There are 9 million "akiyas" — empty houses — across Japan, according to official government data as of 2023. These homes, often abandoned and left empty for decades, are scattered across rural areas and big cities, offering a unique opportunity for buyers with creative ideas. Urban migration is another big contributing factor to Japan's abandoned houses. Ultimately, "many Japanese [people] look at akiya as depreciating items that are more trouble than they're worth," Michael, founder of Japan real estate blog Cheap Houses Japan, told CNBC Make It. Six years later, Wormann owns seven akiyas, and works as a full-time content creator and real estate investor in Japan.

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Persons: Japan's, Tetsuya Kaneko, Kaneko, Michael, We've, Anton Wormann, Wormann Organizations: Istock, Savills Japan, CNBC, Japan Locations: Japan, New York, Europe, Sweden