Japanese house tour! I got a free vacant house ( akiya ) in the inaka countryside of Shikoku, Japan. It is a Showa-era farmhouse with traditional tatami rooms and fusuma sliding doors. I’m a former career interior designer (American certification/license), and now I’m a foreigner living in Japan. This project will embrace the Japanese ‘Mottainai’ principal, reusing as much as possible. More simple home design planning, budget renovation, country life, and rural Japan to follow!
https://www.instagram.com/bitsii_in_inaka/
Referenced book:
‘In Praise of Shadows’ by Junichiro Tanizaki
https://amzn.to/3uRJBm9 (this is an affiliate link)
Tajimi custom tiles from Gifu, Japan:
https://tajimicustomtiles.jp/
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#akiya #abandonedhouse #traditionaljapanesehouse #hometour #interiordesign #DIY
48 Comments
I love all the press glass, in my house using pre- loved items, recycle or upcycle is a must. Storage is always an issue for me. Great vision for your home. Your journey to making this space be "yours" will be eye opening, and amazing. Thank you for sharing.
I love seeing your plants, I’m most excited to see your garden evolve.
You could remove the top of the kitchen divider unit and it would be more like an island, which would open the room up without discarding the storage. The stainless appliances sound very nice, but I hope you keep the vintage countryside feeling of the house when you make the necessary improvements. Your tile and wall selections are fun so I look forward to your diy projects!
I'm rather surprised at how nice the bathroom is even if you have to go outside to get to it. I like all the retro tiles. I really like your color picks that you've been thinking about so far.
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Loved this video and the house! And how you showed everything so detailed 🥰
I love all your ideas about finishes and building materials. Smart to live with what you have for awhile to discover the inherent magic. BTW, many older (and even new) dishes, knickknacks, appliances, tools have issues with lead. Be careful with your exposures.
A plant mounted on a wall plaque 👀 had a little chuckle at a bit of vegan humour 😜, never understood why people mounted dead animals heads on their walls , a gruesome trophy .
Personally there is two ways I would renovate that house and both would involve gutting it and start from scratch , firstly I would go with modern contemporary interior while keeping the outside traditional Japanese .
The second would be to go with a nautical style since I'm a big fan of sailing yacht wooden interiors of yesteryear , the cabinetry and fixtures on board traditional sailing yachts just captures my aesthetic pleasure center of my brain .
I'm also a fan of small living spaces , Kirsten Dirksen YouTube channel has done many tours of small living spaces and micro apartments over the years showing ingenious solutions to living in small spaces , sailing vessels also have some clever solutions to living in small spaces .
That was a Nice tour of peaceful country home living .🤗
What a lovely tour. Thank you for sharing your ideas and plans. As an older person, I am grateful for your respect for the former resident. That respect will show in the results and bring you comfort as you settle there. As an artist I look forward to see what colors and textures you finally choose. What a joyful project!
Whenever I live in a new place I always either draw out or use on online room layout planner for each space, this way I can see where things will fit as well as see how things flow. I also list out things that are important to me to have a space for, number them by importance, pick the room best suited for each of them and see if any room can have multiple purposes. The main things for your home in my mind is air flow and light. Houses in Japan can feel cramped and compartmentalized, to counter this I would recommend lighter colored walls, warmer lightbulbs, wood accents and possibly adding some ranma panels to increase airflow between rooms. I love seeing your videos and seeing you settle into your home!
There is a youtuber named Tokyo Llama. He speaks English and bought an old Japanese house 3 years ago, explains parts of the house, the use of things and does a lot of diy. You should watch his videos! Especially for renovating the walls.
I'm really surprised you have a flush toilet in a house that old. Is the house connected to a municipal sewer or do you have a tank? Thanks for sharing!
Definitely a fan of opening up the kitchen. You can reuse the wood if you want
I love your videography! It really captures the story.
