Millennial American Couple Bought An Abandoned House In Japan: Look Inside

In 2021, my husband Evan and I sold our small urban farm in Louisiana and embarked on a continent-wide adventure that would change our lives.

We spent five years in the suburbs of New Orleans, where we taught ourselves how to garden, keep bees, and raise chickens, selling our honey and eggs. I ran my photography business and Evan worked as a licensed massage therapist.

We loved certain aspects of our city life, but over time we realized how much we wanted a more rural, self-sufficient existence. We couldn't afford to do something on the scale we wanted in the United States, so we decided to think big and look to other countries.

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Evan speaks Spanish and Japanese, which limited our search. We spent the next 15 months traveling around Mexico as full-time house and pet sitters before finally deciding to plant our roots in the Japanese countryside, arriving in early 2023.

Today we run a small guesthouse and bee farm on the Japanese island of Mishima and own two formerly abandoned houses that we have restored. This decision is the best decision we have ever made.

Buying and renovating property in rural Japan

We emigrated to Japan on a Startup visa, intended to help foreigners start a business here.

The house that is now Benton Guesthouse was built in 1953. It had been abandoned for 10 years when we purchased it in spring 2023. It is built in the traditional Japanese style, with massive wooden beams, interlocking joinery , tiled roofs, sliding screen doors and tatami floors.

Welcome to the Benton Guest House.

Photo: Daniel Benton

We purchased the property for $9,292, $7,500 for the house itself, $1,500 transaction fee, a one-time real estate acquisition tax of $212, and an annual property tax of $80.

When we received the keys it took a lot of cleaning and restoration to make it welcoming again. We did a lot of the work ourselves to keep costs low. We have also hired expert local contractors.

Evan is replacing the wood subfloor in the guest house.

Photo: Daniel Benton

We lived in the guesthouse for the duration of the renovations and completed the work in less than six months due to Startup visa time constraints. We wanted to show that we had a viable business and welcome our first guests before our visa extension application after five months.

The guesthouse bathroom, currently a shower only, is one of our phase two renovation projects. We plan to restore the original wood-fired cast iron bathtub, tiling and wall restoration.

Photo: Daniel Benton

In total, the renovation, including rental permit and amenities, cost $29,000.

We pay around $40 for internet, $15 for water, up to $120 for electricity, and $10 for gas. We spend about $400 a month on groceries and $100 on phone bills.

We have a small truck that we bought for $2,000 and pay $300/year for car insurance.

The kitchen when we first bought the guesthouse.

Photo: Daniel Benton

We purchased our second abandoned house, a stone's throw from the guest house, in September 2023, for $18,500. The property, which was formerly an inn, includes two unmaintained parcels of land.

This house is now our primary residence and we are also in the process of renovating and rehabilitating this space.

This is the exterior of our main residence and our rescue puppy Bosco, watching the neighborhood.

Photo: Daniel Benton

Take a look inside Benton Guesthouse

We opened our doors to travelers in November 2023 and have maintained a near 5-star rating ever since. To stand out, we offer private rental of a complete house.

To date, we have earned approximately $14,000 in revenue from Benton Guesthouse.

A lot of care and effort went into decorating the house in the style of the Showa era, which lasted from 1926 to 1989. We wanted our guests to feel like they were entering the house of a Japanese grandmother.

The paintings hanging in the main room of the “doma” were painted by the previous owner, when he was young.

Photo: Daniel Benton

For us, even the smallest details can make a space special. For example, we purchased a Nintendo Famicom console from the 1980s for our entertainment room.

Our entertainment room, equipped with a vintage television and Nintendo console.

Photo: Daniel Benton

We have so many ideas for future renovations, including restoring the old wood-fired bathtub, adding a second bathroom, and building an outdoor patio with a grill.

We plan to create a garden for the enjoyment of guests and install an educational beehive around the property.

This photo of the kitchen is a great example of items found in homes that we were able to restore and reuse. Everything in this photo was either found around the house, donated, or purchased from local recycling stores.

Photo: Daniel Benton

Once these additional renovations are completed, we will be able to comfortably increase the number of guests we welcome from six to 10, which will increase our revenue.

More than half of our bookings are groups of cyclists, but there are also couples and single travelers.

It's my favorite room in the house. I love the shimmering green walls, large wooden windows and “fusuma” screen doors.

Photo: Daniel Benton

We also plan to transform the guesthouse's detached garage into a retro-style roadside farm stand, where we will display and sell vintage items including antiques, furniture, tools and kitchenware , many of which belonged to the previous owners of both properties.

Of all the tea sets that we discovered in our main residence, the old inn, this one is in my opinion the most beautiful.

Photo: Daniel Benton

Growing our business and looking to the future

We started with 10 bee colonies and by next spring we will have 20. We plan to increase each year.

Beekeeping in Japan requires quite a learning curve, so we are fortunate that a local beekeeper took us under his wing to help educate us about the different challenges and predators bees face in Japan.

Our main apiary. The unpainted boxes on the front of each hive are hand-crafted “giant hornet” traps, which protect the bees during hornet season.

Photo: Daniel Benton

The area is known for its citrus orchards, and our first batch of honey this spring had a delicate citrus flavor that people seemed to like. It sold out very quickly.

We also sell tomatoes, tomatillos and various hot peppers at local farmers' markets. Benton Homestead's long term plan is to make hot sauce and salsa, in addition to our honey.

Bosco alongside some of our red pepper bounty.

Photo: Daniel Benton

Hoping to share as much helpful information as possible, we've documented every step of our journey on the Benton Homestead YouTube channel and blog.

In Japan, agricultural land is often divided into small plots on the outskirts of the village. Traditionally, this allowed for cooperation between farmers during planting and harvesting. This plot is our tomato and tomatillo garden, growing on locally harvested bamboo trellises. Marigolds attract beneficial insects.

Photo: Daniel Benton

With our budget, it would not have been possible to do this in the United States.

Mishima Island felt like home from the moment we arrived. Right now, we can't imagine living anywhere else.

Dani Benton is an award-winning photographer and owner of Dani Benton Photography. She lives with her husband Evan, her cat Ponkan and her dog Bosco on the island of Mishima, in the Japanese countryside. Together, Dani and Evan run Benton Guesthouse and their growing honey business. To learn more about their homeownership and home improvement experience, follow them on YouTube and Instagram.

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