From Suginami, Tokyo to Shodoshima-cho, Kagawa. The Sasaki family, who moved with two primary-school children, chose a 70-year-old kominka standing beside an olive grove. We asked the family about the year and a half from finding the house to moving in.
It started with a single photo of ibushi tiles
"At first we were looking in Takamatsu. When we happened to widen the search to the islands, the photo of this house's ibushi tiles caught my eye," says Kenta, the husband. The following week they visited by ferry, and the view of the olive grove and the Seto Inland Sea from the engawa made up the whole family's mind.
Even so, they were careful right up to the contract. Traces of leaks, damp under the floor, the cost of installing a septic tank. They visited three times in all; on the second visit a local builder came along, and they entered price negotiations only after grasping a rough renovation estimate.
"The house was cheap, but the repairs cost three times as much. Still, thinking we were buying this whole landscape, it was a bargain."
Renovating "little by little, while living here"
In the first six months they only touched the water areas and insulation. They also used the town's akiya renovation subsidy (up to 1,000,000 yen) to keep initial costs down.
Repairing earthen walls and adjusting fittings is done bit by bit on weekends as a family. An old chest found among the leftover belongings is now in active use in the children's room.
A year after moving, the two say in unison: "There are inconveniences, but not a single regret." Their next goal is to renovate the storehouse and open a small weekend cafe.