I lived in a house with many similarities, so I'm not able to be impartial, but I really like your design ideas for the most part and just so happy you are taking the time to fall in love with some of the things that initially may have seemed unusual or dated. I'm remembering, too, how much I enjoyed the evolution of your painting on the door in a previous video – started out very western in style an palette but ended up very much a celebration and seamless pairing of the best of East and West. It seems that is where you are headed, judging by your thoughts and comments in video. Some of the pressed glass is dated or un-patterned, and most of the stand-alone furnishings do not seem to reflect the soul of the house. But the walls! and much of the glass and some of the light fixtures … superb! … I was sooo relieved when you finally mentioned growing appreciation of the glittery wall – fond memories of them in my homestays! Some are quite subtle and in light, neutral colors, so I wondered if any of your wall treatments can or do incorporate that? That front room off the Genkan is really the place where guests are received and presented with food from the kitchen, so altering that back space for more "family" or informal kitchen and dining really feels less like altering the "soul" of the house and more a like making a place to express yourself with more abandon and less cultural restriction – a place for closer friends and visitors to meet your own soul as it reflects your life and unique individual style. I laughed at the toilet – I thought you'd skip it due to the floor level type I encountered in my pre-western-toilet time in Japan (hey, they beat thrones with the "keeping regular" benefit of squatting!). All in all, a real gem of a house. Now you have me wondering if the stairs can be re-done; widened and lengthened for less upward angle, and steps to fit your feet … so much nostalgia to enjoy and future possibilities that you are sharing. It's a great gift, thank you for bringing us into your world.
i loved every minute of this video!! The plaster and ceramics you chose are so beautiful! I wish you would not get rid of the pendant lights, i love them sooo much ^w^ i cannot wait to see what you will do with the space, yet i also love that i don't know when the next video will come out. I find it very nice to be surprised with a new video of yours. From what i saw in past videos, people seem to be so adorable it melts my heart. I would be very pleased to see more of them. You said there are a lot of grandmas and grandpas here, i wonder if there are also people more of your age too.
i am watching you from freezing Berlin Germany right now, i sometimes dream about coming to Japan and love an old house like you love yours. Take care <3
I hesitate to actually give you any thoughts because I can tell we have very different interior design styles. Especially when it comes to color. I think I mentioned in one of your earlier videos I'm in akiya/inaka home buying process, and so it's interesting to hear what you're thinking and see where we agree or disagree. I can't stand the frosted/pressed glass. I would swap it all out. But then I barely use window treatments. My style isn't just Mid-Century Modern inspired–I actually have quite a few original pieces. With that in mind, I look at your kitchen and tea room and think it needs to be opened up, and I would not like to have to go out of the kitchen area, through the genkan to get into the living/sleeping spaces. I'd finish the genkan to be level and more like a hall. I'm also just not a big fan of tatami. I've lived in several apartments with tatami, and I almost prefer it to be in bad condition (not moldy though!) because then I don't feel bad about putting MCM furniture on it. I think in my house, I'll only leave one tatami room, and the rest gets open plan hardwood floor or carpet. I DO love that green color in the tea room. It's my color! I like the bathroom annex (you can tell it was added on and is much newer than the rest of the house), but I would absolutely add a wall so you don't need to step outside! No, I am not better than Yumi, she is better than me. I don't have her gaman. I am not stepping outside in Japanese winter to get to my bathroom, heck no! If you're curious about my current style, you can see it on my instagram. I will taking anything that isn't literally embedded into the walls or floors with me when I move out: https://www.instagram.com/p/CmQqy5dSn0h/
This home has so much character and intresting items, can't wait to see what you do with this space. I'd say remove that storage unit partition in the kitchen area because it really makes the kitchen very cramped and dark like you said.
As you are obsessed with plaster and walls materials, I am with wood. Pretty sure you already did, but if not I would raise and check all the floors looking for thermite, mold and structural damge. A sanding machine and tons of marine grade varnish, getting rid of all those nails and holes on the wood would be my priority. I'm moving to a new apartment this week and ordered lots of "smart" light bulbs, sensors and nft tags from switch bot. Really good quality and lifespan for the lights and no needs of switchs and cables since you can have several options on how to automate it. They also have a thermometer/hygrometer that you can spread in the suspect spots and it will log it for reference. Good luck with your renovation, and I'm looking forward to learn how to work with plaster 😊.
