- 6 minutes ago
We bought an abandoned farmhouse in rural Japan for just $22,000, and only after a month of cleaning the main house did we finally explore the second building on the property. What looked like a storage shed turns out to have real potential as a separate home, with space for a bedroom, kitchen and bathroom, plus its own entrance and a great view.
Along the way, we deal with hornet nests, a bathroom renovation plan, Japan’s strict recycling system, and the shock of Mandy falling straight through the floor. We also uncover more hidden details inside the property, including an old traditional Japanese hearth, while trying to figure out what can be saved, what needs to be removed, and how to make this forgotten place livable again.
This rural Japan renovation vlog mixes house restoration, akiya property exploration, and everyday expat life in the Japanese Alps. It’s a practical, funny, and sometimes stressful look at turning an abandoned house into a family home.
For viewers searching for abandoned house in Japan, akiya renovation, rural Japan vlog, Japanese farmhouse restoration, property makeover, and renovation documentary, this episode follows real progress on a two-house property. It also fits searches for Japan travel lifestyle, DIY home renovation, and long-form country living content.
Along the way, we deal with hornet nests, a bathroom renovation plan, Japan’s strict recycling system, and the shock of Mandy falling straight through the floor. We also uncover more hidden details inside the property, including an old traditional Japanese hearth, while trying to figure out what can be saved, what needs to be removed, and how to make this forgotten place livable again.
This rural Japan renovation vlog mixes house restoration, akiya property exploration, and everyday expat life in the Japanese Alps. It’s a practical, funny, and sometimes stressful look at turning an abandoned house into a family home.
For viewers searching for abandoned house in Japan, akiya renovation, rural Japan vlog, Japanese farmhouse restoration, property makeover, and renovation documentary, this episode follows real progress on a two-house property. It also fits searches for Japan travel lifestyle, DIY home renovation, and long-form country living content.
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TravelTranscript
00:00We're Lloyd and Mandy and after four and a half years traveling the world searching
00:05for summer to call our forever home, we finally found it. A $22,000 abandoned farmhouse in rural
00:12Japan. What's all that stuff up top there? That looks interesting. I can't believe we've been
00:17here this long and we're still finding stuff we didn't know we had. Would you touch my head?
00:23You've got something on me! Wow they're all coming out now.
00:32Nice game!
00:41I'm trying to figure out where to put these bottles. All the signs are Japanese.
00:55Oh my gosh. These are awesome. I can't believe it. I'm like actually in shock right now.
01:03Highly recommend this recipe. I would definitely link it down below.
01:07I know I keep saying this but the weather here just keeps blowing my mind. It's been hot and dry
01:12for about a month straight. It's super hot, no rain and then all of a sudden last night
01:16this thunderstorm rolls in but it wasn't like irregular thunderstorm. It finally happened.
01:21I was like not paying attention to where I was stepping and I was looking for the vacuum and
01:26my leg just went completely through the floor and it cut. That's all coming up right now on Lloyd and
01:33Mandy.
01:39All right we took possession of our abandoned house here in Japan about a month ago and
01:47we've been so busy trying to get the main house cleaned and liveable and just starting on the renovations.
01:56We haven't actually had time to take a look in the second house that came with the property. This is
02:03one of the main reasons we actually wanted this place because it's got the main house which is
02:08like five bedrooms, living room, bathroom, kitchen and then right behind it here is this I guess
02:18like a suite or a shed. At the moment it's kind of like a shed but we're going to put
02:23insulation and
02:23everything in it and turn it into a separate living area. We're even going to put a kitchen and a
02:28bathroom
02:29in it eventually but we haven't even been inside in the month that we've been here. We did see inside
02:34it
02:35when we looked at this place six months ago so we don't really know what's waiting for us in there.
02:41We're going to go and check it out now.
02:44I really don't want to do this. Look at all the spiderwebs.
02:54Skin's crawling. I should probably take something.
03:00Going to battle.
03:08All right let's go.
03:12That one almost got you.
03:15I'm so jumpy.
03:17Sound of that running water just scared. Why have you never noticed this spot?
03:25Wow we've got a whole like another outdoor space here.
03:31We haven't come back here at all.
03:33What can we put there?
03:36That might be good for like...
03:38Sauna.
03:39Sauna yeah.
03:41Wow.
03:43Sauna and then you can access it from this place.
03:46Yeah pretty cool view for the sauna too in private.
03:52Look up there.
03:55Oh man.
03:56Whoa look at those ones.
04:00What's all that stuff up top there?
