Gen Xer moved from Vancouver to Japan and is building a house in the country

His original plan was to teach English in Japan for a few years. But as he fell in love and eventually married, he ended up staying in the country permanently.

Jordan, who has two children, asked to be identified only by his first name to protect his privacy. He now lives with his family in his wife’s hometown in Mie Prefecture, which is just under four hours’ drive from Osaka.

Settling in the countryside

They wanted to be in the same neighborhood as his wife’s family, so when a house—built in the 1980s and across the rice field from her parents’ house—came on the market one day, they bought it and they moved

“We kind of struggled through those 10 years of living there. It was horribly designed, with bad, cheap materials like fake wood everywhere,” Jordan said. “It really wasn’t built to last.”

After a decade, the couple decided it was time to do something to improve their home. They planned to renovate, but ultimately decided against it.

“We looked into it and basically the advice we got back was that it would be a waste of time and money because the house probably isn’t earthquake safe,” Jordan said.

With the amount he would have to spend to bring it up to the latest building codes, he would be better off buying or even building a new place, he said.

And that’s exactly what they did – they demolished their old house and built a new one in its place.

A new beginning

The couple got help from a local company, the same people who built their in-laws’ house, as well as several houses in the area, Jordan said.

“We really liked the feel of all the homes they built,” Jordan said. “It was very woody, great use of space, really good solid materials, no frills, but a clean modern design.”

They already had an idea of ​​the look they wanted and worked with the company to refine the design. Once things were finalized it was time for them to start packing and preparing for demolition.

As excited as he was about the new home, seeing his old home torn down was an emotional process, Jordan said.

“It was very strange because my two children were more or less born in that house and grew up there. We have so many memories there, good and bad,” he said. “It hurt to see my house torn down.”

During the construction of their new home, Jordan and his family stayed with his in-laws.

“That was the good part about being across the rice fields from them; we just moved there for seven months,” he said.

Construction began in the winter, and by the fall of 2020, Jordan and his family had moved into their new home.

Building a comfortable family home

Jordan estimates he spent about ¥30 million, or about $200,000, on construction and another ¥2 million on a solar-powered heating and cooling system for the home.

“We definitely could have built a cheaper house. We went with a very hands-on local company that uses wood from a local mountain,” Jordan said. “So you’re paying a bit of a premium for that.”

This is in addition to the 10 million Japanese yen he spent to buy the 150 square meter plot 20 years ago. In Mie, the average land price per square meter was ¥90,066 in 2023.

Facing challenges during the process

All the materials, down to the type of tiles, that were used in the house were chosen by his wife, he added.

The three bedroom house has two floors. The master bedroom, a family room and a bathroom are on the first floor. The kitchen, living area and children’s bedrooms are upstairs.

“The main living space where I spend the most time is kind of a kitchen and dining area, so I wanted it to be gorgeous,” he said. “We have rice fields around and mountains behind, but when you’re on the first floor, you can’t see very far. So we moved everything to the second floor.”

The main construction company they worked with did mostly carpentry work, so certain jobs – such as wiring and plumbing – had to be outsourced to different contractors. This sometimes led to miscommunication.

“People would come in and we’d have this vision for our house that I would assume everybody knows,” Jordan said. “Our carpenter gets it. But what happens is when you hire an outside company, they come in, look at it and do what they normally do.”

“Some things were happening in a way that was not what I thought we had agreed to,” he continued.

Although everything worked out in the end, there were times when he worried things wouldn’t work out.

In addition, it helped that his wife and her family were involved in communicating ideas to the builders.

“I can speak Japanese, but there are many nuances. It would have been very difficult if it was just me explaining things in Japanese,” he said.

Appreciation of Japanese culture

Jordan says he was able to build a perfect space for his family.

“One of the differences is that we don’t feel like going out as much now because it’s comfortable to be at home,” Jordan said.

He’s also close to the local community, and that’s one of the things he really likes about Japanese culture.

“It’s also kind of an Asian thing. It sounds negative, but downplaying yourself for the good of the community — you learn how to get a little involved for the good of everybody else,” Jordan said. “You think about how it makes everyone around you feel. That kind of thing is very practical and creates a community that feels good to be a part of.”

He also likes the attitude the Japanese have towards hard work.

“Another thing is that in Japan, generally, if people are going to do something, they want to do it well,” he said. “And I like the feeling that people are proud of what they do and that people respect others for hard work, no matter what the job is.”

A relaxed life

Jordan is not the only one attracted by Japan. According to the country’s Ministry of Justice, 2,604 Americans moved to the country in 2023, bringing the total number of American expats in Japan to 63,408.

Four Americans BI previously spoke to cite the country’s safety standards and relative affordability as reasons for making the move.

Like Jordan, many of these expats also choose to live in the countryside where they can enjoy a slower pace of life while being surrounded by the stunning natural landscapes that Japan is known for. Some of them even choose to buy and renovate one of the country’s 8 million abandoned houses.

As for Jordan, he loves life in Japan so much that he started a YouTube channel to document it.

“What really motivated me was that after living in Japan for a long time, I noticed that I no longer appreciated the little things. I lost that fresh eye that I used to see things with, things that I was so excited about “Jordan. said.

By taking a camera and vlogging his experiences, Jordan says he was able to reconnect with his old self and learn to appreciate the normal yet magical things about being in Japan again.

Even though it’s in the countryside, Japan’s well-connected public transport system means you’re never too far from the city. He can still easily be in places like Osaka or Nagoya in two hours, he said.

“You have all the benefits of living in a not overly competitive society – where things are refreshing – but you can still get on a train and be in a bustling city, which is crazy exciting” , he said.

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