We built our dream home for the family we thought we'd have. Then we started over in rural Japan.
A Swedish couple decided to abandon their dream home project after choosing not to have children and moved to rural Japan to renovate an 'akiya' (vacant house). They purchased the property for approximately $49,000 to pursue a simpler lifestyle.
Why it matters
The story highlights the growing trend of international buyers purchasing abandoned rural Japanese homes to revitalize local communities and seek alternative lifestyles.
Sia and Mikael Lilja moved from Sweden to Japan to buy one of the country's old vacant homes, known as akiya. Sia Lilja. Sia and Mikael Lilja spent six years building their dream family home in Sweden. When they decided that kids were no longer part of the plan, they moved to Japan for a fresh start. They paid 8 million yen, about $49,000, for an akiya, one of Japan's old vacant houses in the countryside. This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Sia and Mikael Lilja , who moved from Sweden to Japan, where they bought and are restoring an old house. It's been edited for length and clarity. We've been together for 12 years and married for the last 4. In 2020, we bought a piece of land in a small town about 15 minutes outside Malmö in Sweden, and started building our dream home.
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