04:02That looks interesting.
04:05It's like materials and stuff up there. We've got to get in there.
04:09I can't believe we've been here this long and we're still finding stuff we didn't know we had.
04:14Whoa.
04:16What's up here?
04:22Is that snow shovel ours?
04:24Yeah.
04:25That's great.
04:26I mean yeah everything that's been left is out.
04:30I actually like that.
04:33I might use that as like a table or something.
04:36Wow this is so cool.
04:37It's a bit creepy.
04:41Do those open?
04:47Oh yeah.
04:49Wow.
04:50Are you kidding me?
04:51See?
05:00Wow.
05:02There's electricity here already which is good.
05:06Oh my gosh this would be the coolest room ever and like even the view from
05:22this is awesome.
05:25It looks like a big egg.
05:28I reckon that's spot.
05:29I might have.
05:35I have to get old mate to come back.
05:37Yeah.
05:39Did he not come in here?
05:41No.
05:42I think the plan is going to be make this one big bedroom and then downstairs we can put in
05:50a little kitchen and a bathroom and just have this as like a completely separate living situation
05:56that we can rent out.
05:58Yeah.
05:59Holiday rentals.
06:00Yeah.
06:01Long-term rental.
06:02Who knows?
06:02Because it's got its own entrance.
06:05You don't need to go into the main house or the driveway or anything.
06:08And there's enough room here to have a really big.
06:12Studio style bedroom.
06:13Yeah.
06:13And then downstairs which we'll go check out now.
06:16I think there's enough room to have a kitchen, bathroom.
06:19You could probably even put a washing machine down there.
06:22This is so cool.
06:23I love all the old timber in here.
06:28Ironically, it actually smells better in here than it does in the main house right now.
06:33It's because it's all just wood and it's open.
06:35Yeah.
06:37It's really cool.
06:39Like the ceiling, A-frame ceiling with these open beams.
06:43Oh, I love it.
06:44It's like barn feeling.
06:45Yeah.
06:46This obviously, no one was like staying in here because it's just these.
06:51Yeah.
06:52There's no proper windows or anything.
06:53So it'd be freezing in winter in here.
06:55Yeah.
06:55Yeah.
06:56Let's go check out downstairs.
07:06Yeah, I reckon it's the sauna.
07:16This room's not too bad.
07:23See, this could be another bathroom.
07:25Yeah.
07:27It just touched my head.
07:30It didn't say no.
07:35There's something on me.
07:37So there's here and then in here, you reckon this could be like a kitchen?
07:41Look, the light works.
07:42Oh, wow.
07:44There's already electricity in here.
07:46I didn't know that.
07:48Yeah.
07:49I think this could be a bathroom.
07:50Well, maybe it's an entrance, I guess.
07:53There's a bathroom and kitchen.
07:54And here in here.
07:54The kitchen.
07:55The kitchen.
07:57The kitchen.
08:00Kitchen slash.
08:01Where are you going?
08:01Well, it's already got the, it's got another room over there too, where the barrels are.
08:06Yeah.
08:06I'll have to think about the layout, but it's pretty good.
08:11Oh, wow.
08:14Imagine just cooking your breakfast looking out here.
08:19Oh, I love it.
08:23Yeah.
08:31I guess this is what we can do.
08:41This could be, I know, I'm so excited about that.
08:45Probably going to hang that on the wall.
08:47This could be a bathroom too.
08:51Look at those cool barrels.
08:53Can we pull the barrels out?
08:54Yeah.
08:55Yeah.
08:56Let's do it.
08:58They're not too big, are they?
09:01Those would be good just in the house, I think.
09:04Plant pots.
09:05They're so cool though.
09:14Wow, it's so big.
09:38All right, I'm heading down to the house now, because I've got to meet a plumber, who's basically
09:44going to take a look at our bathroom and everything we want to do to it, and just tell me,
09:48first of all,
09:50if we can do it, and how long it'll take, how much it'll cost, maybe even more importantly.
09:56Which is great, we're making progress, we can get started on that.
10:01And I'm also meeting a waste removal guy who came around to our house about two days ago,
10:07because obviously if we're tearing everything out of the bathroom, we need to be able to get rid of all
10:11of the materials,
10:13you know, the jip board and the tiles and the timber, which isn't that easy in Japan.
10:18Everything's very strict as far as sorting materials, and it costs a lot of money to take stuff to the
10:25recycle center.
