🔍 A Note on This Property

This home is not a conventional listing. The owner has contacted us directly with the intention of giving the house away at no cost, meaning there is no purchase price for the land or structure itself.

That said, acquiring the property still involves a formal process. Required taxes, registration costs, judicial scrivener fees, and our program support fees still apply. If this opportunity genuinely interests you, please reach out via the message center, and we’ll walk you through the situation, expected costs, and next steps to help you decide whether this unique case makes sense for you.

A Free House on a Remote Island in Japan

An Abandoned Akiya on Sanagi Island, Kagawa Prefecture

Offered at ¥0, Structure and Land Included

No Listing, No Price, Just Isolation

Fewer Than 50 Residents, More Than 100 Cats

Can you really get a house in Japan for free? In this case, yes. But only if you’re willing to accept what “free” actually means.

Our co-founder recently traveled across Japan to Sanagi Island, a small, fading island in the Seto Inland Sea, after being contacted directly by an owner who wants to give their house away at no cost. No listing, no asking price, and no competition.

Just an abandoned home, on a remote island, that nobody wants: not locals, not investors, and not even most akiya enthusiasts. So, the real question isn’t “Is it free?” It’s “Why is it free?”

📍 The Island, the Journey, and the House Nobody Wanted

🏝️ Sanagi Island: A Place Time Forgot

Sanagi Island floats quietly in the Seto Inland Sea, between Honshu and Shikoku, and belongs administratively to Tadotsu Town, Kagawa Prefecture. The island is tiny, only about 4 km around, smaller than the jogging loop around Tokyo’s Imperial Palace. At its peak, Sanagi Island had more than 1,500 residents, complete with a school, clinic, shops, and a functioning local economy.

Today, fewer than 50 people remain. What has grown in number, however, is the island’s cats. Sanagi Island is now famous online as “the island with more cats than people,” thanks to viral photos and videos, especially of cats leaping across a breakwater gap near the port. Tourists come here, but residents get older and houses sit empty.

🚢 Getting There Is Part of the Test

This is not a commuter-friendly location. To reach Sanagi Island, you must first travel to Tadotsu Port in Kagawa Prefecture, then board one of the four ferries per day that connect the island to the mainland. Miss the boat, and you’re waiting hours.

There are no trains, no convenience stores, and no casual “I’ll just run out for supplies” options once you arrive. The island does allow cars, which is a rarity among Seto Inland Sea islands, but that doesn’t solve the bigger issue: everything takes planning.

🏠 The House: Free, Abandoned, and Complicated

The house itself is a traditional wooden Japanese home, tucked into a quiet island neighborhood where sound has all but disappeared. Inside, it tells a familiar akiya story: wallpaper is peeling, furniture has been left behind, a kettle waits empty on the stove. We find spiders, dust, and long-term neglect.

And yet, surprisingly, not everything is lost. During the walkthrough, something unexpected becomes clear: the structure may still be sound. The beams don’t appear rotten. Several tatami rooms look potentially salvageable. The layout is simple, human-scaled, and coherent. This is not a turnkey home, but it may not be a total loss either.

🛠️ Property Reality Check

Let’s be clear about what this actually is, and isn’t.

• 🏠 Traditional wooden akiya on a remote island

• 📜 Privately owned land and structure, offered free by the owner

• 🧹 Long-term vacancy with abandoned contents

• 🪵 Structural condition appears mixed but not obviously collapsed

• 🛁 Very old wet areas, fully outdated

• 🧰 No inspection yet; contractor assessment pending

• 🚫 No nearby contractors, hardware stores, or suppliers

• 🚢 Ferry-dependent access for all people and materials

This is not a renovation beginner’s project. And it is definitely not a cheap project, despite the zero-yen price.

🌿 Life on Sanagi Island

Sanagi Island is quiet in a way that’s hard to explain until you experience it. There is no traffic, no background noise, no nightlife, no commercial district. So, what does it have? Wind, sea, cats, and long pauses between human interactions.

A single hostel and café, Neko no Shima Hostel, operates out of a former elementary school and serves as the island’s only lodging and dining option. It’s a rare success story: a creative reuse that brings limited tourism and life back to the island. Beyond that, daily life requires intention, self-sufficiency, and tolerance for isolation.

🧭 Who Is This Actually For?

This free house is not for most people. It may only make sense for:

• 🛠️ Buyers with significant renovation experience

• 🌿 People seeking deep isolation, not convenience

• ✍️ Artists, writers, or retreat-seekers who value silence over access

• 🗾 Long-term Japan residents comfortable with logistics, language, and local relationships

• 💸 Buyers who understand that “free” does not mean “cheap”

This is not suitable for:

• 🔰 First-time buyers

• 🌍 Remote investors

• 🏨 Short-term rental flipping

• 🏙️ Anyone expecting infrastructure, services, or resale liquidity

💭 A Reality Check on “Free Houses in Japan”

Yes, free houses exist in Japan. But they are almost always free for a reason. Extreme depopulation, geographic isolation, high renovation and logistics costs, and no safety net if things go wrong.

This Sanagi Island house isn’t a hidden loophole. It’s a mirror reflecting what happens when communities shrink faster than buildings disappear. And yet, for the right person, in the right phase of life, with the right expectations, it might still be worth saving.

📩 Interested?

This property is not publicly listed, and it will not appear on standard real estate portals. If you’re seriously interested in learning more, including feasibility, renovation realities, and the process involved, contact our team and we’ll help evaluate whether this opportunity makes sense for you.

Just remember: The house may be free, but the commitment is not.

🏠 Interested in saving a place that’s been left behind?
Join our community here on AkiyaHub.