting calme yet funny , highly agréable format, the music of course strings it all Together. It's that " not taking too seriously, witnessing even the tiniest joy. Arigatou gozaimasu
Your channel is aspiring for me. As I moved to Japan too and looking to buy a home with my wife and live in the country. Currently we live in Sapporo in a apartment.
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, Okayama Province Japan. You can buy property there for your summer house, The western currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Oh wow, I'm so glad this came up on my feed. I went to Japan forty years ago and have never forgotten it. I stayed with a Japanese family on Kyushu and still remember their kindness and their sense of humour - which was very close to my British humour so we shared lots of laughter. I am looking forward to watch your battles with the wildlife (yikes!), and the whole process of living in rural Japan. Can't wait!
One of my favorite videos this year, love the genuine look at the endeavor. Following for more, wishing you two, and all the more friendly critters the best!
I'm from Switzerland and living in Tokyo. House prices in Japan is very affordable. After I bought a house here in Tokyo, I began to ponder about the possiblity of buying another one in a countryside. I finally found a perfect one in a coubtryside of Nagano.
I would never be able to buy 2 houses in Switzerland with the same price that I spent for 2 houses in Japan !
I curious that How much those house's prices are :D
@@troisangroi115 I got mine for approx ¥ 4million ( around US$ 30K ).
@@azabujuban-hito-dake wow, comparing to the income that's would be a very good price even in countryside or in Tokyo.
In my country (Vietnam), $30k is just enough for a little house in countryside. I think our house's prices are very high compare to developed country, that's sad.
I've dreamed to have my own land and a small house but it may take more and more time than I can expect...
@@azabujuban-hito-dake in Switzerland you can buy a car garage for that price and live inside the car. Toilet outside 😂
@@azabujuban-hito-dake Is that the house in Tokyo or in Nagano? I am also exploring how to buy a modest home in Japan, how should I start the process (from the US)?
Such a peaceful and fulfilling life. I wish you two the best and good fortune ;)
I would have ran out screaming and crying if I saw insects that size. Props to you guys for having the guts to deal with it!
I'm a 66 yo male and you and your partner are living the dream for me and my cats Niko, Hana, and Setsuko. We, my cats and I wish you both the very best!
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, Okayama Province Japan. You can buy property there for your summer house, The western currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Immediately adopt a cat for creepy crawlies would be my first move. 😂😂😂 Although the monkeys scare me more than anything! 😮 Love seeing your projects and progress! Bringing a homestead back to life.
So impressed by how you handled the houseguests! I'm terrified of all types of insects (to a point that it sometimes limits my life) so it was so inspiring to see how you reacted to the situation and learned to coexist. I wish you a lot of happiness in your new life, I'll be following your adventures!
I stumbled upon your video, decided to watch it and I honestly love your content. I’m recently looking to move into the country side and you have inspired me to do so. Please keep making these videos and I’m excited to see your progress! May god bless both of you ❤
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, and ( only pay $300 a year for everything).Okayama Province Japan. Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
This is absolutely all my childhood Totoro dreams coming true. Subscribed!
This is so amazing. It's exactly what I would like to do in Japan someday! With a small garden or farm. Thank you so much for sharing your journey.
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, and ( only pay $300 a year for everything).Okayama Province Japan. Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Your hard work & perseverance are clearly paying off. Thanks for sharing this beautifully filmed & edited video with us, this is a work of art on many levels. I’m anxiously anticipating updates 😍😘👏💓
Watching from Tokyo! Love the style of your videos and so happy you guys made the decision to do this. I used to live in the countryside in Niigata and the life in the countryside is the best.
What a great testament to the safety and security in Japan. You can't even leave a railway track abandoned in South Africa for that long, and find any tracks after 7 years.
excellent wood burning stove installation. may your coexistence with the house guests bring your lives Great fortune and health.
You guys are living my dream! I'm so glad that you've been able to find such an lovely home, even if it does need a lot of fixing up
I have been here in Japan for years, but I always live in Tokyo city.
I traveled to some places, but I’ve never seen such a traditional place like this video.
Hope someday I would rent and live in countryside for a while.
You can buy property there, We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
I loved your video Mika! Once again you show us how talented you are at telling stories in the simplest and most poetic way possible! I can't wait to see the next video!
I know how much work it is to produce videos like this, but I hope you will never stop! 🙌
Thank you Romeo! You seriously have no idea what that means a lot coming from you 😭😭😭🥹I’m already planning out my next video with your comments in mind. 🤩
Kudos to you for the courage and dedication, the love you are showing toward the house and the place you chose to live. I did the same thing with an old farmhouse in Italy, and i know very well the efforts, patience and love you must have to recover abandoned buildings. I will gladly follow your adventures and wish you a long, healthy and happy life in your home. Love from Italy!!
The sounds of nature is so stunningly beautiful. I love it. The scenery too.
I lived in Kochi City for 4 years, and visited Shimanto a few times. Buying/renovating an akiya has always been in the back of my mind, but I don't know if I'd want to do it all by myself. I'm eagerly awaiting the next time I can go back to Japan (either as a visitor or a resident again).