10:26He took a look in our garage where we're storing a lot of the stuff we've already pulled out,
10:29and basically gave me a quote to get rid of everything, and it was pretty expensive, especially because
10:36there was the tatami mats, they're like 20 bucks a piece to get rid of, and we've got like maybe
10:4230
10:42to get rid of in total with all the rooms. We haven't removed them all yet, but yeah, that's going
10:46to be expensive.
10:48So we're trying to figure out if there's a better way to do it, like, I don't know,
10:50I asked him if they recycle it, he said no, these ones were too old. I don't know, maybe somebody
10:56would recycle them.
10:58Anyway, while he was there, I asked him about the hornet's nest that I found. He said he could get
11:02rid of it for us, so I just have to pay him some cash, like I think 10,000 yen.
11:08He's going to get rid of
11:09the two nests. I think one is a hornet's nest and one might be a wasp nest, I don't know,
11:14but
11:15that's awesome. I was really struggling to find somebody who could get rid of them for us, so yeah,
11:21he's the man for the job. Is this dangerous?
11:24I think no, no, it's okay, it's okay.
11:29Okay, he's literally just spraying the nest. I thought he was going to come in like a full
11:36sperm suit and like, I don't know what he's going to do, but he's just got to camp.
11:53Wow, they're all coming out now.
11:57Nice game!
12:03Another one?
12:27Japan is a comedian!
12:44He's just checking out the shed while he's here.
12:47I'm going to see if there's any bees, wasps, anything in here.
12:53No! It's okay!
12:56It's okay?
12:57Yeah, it's okay.
13:02I think we're all good.
13:04Wow, that was wild. He basically just showed up with a can of bug spray and an umbrella. I thought
13:13he was going to come in like a full-on suit and have some professional gear.
13:18I don't really know what I was expecting actually, but anyway, I'm glad he got rid of them.
13:22Super funny guy, super nice.
13:24He actually invited us to go to a festival that's happening across the road today, so we'll see.
13:30It is raining quite a lot, so I don't know if we'll make it.
13:43We'll be
13:44cool.
14:09Let's get started.
14:36what happened i thought for sure it would be you that fell through the floor not me
14:43yeah i it finally happened i was like not paying attention to where i was stepping i was looking
14:49for the vacuum and my leg just went completely through the floor and it cut
14:58my shoe's still down there we're gonna get a shoe back i can't see anything down there
15:04it's so creepy
15:07oh my god look at it i don't see my shoe
15:14oh no where did it go is that all the flooring and then it's just like a
15:21cavity down there yeah it's crazy oh there's my shoe oh it's so far back there
15:30how did it go so far
15:36oh i did not know
15:40there would be such a big gap under there is that a good thing or a bad thing it kind
15:45of
15:45is good because we need to get under there and see
15:49what all these beams are doing and everything if they're okay yeah they do look okay though
15:54do you think that because these like dried out that that just broke
16:02yeah
16:03oh my goodness what a start to the day i thought my full body was going underneath it that was
16:13terrifying don't recommend that experience
16:18loose yeah so i wonder if they just replaced them and didn't nail them down yeah i'd say
16:25next week we rip all these up and replace them yeah yeah so one of our subscribers uh emailed us
16:33and gave us a lot of helpful information but they explained what this is here and i was really
16:38confused about it because there's just a random like cement hole in the middle of the living room
16:44i did remember seeing a picture of the living room with what looked like a fireplace or a barbecue
16:48or something and they so the person who emailed us said this is like a concrete sort of hole and
16:55they put a fire in it something like that hot coals or something like that and then you sort of
17:03sit
17:03around it and put your feet not in it but like above it around it to keep you warm in
17:08winter and that's
17:09why there's concrete because it keeps it contained and then the wood that usually goes
17:14on it is obviously all dried and flaky but that's why and so yeah that was like a traditional japanese
17:21i can't remember what it was called but essentially it's the fireplace where you can warm up in the tatami
17:27room which is really cool i don't know what we're going to do with it i don't know if we'll
17:31keep it
17:31like that or just cover it up okay i'm just sorting through all our recycling so this is
17:36all the milk cartons we've got accumulated over the past few weeks
17:42so japan has like pretty i guess strict recycling rules you've got to separate everything
17:48so we've got cans PET bottles i think they're called or plastic bottles
17:57burnable garbage non-burnable garbage and then the milk cartons you've got to like wash them out and
18:03open them up completely flat and then put it into a separate bag so we figured out where to take
18:08our
18:08garbage but i haven't quite figured out the right day for everything we thought today was burnable garbage
18:15day so we got here really early but it's tomorrow so we're gonna have to come back in the morning
18:19and
18:20do it and then i have no idea when milk cartons get picked up or bottles i need to check
18:24the calendar
18:25but it's usually like i think once a fortnight could even be once a month for everything i think
18:31there is a place that we can take stuff as well if we've got too much and we can't wait
18:36to leave it out
18:37we might even do that
18:40so
18:44so
18:50so
18:57so
19:05so
19:12so
19:13so
19:29so
19:30okay so it's got instructions on the back here so you fold it open and then rip it in half
19:38here i
19:42there we go
19:55there we go
20:03okay
20:05so
20:06so
20:08so
20:15Okay.
