A house is a liability?!
The sad reality of real estate in Japan
November 2023
I woke up to a cold, grey November morning. Knowing my Aussie family and friends were back home enjoying the early warmth of summer didn’t bring me any comfort, just jealousy. I love Aussie summers. This was the second one I’d be missing out on since moving to Japan.
I checked the thermometer, it was 10 degrees. Curious me couldn’t settle for just knowing the temp inside the house. It must be even colder outside, it looked so miserable out there. I stepped outside. There was no temperature change. I checked the outside thermometer.
10 degrees.
The good thing about the temperature inside the house being as cold as outside the house, was when you walked outside, it didn’t feel cold. (Living on the bright side of life here! Haha!).
I told myself that next winter, when we were living in the Prayer House, I would be toasty warm with an insulated house and a wood stove!
I had lost hope in the possibility of moving in by this Christmas. Our meeting with the Baptist Church leaders was cancelled. Someone had the flu (Oh, hello, the flu has returned from the dead! Nice to know people don’t only catch covid these days!) The meeting would need to be rescheduled.
Meanwhile, I’d excitedly been talking with my parents about the house. Dad’s eyes were all bright and excited at the thought of getting a house that needed renovations. He was in!
“Don’t do too much before we come to visit in March!” Dad almost pleaded.
“Can’t do anything yet, we have to wait for the meeting with the pastor and the elder. Then, all going well, they will put the recommendation to the Church Board to give the house to us. It needs Board approval,” I explained.
“Well, if it has to go through a Church Board then that’s going to take awhile!”
We laughed, but I hoped he was wrong.
In the wait, Shujin had been proactive. Thinking a demolish and rebuild might be an option, he contacted a building company to get some brochures. And somehow his details got shared with maybe EVERY building company in Takasaki city... So he started receiving phone calls left right and centre and we began receiving a growing pile of envelopes, filled with brochures. Apparently we would be receiving around 30. THIRTY!!!! Who even has time to look through thirty envelopes full of brochures of new houses??!!!
Part of the reason why Shujin looked into a demolish and rebuild, was that he had learnt the very disappointing fact that the house would be a liability, not an asset. Yes, whilst a free house is an unheard of dream in Australia, in Japan it would actually be a financial liability.
I had trouble getting my Aussie brain around the fact that we could be given a house, free of charge.
And now I was having a lot of trouble getting my Aussie brain around the fact that the house would not be an asset!
The value of the place was so low, that even if we were gifted the house and sold it immediately, we would not get our money back on solicitor and tax costs!!
Even if we flipped the house with a DIY low-cost renovation, we’d never get our money back. If we demolished the house and rebuilt, and sold while the house was still new, we might get our money back, but we couldn’t rely on making a profit. Choosing that option though, would mean taking out a loan as our budget didn’t stretch that far.
As the brochures stacked up so did our real estate knowledge. And it wasn’t what anyone would hope for. Learning about the real estate reality in our area of Japan, I had to ask myself: Was it worth going ahead with the Prayer House?
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My first ukulele lesson arrived. I decided to get there 15 minutes early to turn the heater on and make sure the room was in order. It was another grey November day and as Okasan and I made our way down to the village Club House, I suddenly had a slight panic. It hit me that I didn't ask if everyone was a beginner, I just assumed! I was coming prepared as though everyone knew nothing…
Why didn’t I check those details before! I should have brought some music that wasn’t so simple, in case the music I chose was way below their level. Oh dear!
There was nothing I could do now, but walk and try not let my concern and nerves overwhelm me!
We reached the club house and the lights were on already, and I could smell the kerosene heater. Was I late? No, my watch told me I was early like I’d planned.
Inside we found Mrs Obara and Mrs Miyazaki. Typical Japanese, turning up ridiculously early for any engagement! Haha!! So good of them though. The tables were all joined together in the centre of the room to make one large table, and chairs surrounding it. The room was already warm and toasty.
The warm welcome eased my mind and soon I was eased even more as I found out everyone was a beginner. Five students turned up, including Okasan. Kiyo couldn’t make it but planed to join next lesson, which would make six students. A nice size for a uke class.
We learnt three chords and each time we changed chords, Okasan forgot the fingering. It made for slow going… But it also gave opportunity for teaching from the other students. Mrs Obara was sitting beside Okasan and knew nothing before the class, and now she was part of the teaching and helping Okasan find the chords. I loved that.
To help learn to play new chords, it’s really good to do just the first strum of each bar so your fingers have time to find the next chord before it needs to be played, but you can keep time with the music. This is a fabulous way to push your brain into getting your fingers in place on time, and consequently remembering the chords quicker. (Shout out to Peter Dixon for teaching me this!) I wrote on the whiteboard to help explain the method and soon discovered I’d used permanent marker - oops!! Haha!!
Overall the ladies did really well and were enthused for the next class. I went home with a light heart and a reminder to return with something to clean that whiteboard, preferably within the next day or two!
Should we pursue the Prayer House?
Do you play the ukulele? What’s your top tip for teaching uke skills?
One of my roommates in Bologna played the ukulele, usually in layered pjs, with one of my flower crowns on his head, and sometimes only wearing a hand towel after his shower. I never learned, I let him have his fun while I tried to study ;) Did your group enjoy the beginners' lesson or were your fears right and it was too easy for some?
Ok, so what’s the deal with the prayer house, I am anxiously waiting for each new post to see the plan, I can’t wait anymore!!! I need news 😀