From a Swedish Dream Home to a Rural Japanese Akiya

In 2020, Sia and Mikael Lilja started building their dream home just outside Malmö, Sweden, picturing a future with children and family nearby. But by the time the house was finished in late 2023, the couple had abandoned their plans for IVF. The four-bedroom house suddenly felt oversized, and they began questioning what came next.

They decided to chase a new dream: life in Japan. Before ever setting foot in the country, they sold their Swedish home and started browsing akiya — vacant, often aging rural houses — online. During a three-week trip in late 2025, they narrowed their search to within a 90-minute drive of Kyoto, fell in love with the region, and after returning to Sweden, hired a local buyer’s agent to help them find the right property.

In January 2026, a video walkthrough of a well-maintained traditional house on the edge of a bamboo-forest village sealed the deal. They paid 8 million yen (roughly $49,000) before taxes and fees, and in May they handed over the keys to their Swedish home and moved to Japan. The property came as a surprise: the kitchen looked nearly new, the bathroom far nicer than expected, and it was nothing like the derelict akiya they had feared.

Now, after a month of cleaning, buying appliances and meeting neighbours who taught them how to tend bamboo shoots, the Liljas are visiting family in Europe while waiting for their dog’s vaccination paperwork. They plan to return in September and begin a slow renovation, deliberately avoiding the all-consuming project their Swedish house became. Their next chapter, they say, is about travel, restoration and enjoying a simpler rhythm — exactly what their gap year for adults was meant to be.

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Why an Akiya Felt Right After a Life Pivot

The Akiya Market: More Than a Bargain

Japan’s shrinking population has left an estimated 9 million vacant homes across the country, with many rural akiya selling for as little as a few thousand dollars. But cheap price tags often hide decades of neglect. The Liljas’ experience — finding a house in exceptional condition — is not the norm. Their success underscores the value of a local buyer’s agent who can vet properties and flag problems before a foreign buyer commits sight unseen.

A Life Reset Without the Life Script

The couple’s decision wasn’t just about real estate; it was a response to an unexpected pivot after abandoning IVF. Their story taps into a broader millennial reexamination of traditional milestones — the house, the kids, the career — and the willingness to trade a fully-built life for a more open-ended one. Buying a home in rural Japan gave them a low-cost starting point for that reset, free from the financial and emotional weight of a Swedish mortgage.

What $49,000 Really Gets You

The 8 million yen purchase price does not include transaction taxes, agent fees, and the immediate costs of making an empty house livable. The Liljas spent weeks eating convenience-store food until they bought a fridge, ordered new tatami mats, and invested in a roof inspection early on. For anyone inspired by their story, the lesson is clear: treat the list price as the floor, not the final cost, and budget for several thousands of dollars in setup.

What You Can Learn From Their Cross-Continental Home Purchase

Looking to buy an akiya from abroad? Here are concrete steps drawn from the Liljas’ experience:

  • Start browsing listings before you travel. The couple scoured akiya sites for months and had alerts set up so they could move quickly when the right house appeared.
  • Hire a local buyer’s agent early. He handled the video tour and negotiations while they were still in Sweden — without that, the process would have been far more complicated.
  • Factor in an extra budget for hidden costs. Their $49,000 price excluded taxes, agent fees, appliances and even basic furniture. Plan on at least a few thousand dollars more to make the house functional.
  • Don’t romanticise the condition. Not every akiya is a ruin, but even well-kept homes may need a new roof, tatami replacement, and weeks of deep cleaning. Get a local inspection before committing.
  • Prepare for the logistics of moving with a pet. The Liljas are waiting months for their dog’s vaccination clearance to be finalised — a common, nerve-wracking timeline for pet owners.
  • Plan a transition budget if you’re leaving your job. They treated their move as an adult gap year, but that requires savings; quitting both careers means no immediate income while you settle in.