20:26This is a pet bottle.
20:28Yes.
20:29Yes.
20:29It's a pet bottle.
20:31You can't get it.
20:35It's a pet bottle.
20:36This is the pet bottle.
20:36Okay.
20:43ID.
20:44Please show your ID.
20:48Passport.
20:49Ah.
20:51Passport.
20:54Doi.
20:56Doi.
20:56Doi.
20:59Doi.
21:01Adress.
21:02Adress.
21:04Adress.
21:13Adress.
21:22Adress.
21:23Adress.
21:24Adress.
21:25Adress.
21:33Okay.
21:35All the signs are Japanese.
21:37And obviously they speak Japanese.
21:40Really nice though.
21:41Everyone's so nice.
22:06Oi.
22:09Hi.
22:10Arigato.
22:15So that was 190 yen for 8 bags of plastic bottles.
22:22Which is nothing.
22:23It's like $1.50 or something.
22:25That's pretty good.
22:26I've never seen a more efficient recycle center.
22:29It was so good.
22:31Once I figured it out.
22:37Okay.
22:37I'm just back at the cabin while Lloyd's doing work at the house.
22:41I think I mentioned a couple episodes ago that I'm making an effort to try and still make really good
22:47meals.
22:47Even though we have very limited utensils and cooking capacity.
22:52I've been doing a lot of one pan, one pot type dinners.
22:56I'm going to try something new tonight.
22:58And if it works out, I'm going to be amazed.
23:00Because this is such a simple recipe.
23:02It's gone absolutely viral on Pinterest.
23:05I can't believe I'm only just hearing about it.
23:08But it's like a lazy bao bun.
23:10Which I'm going to make.
23:11It's like a beef mince.
23:13We make the bao dough ourselves.
23:15It sounds complicated, but it looks super simple.
23:18So I'm going to give it a crack.
23:19And if it's a good recipe, I'll link it down below for you guys.
23:22If not, we can all just decide.
23:24It's not for us.
23:25This is the recipe here.
23:27It's from My Riyadh Recipes.
23:31Yeah, I'll try to link it down below.
23:41I just realized that I don't have any measuring cups or measuring spoons.
23:46So this is going to be interesting.
23:49Like I said, I have very limited access to things.
23:52And when I was picturing doing this, I didn't cross my mind that I would need measuring cups and measuring
23:59spoons.
23:59So we'll see how we go.
24:02I've asked ChatGPT where I would fill this up to for 200 grams.
24:07So that's what I'm going to do to start.
24:08The recipe calls for a self-raising flour.
24:11Lloyd literally walked through two different supermarkets looking for it.
24:15Couldn't find it.
24:16He almost couldn't find baking powder as well.
24:18So I'm going to do the 200 grams of the flour.
24:20I think it's two and a half to three teaspoons of baking powder.
24:26Which can make your own self-raising flour if you don't have it.
24:29So that's what I'm going to do.
25:04Okay, then I'm going to add the Greek yogurt to this flour mixture.
25:08You're a storm raging in your soul.
25:14You gotta thank God that you're still growing whole.
25:22If them demons you're fighting won't go away.
25:29Drop on your knees and pray.
25:37Life can get hard sometimes I know.
25:44You gotta get up and walk straight and narrow.
25:52When they're chasing you down with an old bird hound.
25:57And you're running through the fields for your life.
26:01You gotta get up son I know they're gunning for you.
26:16Oh my gosh these onions are making me cry.
26:30I'm not sure that my dough worked.
26:31I might have to have another crack at it.
26:33I'm just going to have a drink before I figure out if it's all good.
26:37Something about having just a regular drink like a soda in a fancy glass.
26:43That makes it taste so much better.
26:48Okay, let's keep going.
27:06Okay, so my bao buns don't look very nice.
27:09I don't think I got the ratios right of the flour and yogurt.
