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Cities such as Tochigi and Nagano have âakiya banksâ â websites that are developed by municipal governments and list abandoned homes. According to Insider, some of the akiyas are available for as little as 50,000 yen or C$549.Â
Making it even easier for people to get their hands on a vacant or âghost home,â the town of Okutama (located in western Tokyo) is offering aging buildings for free, reported Nikkei.Â
While the free buildings have deteriorated too much to be considered habitable, new owners of the properties have found innovative ways to repurpose them, renovating them into restaurants and ateliers.Â