Holy. It’s that one? Oh my Gosh. That is so cool. When we first started our countryside life in rural Japan, we were unsure of what this new lifestyle would bring us. Jesse: It’s tipping over, but that building is built with beautiful beams. However, as time passes, we grow increasingly fond of the countryside lifestyle. With each passing day, we flirt more and more with the idea of buying our own akiya house. If you're a new or returning visitor. Welcome. We are Canadians living in the countryside of Shikoku,
Japan's smallest main island. I'm Mika, this is Jesse, and this is Pancake. Two years ago, we moved into an akiya house, which means vacant
or abandoned home in Japanese. Before us. It was unoccupied for seven years. The original family still owns it,
and it will likely remain in their family. So us occupying the
house has given it a new lease on life, while also allowing us to experience
this curious life in an akiya. We practiced our house renovation skills. We grew vegetables and started a flower garden. We survived the typhoon and even learned to live harmoniously
with a few countryside critters along the way. Little by little, we fixed this place up for our comfort and to experience the firsthand reality of akiya life. And now we're more confident than ever that we found our desired lifestyle and have started to search for our akiya of our own. Title: First Day of Akiya Hunting One of the ways to start your akiya search is by using
the online registry called akiya banks. While these databases for vacant homes are a popular place to start a casual search most akiya homes never make it
to getting listed on these sites. For us, we use these online resources
as a way to explore an area first. There are a lot of small hamlets
and towns throughout the countryside, and akiya banks allow us to plot houses into our Google Maps,
point ourselves in that direction, and drive through a region
we might not otherwise explore. Jesse: There's definitely a section
that looks like it has a new roof. Mika: That's cool. Jesse: I want the temple. Jesse: No I don't. Mika: No, you don't. Jesse: But I do. Mika: Someone's taking care of it Jesse: Around the bend? Mika: It should be right on our left. Jesse: Okay, well, this is all shuttered. That's cute. Jesse: Look at the place up on the hill. There are many vacant homes
in the countryside. And we're taking our time
to find the perfect one. But if we do find it,
we may have to act quickly. It turns out that the search for akiya
houses may be a bit more competitive than we thought. Mika: That's weird. I think they... They must have taken (the listing) down
while we were driving there. As we embark on the search
for our next akiya house, we plan to continue our small projects
in our current abode. This includes our new gardening project
we started this year. In my latest video, I shared my mission
to restore our yard to its former glory. A once colorful garden full of flowers. I'm happy to report that the rhododendrons
and other flowers have successfully taken root
and started to bloom. The progress of our garden
has not gone unnoticed by our neighbors,
who have taken a keen interest in it. In fact, one of them recently gave me
a clipping of a mystery flower to plant in the garden. I'm eagerly awaiting to see what kind of
flower it is when it blooms this autumn. To anticipate the early summer, I planted several different
hydrangea plants. We are not in a rush to find our dream akiya house. For now, we will enjoy
living in this akiya house and continue to take care of it, just as it has taken
care of us these years. Thank you for watching. And a big thank you to everyone
who has supported us so far. Your contributions means a lot to us
and makes a huge difference. It helps us to continue to do what
we love, while also sharing a little slice of the Japanese countryside
that we hope you can enjoy back home. Until next time. Bye!