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, Okayama Province Japan. You can buy property there for your summer house, The western currency is very good to buy house in Japan right now. We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Wow, thank you for showing the huge insects, the cold nights--that really humbled me because living in a countryside like this initially sounded very romantic and appealing to me. However, as a city raised and born myself I began to doubt if I could handle that at all! Besides that, what a beautiful place teeming with wildlife and quaint neighbors. Especially the cat. I can see your hard work will pay off and that house will look absolutely beautiful one day. Amazing job taking on a challenge like this, I really admire your dedication, and taking the time to show us. Best of luck to the two of you, and may your nights be warm and summers be cool!
Man, forget the bugs, I dont think I could live next door to a monkey. They're scary
I’m from Vancouver too, and seeing those spiders gave me a ‘Come to Jesus moment’ 😱 you both so so brave! 😀
i'm glad you began to talk with us in you're newer videos. thank you.
you dont know how really lucky are, your life guys is precious. please dont take it for granted, its a daydream! both the cozy and the "ferocious" stuff haha. thank you for inspiring us too and sharing it!
Well done.
While I lived in Japan for many years, my best friends (Japanese) from Yokohama decided to move to Hokkaido. They found a home similar to yours and have for the past 8 years been living rent free and having the best life ever with their garden and flower business. Their first winter was tough with their learning curve, but they too have adapted to a beautiful life within nature.
Looking forward to more of your journey.
what a fun and interesting story. I hope you will get into why you both decided to do this and move to rural Japan- certainly Canada has many small rural villages- but not for 300$ yr.!
Hey! Thanks for the comment. That’s a good idea, I’ll think about how to answer those in the upcoming videos. I have a few others planned right now, but I’m definitely open to answering more of those types of questions in the next little while 😚
Let's not forget, you don't just pack everything one day, fly to Japan and rent a house like that. You usually need to build a relationship with the owner and community first, or at least someone who knows the owner really well, before you get offered a chance like this. And while the housing might be cheap, as already evidenced in this video, it also comes with a lot of work usually.
@@Hans-gb4mv yeah I didn't forget it because I just watched the video, and that's exactly the question I asked is how she came to the situation.....
Well done on your first TH-cam video! It is brilliant! I am in love with your bathtub but not so much with some of the wild life (spiders!). Can't wait to see the next one!
Thank you! The bathtub feels like our very own hot spring we get to enjoy every day ♨ The spiders are very polite so we don't mind them so much😅
I loved everything about your video, even the creepy crawlies! I appreciate very much how you handled all the wild life. My best wishes to you!
You can build a small concrete river around the house, like a castle moat, it will keep most of the crawlers out.
Can even make it into a pond for beautiful fish, so it will be nice to look at.
Pretty scary by all those "insects" but, still be Japan and the rural part is probably the most interesting to live.
Thanks for this first video, it looks so promising this journey 😃
I really want to have a house like this when I get retired. Wake up, plant vegetable, bonsai, go fishing. OMG that sounds so damn good.
I could do without the giant spiders and insects though...
You can buy property there, We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and I will give you all advice you want to know about buying property in Japan, our house around $30,000 right now
I lived in Japan for a year and a half as a student back in the day and loved it. Studied Japanese for the last 15-20 years recreationally as a hobby since then and have passed JLPTN2.
I am very impressed with your endeavors!
I’m also curious what kind of visa you guys obtained to be able to reside in Japan? It’s not easy and I am frankly jealous of what you guys are doing so I need to ask! 😂
I'm curious about the visas as well.
She might have duel citizenship, which would also make it a tad easier to get her partner into the country aswell.
@@ChickenPaulYT right, I thought the same. Japan, however, really should consider creating a venue for potential immigrants with an income stream who can support themselves; a language requirement would even be understandable. It would help to pump more money into the economy and grow the country’s population.
@@ChickenPaulYT Japan doesn't allow dual citizenship for adults, unfortunately!
@@Haleigh_Tortilla I wasn't refering to adult dual citizenship (which can be hard to get in any country). My best guess is one of her parents is/was a japanese born citizen.
The aesthetics of this video was very pleasing to watch. Overall, job well done!
One of my biggest wishes is to buy a house in countryside Japan and just enjoy in this beautiful country. Sending love to both of you!!
We bought a traditional house 5 years ago, a Cheap Traditional Japanese House in the rural countryside of Japan. ( akiya houses ) $30,000, and ( only pay $300 a year for everything).Okayama Province Japan. Please let me know if you'd like to buy it, and I'll help you.
Beautiful! Thank you for sharing your journey!
We are a family from Vancouver (Gulf Islands) and we're leaving for Japan in May to hopefully find a house in the countryside similar to yours. We can't wait to follow along on your adventure!
Wow! What area are you looking in? Good luck on your search!😆
Neighbour from Victoria here. What kind of visa did you need to get in order to live in Japan? Was it difficult to obtain? I travel to Japan often...but am always limited to 3 month stays as a tourist..so I'm very curious. Good luck on your adventure in Japan!