Your home is enchanting in so many ways. Thank you for your clear and thorough tour, I find all of it fascinating. It is good to know you are living with much of the current condition to get to know the place before making changes. Your respect for Yumi, her belongings and her home are heart warming. Many things that are now "retro" will soon (or at some point) be antique. It is so nice when people keep things like that. I look forward to your next video. They are worth waiting for.
Hello, thank you for sharing your thoughtful deliberate presentation. I have long appreciated many aspects of Japan from my youth and would love to visit the country. Your respect for your new home is apparent and I look forward to your process of integration and renewal.
Long time no see! Thanks for the video <з Glad to be a part of your journey once again
I would do something kitchen island-ish between the kitchen and the other room. Maybe something that is not connected to the floor so you can create more space if you need it? Wheels on the bottom perhaps, that way the air is not cut off between the rooms (I guess it would be one room then). But then I love cooking with other people so that cramped, one way only, kitchen would not work for me at all.
I don´t know how damaged the cupboard doors are, but maybe you could salvage one of the painted panels by putting them on a stable surface and hang them over the stairs? Something big like that, or a scroll would look great there!
I kinda love the windows and the lamps. That one wavy, quare-ish greometric design looks so pretty!
Hey Bitsii, very interested to learn more about you and making the change to moving, exactly how you went about getting your house and working remotely. Enjoying your videos so far and think you should get on the camera and talk to us! Cheers from Oxford, UK
I would like to see a video of all the knick knacks that were left behind from what I see they look interesting. A more open kitchen would look nice.
🥰 Love everything in your house!
I enjoy your channel. I’ve recently retired and moved into a smaller house alone. I’m also having the same sorts of conversations with myself.
Thanks for the tour! The glitter plaster is awesome, and your sitting area by the window looks so cozy! I feel your pain with the damp house. We bought an almost 60 yr old house in the southern US that had been uninhabited for several years and has mostly disfunctional windows. Plumbing is having to come first. Turns out the mystery shelf near the ceiling in the hallway with an outlet behind it is for a fan to keep the air flowing 24/7 so mold doesn’t grow on the ceiling. That diatomaceous plaster sounds amazing! I am going to have to look that up. I also had to wash all the cabinets above and below the range with bleach water because the vent fan didn‘t work properly and they were getting too damp. We fixed that problem. Part of the cabinets have a decorative plastic screen framed by wood (1960’s colonial) which works well in preventing moisture buildup. While I would prefer something more modern, they do allow for some screening of the cabinet contents and as well as air circulation; highly recommend. A more cottage core option I am considering doing is something with muslin or similar in a way that could be easily removed from the doors and washed. Louvered cabinet doors are kind of pricey, but that is an option as well. I’ve even played around with the idea of plain doors with some kind of decorative cutout. At this point I just want cupboards that don’t smell musty.
Are dehumidifiers much of a thing there or are they too expensive to run? We have two running most of the year. One is inside and the other is in an enclosed patio area. We use the water from the dehumidifier to water the plants and fill the birdbaths. It also came in handy when we had a 100 yr flood and were without water for four days. We had bottles of drinking water, but the water from the dehumidifiers allowed us to flush our toilets and clean ourselves and the dishes. If the humidity is particularly high, we can reclaim about 5-6 gallons per day per unit on average, but we have reclaimed as much as 9. Humidity in the winter is almost as bad as summer. If we don‘t run the dehumidifier, the inside humidity can still reach over 84%. The chill in the air is much worse. We can actually keep the thermostat set lower if we run the dehumidifier. It does provide some heat, but it is the removal of the humidity that really helps. Since we have gotten the humidity issue under control, we have seen a steep decline in the pest population (giant roachy waterbugs with wings). Can‘t wait to see how your house comes together! It really is a process.
deffo combine kitchen and living space with a counter!!!!
