Latest / Real Gaijin — Japan’s Business, Culture & Life Podcast: A podcast about Japan’s economy, work culture, foreign residents, regional revitalization, and the people shaping the country’s future.
▶︎ AMA Podcast (S-02, E-28) with CD Damitio: Two Houses in Japan for Under $40,000—and a Life Beyond the Conventional
What happens when an American writer buys two aging houses in Hokkaido, Japan, one of which he has never been inside? Come along for a house tour and candid conversation about Japan’s abandoned homes, unconventional living, and the search for belonging.
What would you do with an 800,000-yen (about US $5,000) house in Japan—especially one you’ve never inspected?
For American author and world traveler CD Damitio, the answer was simple: Buy it, restore it, and document the adventure.
In 2024, CD purchased an old house in Otaru, Hokkaido, for less than $30,000. Then, in March 2026, he doubled…
The skinny
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