Roof First: James's Asahikawa House and the Renovation That Grew
James bought a meticulously kept 1997 house by the river in Asahikawa for ¥7.6 million. It barely needed anything – until the roof got a proper look. Nine months later it's a re-roofed, re-plumbed, licensed lodging business.
The House
Akizuki, Asahikawa — a residential neighbourhood beside the river, where the banks double as a community park for jogging in summer and cross-country skiing in winter. Nine minutes' walk to a convenience store. A spacious, well-kept garage. A view of the river from the balcony. And, per our tour report, “a very friendly neighbourhood with an english speaking neighbor.”
Built in 1997, and looked after:
“Previous owner was very meticulous and neat which resulted in the house being kept in a very well maintained condition… Overall the house is in great condition with very little that needs repairing or updating.”
One quirk the report caught that turned out to matter enormously: “The second floor has a unique layout where there is only a single entrance to all the rooms within.”
The Numbers
Listed at ¥8,000,000. James bought it for ¥7,600,000, cash, no loan. With brokerage and the fixed asset tax proration, settlement came to ¥7,206,730. Closed 24 April 2026.
Roof First
Two weeks after settlement, our contractor went up for a proper look and found what a walkthrough can't: several slate panels on the eaves needing replacement, and loose sheet-metal flashings needing re-fixing.
Hana's triage was eight words long and is basically the whole philosophy of the business:
“So the roof is a must, paint job is a can.” — Hana
James agreed immediately – “Great to hear no major surprises. Yes definitely would be best to have the roof work done first” — and paid the ¥1,082,400 in full rather than in halves. Scaffolding went up on 8 June, the roof was repaired and repainted in a colour called Noir, and it was finished by late June. The exterior wall paint was quoted and deliberately deferred.
Then the Inside
What started as “barely needs much” became an ¥8.4 million interior conversion. In fairness, almost all of it is the licensed-lodging build rather than cosmetics:
A new cold-climate-spec shower and toilet unit upstairs with a vanity basin — the second bathroom James had wanted from the start. A brand-new upstairs corridor, built because the original second floor only had one way into all the rooms. Floor substrate reinforcement, waterproofing with performance testing. The entire iron plumbing system removed and replaced with cross-linked polyethylene, plus freeze-prevention heat trace on thirty metres of exposed pipe. A 370-litre cold-climate hot water system. Around 380 m² of wallpaper and 80 m² of new flooring.
The Last Boiler in Hokkaido
Renovating in Japan means occasionally moving at the speed of a supply chain rather than a schedule. Hana, chasing payment in July:
“There's currently only one boiler left in stock, and the supplier can only hold it if payment is confirmed today. If we miss that window, the next available unit could be a couple of months out.”
James paid. The boiler is in the house.
The Licence
James is going the simple lodging route – a proper 簡易宿所 inn licence rather than minpaku, which means no 180-night ceiling. The scope covers it end to end: the public health centre licence application, fire department commencement-of-use notification, hazardous materials storage notification, automatic fire alarm, guidance lights and extinguishers, fire inspection attendance, and a Building Standards Act compliance check.
The Client Who Handed Over the Keys
Some owners want to approve every doorknob. James is the opposite, and he said so in writing:
“I'm happy to let you take the lead. You do not need to confirm every individual decision with me. I agree that you should handle day to day and only flag the bigger choices.” — James
Which doesn't mean he's passive. Offered an optional air-conditioning upgrade, he declined it on commercial grounds and said he'd revisit after a full season of real booking data. That is a landlord thinking like a landlord.
What's Next
Interior construction started 18 July and is targeting the end of September. When we sent him the August progress photos with the warning “place is a wreck at the moment, but good to see progress,” his reply was the right attitude in one line:
“Yes it is but thats how it has to start thanks for the update!” — James
