Buying and Renovating Property in Rural Japan
In 2021, my husband Evan and I sold our small urban farm in Louisiana and set out on a continent-spanning adventure that would change our lives.
Our Journey to Rural Japan
We spent five years on the outskirts of New Orleans, where we taught ourselves how to garden, keep honeybees, and raise chickens, selling our honey and eggs. I ran my photography business, and Evan worked as a licensed massage therapist. Over time, we realized the small-town life wasn’t for us, so we decided to look at other countries to start fresh.
Startup Visa and Finding Our New Home
Evan speaks Spanish and Japanese, which narrowed down our search. We spent the next 15 months traveling through Mexico as full-time house- and pet-sitters before deciding to plant our roots in the Japanese countryside, arriving at the beginning of 2023.
Running a Guesthouse and Honeybee Farm
We run a small guesthouse and honeybee farm on Japan’s Ōmishima Island, owning two formerly abandoned homes we restored to life. The move is the best decision we ever made.
Buying and Renovating Property
We emigrated to Japan on a Startup visa, which is meant to help foreigners set up businesses here. We purchased our second home, a traditional Japanese-style house, for $18,500, which we’re renovating and rehabilitating. The total renovation cost $29,000, including a rental license and amenities. Our current expenses include internet, water, electricity, and groceries.
Restoring Our Guesthouse
We purchased our current home, the Benton Guesthouse, in the spring of 2023 for $9,292. The house needed extensive cleaning and restoration, which we did mostly ourselves to keep costs low. We’ve completed most of the renovations, and we’re now focused on finishing the second bathroom and adding an outdoor barbecue patio.
Future Plans
We’re also planning a garden for the guests to enjoy, setting up an educational hive on the outskirts of the property, and increasing the number of guests we host from six to 10, which will boost our revenue. We plan to sell our honey, tomatoes, and hot peppers at local farmers’ markets and make hot sauce and salsa in the future.
Documenting Our Journey
We’re documenting each step of our journey on the Benton Homestead YouTube channel and blog, sharing our experiences with the hope of helping others.
FAQs
Q: What are the costs of living in rural Japan?
A: Our monthly expenses include internet, water, electricity, and groceries. We also spend $40 on internet, $15 on water, up to $120 on electricity, and $10 on gas.
Q: What’s the cost of housing in rural Japan?
A: We purchased our current home for $9,292, and the total renovation cost for our second home was $29,000.
Q: How did you secure a startup visa in Japan?
A: We applied for the startup visa, which helps foreigners set up businesses in Japan.
Q: What’s your revenue like from your guesthouse and beekeeping business?
A: We’ve earned approximately $14,000 in revenue from our guesthouse and have sold our local honey at farmers’ markets.
