- Dani and Evan Benton moved to Japan on a startup business visa in 2023.
- They bought an abandoned house for $6,500 and turned it into a guesthouse.
- The couple has also started a homestead with a farm and a beekeeping business.
After six years of running an urban farm and renting an Airbnb in New Orleans, followed by 15 months of travel and house-sitting around Mexico, Dani and Evan Benton were ready for their next adventure.
They knew they wanted to live a simple, rural life but still have access to modern amenities. Ideally, they would also be in an area with a nice climate where they could grow as much of their own food as possible.
Their goal had always been to start a homestead similar to what they had back in the US, and doing this in Japan seemed feasible, especially considering that the country has 8.5 million akiya, or abandoned houses, in rural areas for sale.
It helped that Evan also speaks Japanese, having studied the language in college.
Since they always loved old homes and were keen on the idea of renovating an akiya, they decided to take the plunge.
Applying for the startup business visa
In early 2023, the couple started working toward getting a startup business visa in Japan.
Their visa application required them to submit a proposal detailing their business plans.
In addition to their homestead — which would include honey production and a small-scale farming business — the couple also wanted to open a guesthouse. On the side, Dani, 40, was also planning to offer photography services.
They were drawn to Omishima island, which is over an hour away from Hiroshima airport, partially because it's one of the few areas where the startup business visa is offered.
"What the startup visa does is it encourages foreign people to move to Japan specifically to start small businesses," Dani, a professional photographer, told Business Insider. "You get residency, and you have six months to do things like open your bank account, incorporate your business, get everything funded, and obtain whatever licenses you may need."
One of the main visa requirements is that the couple invest at least 5 million Japanese yen, or around $32,450, into their business bank account or hire a minimum of two employees.
Their proposal was approved after a few revisions, and they were granted their startup business visas by the end of June 2023.
Transforming an akiya into a guesthouse
While they were sorting out their visa applications, the couple also purchased their first akiya, which would be turned into the guesthouse.
Their property-hunting process was smooth because they had been looking at listings even before they left the US. Their eventual plan was to have two akiya — one for the guesthouse and one as their own residence.
"We had a list of houses on Omishima that we wanted to check out in person when we finally made it here," Evan, 41, told BI.
While viewing an akiya — which they would eventually purchase as their residence — their real-estate agent showed them another akiya nearby that hadn't been listed online yet.
The latter was owned by a 75-year-old Japanese man who still lived in the neighborhood. His parents used to live in the house, but they died a decade ago. The house has been untouched ever since, and there were even pieces of furniture left behind.
"That ended up being the guesthouse that we bought," Evan, a former massage therapist, said. "We found our house first, but then we bought the guesthouse first."
They paid 1 million Japanese yen, or about $6,500, for their guesthouse.
"It's like the ultimate recycling project," Dani said. "It's literally saving a whole house and as much of the contents as we could."
Thankfully, the akiya was in pretty good condition, and they were able to live in it during the renovation.
"It was mainly cosmetic, so it was just a lot of things that took so much time to clean," Evan said.
The akiya even had a modern toilet that was already connected to the city sewage system.
"But we didn't have hot water for a long time, so while we were doing the renovation, we would have to go down to the public bath," Dani said.
The couple did the bulk of the work themselves and even documented the renovation process on their YouTube channel.
However, they did hire some contractors for assistance since they had a six-month deadline to get their guesthouse up and running.
"If we had had a whole year to do it, we could have done it ourselves," Dani said.
The couple says they spent about $19,000 on the akiya renovation and $5,000 on furniture, appliances, and other household items.
Guesthouse for rent on Airbnb
Dani and Evan aren't alone in being drawn to these old, vacant homes in the Japanese countryside. Due to the shrinking population and internal migration, Japan has millions of unoccupied houses in rural areas.
However, thanks to the low prices and the lack of restrictions on foreigners purchasing property, more and more foreigners are choosing to buy these old homes and breathe new life into them.
The couple's guesthouse is available for rent on Airbnb from 20,000 Japanese yen a night.
They hosted their first guests in November last year, and when their six-month startup business visa was due the following month, the couple obtained a business manager visa.
Omishima is in the middle of a series of six islands that are connected by a long suspension bridge known as the Shimanami Kaido, a famous biking route and tourist attraction.
There is a grocery store and a few local restaurants nearby, as well as a popular shrine and a samurai museum on the island, Dani said.
Like many places in Japan, Omishima is also very safe, Dani said: "We never lock our doors."
Now that the couple has gotten their guesthouse up and running, they'll be focusing their energy on turning the other akiya they bought — which is two minutes away — into their home.
"It was abandoned for 40 years, so it has a lot of work needed," Dani said.
In addition, they're working to establish their farm and honey production business.
"We enjoyed Mexican food and really missed it in Japan, so essentially, we're focusing on Mexican vegetables, growing tomatoes, tomatillos, and all kinds of hot peppers," Evan said.
As for honey production, the couple just harvested their first batch of honey from their 12 bee colonies, he added.
The couple has been living in Japan for almost two years, and the biggest lifestyle change they've noticed is that they're more connected with their local community than they were back in the US.
Not only do they know more of their neighbors, the couple also has closer relationships with them.
"Everyone lives in the same sort of concentrated area, and then they all go out to their fields and meet each other on the way," Evan said. "So we're always having saying hi to people in the street."
Have you recently relocated to a new country and found your dream home? If you have a story to share, contact this reporter at [email protected].