27:13So my next batch because I still have a lot of filling left.
27:16My next batch I'll try and get it for that one.
27:20But we're going to see what they taste like anyway.
27:22I think they're still going to taste nice.
27:23They're just like a little bit wet like runny.
27:27So they're not holding the shape of the folds.
27:30But Lila and I will try these ones hey.
27:33And see what they taste like.
27:34So the recipe actually calls for a steamer.
27:38I don't have one obviously.
27:40So we're just going to steam on the stove top and they should end up about the same.
28:01Wow I was so skeptical that these were going to work.
28:04I know they're not beautiful.
28:05The folds didn't work very well.
28:07But they actually look awesome.
28:10And the bottoms are really nice and crispy.
28:13Oh my gosh.
28:15I'm really excited.
28:16Okay, I'm going to try it with some soy sauce.
28:18Okay, Lloyd's running late at the moment.
28:21So he said it will be a while still.
28:23So I'm going to see if these are okay.
28:25It looks really good in the middle.
28:32Oh my gosh.
28:34These are awesome.
28:38I can't believe it.
28:39I'm like actually in shock right now.
28:42Highly recommend this recipe.
28:44I would definitely link it down below.
28:45I didn't have a rolling pin or measuring spoons or cups or anything.
28:51And I still made this recipe work.
28:52So it can be done.
28:53It's so delicious.
28:54My goodness.
28:55I'm just thinking now of all the things that I can make with this dough.
29:00Just Greek yogurt and flour and baking powder.
29:03Amazing.
29:04Mmm.
29:05Lloyd's going to love these.
29:22I know I keep saying this, but the weather here just keeps blowing my mind.
29:26It's been hot and dry for about a month straight.
29:29Like super hot.
29:30No rain.
29:31And then all of a sudden last night, this thunderstorm rolls in.
29:34But it wasn't like your regular thunderstorm.
29:36It was like, in Australia when we have a thunderstorm, it's like intermittent thunder and lightning.
29:42lightning.
29:42This was non-stop like a fireworks display.
29:46We were in bed wondering what was going on.
29:48Because it was just constant flashing and constant thunder.
29:51All night.
29:52Literally.
29:53It was shaking the house.
29:54And it's still kind of going today.
29:56It's dropped off about 10 degrees.
29:59And it's just thunder and lightning and rain.
30:01Out of nowhere.
30:03Hello.
30:04That's the other river.
30:10Hello.
30:30That's the other river.
30:46This is our first time trying a McDonald's in Japan.
30:49And we realized we've never taken Lyla to a McDonald's for a happy meal.
30:55So I thought we'd give it a go.
30:57So I got this Samurai Mac, which is like a Big Mac, but it has soy sauce, double fatty,
31:06no lettuce.
31:08What did you get?
31:09Just a Big Mac.
31:12I actually really like this soy sauce Samurai Burger.
31:16It's basically a quarter pounder or a double quarter pounder.
31:19Just a soy sauce.
31:23It's delicious.
31:30You put it on there?
31:35Good job.
31:39Oh my gosh.
31:40This is our first time visiting a moji store in Japan.
31:42And it's everything I ever dreamed of.
31:48It's pretty good.
31:49They've got everything here.
31:50Clothes, like stuff for your home, cafe, and everything is really cheap as well.
32:20I hope so.
32:22I hope so.
32:24I hope so.
32:25I hope so.
32:45How do you say it?
32:47Chokorato shaku.
32:50I didn't really get large because they don't have large.
32:53Yeah.
32:53I was saying the wrong thing.
32:55That's why he didn't understand me.
32:56Not because I was saying it.
33:00Okay.
33:01And then what's is Mizu.
33:03Mizu.
33:04There's some words that I know are right, but I still don't have confidence saying them.
33:10Like I said, bitchy.
33:11That's one, right?
33:12Yeah.
33:12Yeah.
33:13But it felt weird saying it.
33:16I feel like you're not supposed to use that in every context because I got corrected.
33:21Like all I know is that one through ten.
33:24That's what I mean.
33:27Rarely have I said something and it felt confident.
33:30And then they were like, yeah.
33:36Just gotta keep trying, I guess.
33:37Yeah.
33:38We're gonna be bad at it for a very long time.
33:40They got to get up, so I know what I'm gonna call you.
33:46Go ahead.
33:47I'll do that again.
33:54When they're chasing you down with an old bloodhound and you're running through fields for your life.
34:03You gotta get up, son. I know we're gunning for you.
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