Keeping a freestanding kitchen is a great idea. Steel tables are a very reasonable price. I suspect that combating mold will be a long term struggle. In our home that was abandoned for 10 years, we finally resorted to running one or two dehumidifiers for more than half of the year. Also, the glitter walls must stay!
I love how you've transformed this house. I love your bathroom and how you've arranged the genkon area.
isn't that knob on the right side (screen left) of the toilet seat the "tap" for the washlette?
Thanks so much for sharing! How did you get the house for free? What made you make the move to that part of Japan? The house is in such good shape for being free!
Great video! You should check out Tokyo Llama's channel – he did lots of shikkui in his Japanese old house renovation (the whole house is gorgeous!)
A wonderful tour of a lovely home. I really enjoy a lot of the dated elements, to be honest, it makes everything so charming! All the pressed glass is lovely, and that glitter wall really is something special! Thank you for taking the time to share this with us, looking forward to more. Xxx
All these videos of gaijin moving into free houses in Japan are indeed very interesting, but I just wish we could hear a little more about the financial aspects of this project…
ユミさんへの手紙も床の間に供えてくれていましたね。ありがとう。ベセニーのような優しい人が住んでくれて、きっとユミおばちゃんも喜んでいますよ。お洒落になっていく自分の家に驚いているかもね。
How many times per week/month/year does a normal person entertain guests? Im a recluse and have no friends, so i prefer the kitchen separated from the rest of the house. But i think that most others would have 9-5 jobs, homes of their own to clean, families of their own to cook for, kids to look after. They wouldn't normally have so much spare time to go party with others or have people over.
What a compelling and charming endeavor you've gotten yourself into! I am so glad you were lucky enough to have such wonderful friends, coworkers and neighbors helping, even embracing your presence and efforts. Having lived in Japan, not all people are so hospitable. But, like accepting the shadows and moving right along, your long list of tasks will be such a pleasure to watch. Your voice, the music . . . it's all just beautiful. Gambatte!
I love plants is the new I like trains meme? 🙃
For the storage unit separating the kitchen from the tea room you have some options:
1. Take it out and make a more spacious, with more light, zone.
2. Use the wood to create some other piece in the house (like that you honor the past life of the house).
3. Cut it in half and use it as an isle as you mentioned in the video.
I think you should go for the life you want and adapt the furniture and the space to that lifestyle. And everytime you discard something you can try to use it (or it's materials) for another purpose. Win-Win situation for you and the legacy of the house 🙂
Thank you for the thorough tour. I love seeing so much of your space and seeing the ideas you have for it. I look forward to future posts of your progress. I was wondering if the courtyard space where your laundry and bathroom are could be enclosed so that it became part of the interior space.
Just discovered your channel. Much respect for you for choosing to break out of the path you were on and drastically change your life. I left the VFX industry in NY some years ago, and since then we lived in Tbilisi and now the Balkans. The house you have has so much potential. It’ll be interesting to see what you do with a design background, but with an aesthetic rooted in East and West now. Congratulations to you.
Great video! 意義深い動画ありがとう 楽しみました /// 参考になりました。I love the レトロモダンな硝子 you like best. Love & Crete!
The tiles you picked are very nice.
Very nice tour. Thanks for sharing! Our house renovation is taking place. I wish I could do most of the the work myself, but due to lack of time I have a local carpenter do the work and skills. The cool part is that his dad built the house.
Haahaa love your humour "my mind went straight to disco" 😅🤣😂😂😅😅😆😁😁😁 love your videos! Will be looking forward to further house developments!
Well you have work cut out but at least you have time to do it in stages. I would remove the cupboard in the kitchen and open it up. You can use it somewhere else or adopt it in another room. Strip lights are my nightmare as it make everything look I’ll. also why the obscures glass I would need to have a view from the kitchen, otherwise it is feeling too enclosed. Good luck
I loved this video, your commentary was so relaxing! Your home has still the old house character, but I'm happy that you have so many projects to make it modern and more apt to your lifestyle. I liked particularly the light fixtures, the one with the fan was my favourite. Have a lovely festive period!