@@rockinronnie2 Hey neighbour! We are considering the business manager visa, which requires moving a certain amount of $$ into the country and starting a corporation. It's not ideal for sure, but the 90 days is juuuust a little too limiting! We'll be sharing more about it on our channel as we work towards it :)
@@maigomika Thanks! We have friends in Osaka so will probably start looking around the Kansai area, maybe Nara or Wakayama. But if you have any suggestions of other places to check out, we'd love to hear them!
@@Slowsteading what was the capital amount needed for the business manager visa? I believe when I had last checked, it also required you to employ Japanese employees
oh my god whyyy are the spiders so big, i would dieeee AND THE CENTIPEDES OMG
beautiful house, though!!
PS: thank you for returning them to nature! that is very kind ♥
Please post more updates in the future!!! This video was amazing! Also, what is it like running for errands out in the countryside?
Good question! There’s a bit of driving involved since there aren’t grocery stores nearby, so we have to plan our errand trips to the city strategically every week. I’ll go into detail more in future videos. Thanks for the suggestion!
This reminded me of my childhood in Japan. I will never forget the nights my sister fell asleep with her window open and all the creepy crawly guests we woke up to 😭 thanks for sharing your new home. Beautiful place ☺️
I'm from Vancouver too. i used to work with seniors, and one of them offered me their countryside home, but her classmates were concerned that i was a young woman living alone, so it wouldnt be secure ..but watching you, i wish i had jumped on the chance ...except the cold ...brrr...and those spiders ...oh my !!! i had heard of those ..and apparently those are small ...they can be up to the size of a bread and butter plate, and clasp their legs together in 2 directions to be as long and narrow as a pencil to lay in narrow cracks/crevices ...oh you can keep the spiders. i just found you today, and will enjoy watching some more of your episodes...good luck to you both, and enjoy the journey : )
I’ve really come to love this channel and I’m hoping you or some other TH-camr will finally do an in-depth video on how to move to Japan and buy a country house. I don’t know if Japan allows Americans that have old Felonies to move there but I’m praying they do because my dream in life is to live in the countryside in a old Japanese house. And be like a homesteader , grow some food have some honeybees and being productive member in the local community. .I have the money already I’m just afraid to take that last step I need guidance I guess
@@gigijohnson9250 write a story? I just want to live a beautiful life in the countryside of Japan. I’m not trying to write a story I’m not even trying to be public.
You’ll want to talk to your local embassy. TH-cam isn’t going to be as helpful for you imo.
Thanks for showing the bugs. My fantasy is over
Right! I was like "sweet, Japan!", and then....
It is great that you waited over an year to give a glimpse of lifestyle, often times people are either glittered by romantic idea of moving into a new place and then disappointed when it doesn't meet their expectation. Your video did a good job providing a well balanced view of the whole thing and added a refreshing flavour of treating nature as your family/neighbours. Kudos!
Tranquil shots like in anime. I love the spider and animal montages too, it looks like living in remote countryside is full of surprises :)
I feel happy for you guys that to find out this Home in rural area of Japan.
Love this and would love to see the transformation in next videos 😊😊
Beautiful video.
We moved recently into an Australian cottage and we have had just the same amount of creepy crawly guests. Getting some free range chickens helps tremendously! My favourite Japanese anime is totoro and this totally gives me the vibes. I'm eagerly awaiting the next video because of that. Congratulations on the move I can understand the workload and how hard it is to film and edit on top of it all! ❤
so glad to see u folks turned this abandoned beauty into a livable home. i love all the living creatures out there. i used to do the same when encountering spider in my home. sweet home.
You can buy property there for summer home, We have owned a Japanese house for 5 years now, feel free to ask me anything, and our house is around $30,000 right now.
Planting potatoes in buckets or sacks or even mushrooms would be an ideal thing to do... Chicken for eggs is also something nice. Chicken eggs 🥚🥚🥚🍳 are quite a commodity to have available for sale.
You're so lucky. Japan is my favorite country, just next to Canada. Enjoy staying there & be the real friends to those friendly kind Japanese.
I hope you don't mind me asking, but as Canadians, how are you able to stay in Japan long term? Do you have Japanese citizenship/PR? Do you work as digital nomads? This stuff fascinates me because whenever I fantasize about this sort of stuff, I always get overwhelmed by all the potential obstacles and logistics.
Either way, wishing you all the best on your journey and looking forward to seeing more videos
In L. A. Where rents are thousands of $ per month , your rent seems like a dream.
You have no idea 😭 I still can’t believe it sometimes. it’s hard out there, hoping you’re managing out there in LA 🥺
@@maigomika ♥
Subscribed, looking forward to seeing more.🌾
It's hilarious that cat just showed up and act like it's a house owner.
How is that funny? I wouldn't want that thing around my house.
Oh it appears that you have a wonderful location. Good luck in all your projects as you go along. Looking forward to following your adventure !!!!
My dream will come true... through hard work, faith,... wonder and fun ! Beautiful! Thank you for sharing! ALL the Best !!!