Remodelling Japan's empty houses

The country has a surplus of vacant homes – and a Swedish model has gone viral for giving them makeovers

- Alison de Souza

A Swedish fashion model becoming a home renovation influencer in Japan might be one of the least likely career arcs imaginable.

But 32-year-old Anton Wormann has bought and refurbished several properties in Japan, doing much of the renovation work himself.

And through his popular Anton In Japan social media accounts, he has become a champion of the country's akiya, or abandoned homes.

He got his first taste of Japan working in Tokyo as a fashion model. What began as a series of two-month modelling stints ended with him falling in love with the country and deciding, in 2018, to make it his home.

Wormann, who has modelled for Italian fashion house Gucci and American retailer Abercrombie & Fitch, tells The Straits Times in a video call: "I loved it here every time I came. It was just paradise. The streets are clean, it's safe and every day is an adventure."

Then he learnt about akiya, which in Japanese means "empty houses".

As Japan's population ages and birth rates plummet, there are fewer people inheriting, purchasing or maintaining its homes.

So, millions sit empty. According to Japanese government figures, one out of every eight homes, or nine million, lay vacant in 2023. Of these, 3.9 million are not for rent or sale, nor used as secondary residences.

FASHION MODEL WITH A HAMMER

Into this vacuum have stepped foreigners such as Wormann, drawn to Japan's property market by its comparatively low prices, the depreciating yen, and an appealing culture and quality of life all of which have also sparked a tourism boom.

This, in turn, has been accompanied by a surge in social media content about tourism, expatriate life and Japanese property, the latter mostly from brokers.