Priced out of Hawaii, this couple bought a home in rural Japan instead

Jeff Layfield and his wife, Mamiko, left Hawaii to retire in Japan. Provided by Jaff Layfield. Jeff Layfield and his wife, Mamiko, left Hawaii and retired on Suo-Oshima, an island in Japan. They bought one of Japan's vacant homes, known as an akiya, for about $25,000. "In most places in the US, we'd have to live in a very rural area for me to be able to afford a home," Layfield said. Jeff Layfield spent years imagining where in the US he and his wife would retire after leaving Hawaii . Instead, they now live in a traditional home overlooking the sea in Japan. Before retiring, the couple lived in an upstairs apartment at his parents' home on Oahu. Layfield worked in data management for the Marine Corps, while his wife, Mamiko, worked in retail.