From Urban Farming to Rural Japan: A Couple’s Journey to a New Life
Dani and Evan Benton spent years running an urban farm in New Orleans. They also rented an Airbnb there. Then, they embarked on a 15-month journey across Mexico. Their dream was simple: to live a rural life with modern conveniences, grow their own food, and build a homestead. Their search led them to Japan, a country with over 8.5 million akiya—abandoned houses ripe for restoration.
With Evan’s knowledge of Japanese and a keen interest in renovation, the couple pursued a startup business visa. “What the startup visa does is it encourages foreign people to move to Japan specifically to start small businesses,” Dani explained. Their vision included honey production, small-scale farming, and a guesthouse.
Omishima, an island more than an hour from Hiroshima Airport, became their new home. After meticulous planning, they purchased their first akiya, a home left untouched for a decade. “That ended up being the guesthouse that we bought,” Evan recalled. At just 1 million yen ($6,500), it was a steal. “It’s like the ultimate recycling project,” Dani added. “It’s literally saving a whole house and as much of the contents as we could.”
The renovation was no small feat. “It was mainly cosmetic, so it was just a lot of things that took so much time to clean,” Evan said. Without hot water initially, they relied on public baths. Over six months, they invested around $19,000 in renovations and another $5,000 in furnishings, documenting the process on YouTube.
By November 2023, they welcomed their first guests to their Airbnb-listed guesthouse. Since opening to tourists, they’ve made $14,000 in revenue from Benton Guesthouse. They are only getting started. They’ll need to make more than this. The average annual expenses for a two-or-more-person household in Japan were approximately ¥3.5 million, or $23,000, in 2023. As their startup visa neared expiry, they transitioned to a business manager visa, solidifying their commitment to their new life. Omishima, known for its scenic biking routes and cultural landmarks, provided the perfect setting for their endeavors.
The couple has focused on the Benton Guesthouse to show financial stability to immigration authorities. They also grow and sell tomatoes, tomatillos, and hot peppers. Additionally, they keep bees to sell honey. Looking ahead, they have several plans. They intend to expand their guest capacity. They will increase the number of honeybee colonies. They plan to sell hot sauce and salsa. Additionally, they will set up a roadside farmstand. This farmstand will sell vintage items like furniture and cookware. These include many items that belonged to the properties’ earlier owners.
While it sounds like their experience has been mostly positive, a decision like this shouldn’t be taken lightly. The couple made a wise choice by choosing a country where at least one of them spoke the language. A person can manage with English and a few local phrases in tourist areas. Still, navigating real estate purchases, bureaucracy, and daily life requires more. Besides, an individual won’t truly settle in if they don’t speak the language.
They’ve also discovered that “cheap” real estate can come with significant deal costs, taxes, and renovation expenses and efforts. Plus, if someone is a U.S. citizen, they will still have to pay taxes to the IRS. This is also added to taxes in their new home country. A person will need to thoroughly understand how taxation works if they run a business abroad.
An individual will also need to know the ins and outs of their visa. Many countries are now offering digital nomad and retiree visas. These visas often come with conditions and income requirements to be eligible, like the Japanese Startup Visa. In Costa Rica, obtaining a retiree visa requires a “lifetime” monthly pension of over $1,000. This must come from a “competent authority.” This means a 401(k) won’t count, but Social Security, annuities, or retirement funds will.
Beyond their business, the biggest change has been their sense of community. “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 noted. “So we’re always saying hi to people in the street.”
Dani and Evan’s journey shows how immigrants can rejuvenate forgotten places. They embrace a culture while building their dreams from the ground up.
Source:
- https://youtu.be/1F637H2yUlo?si=9rLoEU6Qj_IQisZO
- https://www.businessinsider.com/millennial-couple-moved-to-japan-abandoned-home-akiya-renovation-guesthouse-2024-11
- https://chatgpt.com/
- https://app.pictory.ai/
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