Cheap, abandoned properties known as akiyas are being purchased and renovated by information developers in Japan.
A fraction of the cost of a house in Tokyo can be purchased for akiyas for a fraction of what it would cost in other key cities around the world.
Outside big towns it’s also cheaper. In some rural areas, akiyas are actually being given away for free.
The BBC’s Japan editor Shaimaa Khalil examines the truth behind the interpersonal media pattern, despite the claim that it may seem like an amazing opportunity to those who are struggling to move up the property ladder.
Video by Isabelle Rodd