Can't Afford Boston? Try Japan.

Japan's shrinking population and a cultural distaste for second-hand homes has led to a growing number of vacant homes (akiya) for sale at seriously low prices, some for as little as $25,000.The country's 2018 housing survey identified about 8.5 million akiya and the number has likely risen since then. Heirs can refuse to take possession of a house that has been left to them in an estate, and in those cases the municipality auctions the house off - for tens of thousands of dollars.The New York Times ran a piece about the akiya and some of the non-Japanese buyers who have relocated to them, when they've been priced out of their home markets. Two Americans have started a business promoting the inexpensive akiya housing to international relocatees.Some in Japan are worried about what it will mean for Japanese culture if so many foreigners move to the country, but few native buyers are stepping forward.Read the whole article here.