In this video, I journey to the island of Shikoku to meet up with author, @Alex Kerr to look at how he’s been restoring old, vacant and abandoned houses in the Iya Valley and Utazu, amid Japan’s rapid urbanisation.
More from Alex Kerr on his YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/user/alexakerr1
Intro 00:00
Utazu houses 03:27
Chiiori 15:03
Village of dolls 28:16
Vine bridge 32:29
Kominka restaurant 34:46
Ochiai houses 37:13
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Support
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If you’d like to support the channel and access more content check out my Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/tokyollama
or just buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tokyollama
Merchandise: https://tokyollama.myspreadshop.com
Also, subscribe to my other channel @Tokyo Llama Plus for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/TokyoLlamaPlus
In between videos I’m posting at
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokyo_llama/
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Books (affiliate links)
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Lost Japan by Alex Kerr: https://amzn.to/3vhGBzU
Dogs and Demons by Alex Kerr: https://amzn.to/3z3jmuw
Another Kyoto by Alex Kerr https://amzn.to/3OxLZWt
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Stay
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Chiiori: https://www.chiiori-stay.jp
Utazu Co-machi-no-ie: https://www.co-machi-no-ie.jp/en/
Ochiai Tougenkyo-Iya https://www.tougenkyo-iya.jp
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Restaurants
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Nakochi Life Share Cottage (reservation only) https://nakochi.jp
Kouraku Kura Cafe http://ryoutei-cafe-kouraku.com/kuracafekouraku/
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Support
——————–
If you’d like to support the channel I have a Patreon:
https://www.patreon.com/tokyollama
or just buy me a coffee! https://www.buymeacoffee.com/tokyollama
Merchandise: https://tokyollama.myspreadshop.com
Also, subscribe to my other channel @Tokyo Llama Plus for more videos: https://www.youtube.com/c/TokyoLlamaPlus
In between videos I’m posting at
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/tokyo_llama/
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Music
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State of Zen – Mandala Dreams
80 Days – Water Mirrors
Greensight – Epocha
Waking Dream – Mandala Dreams
Chi chi – Epocha
Mountain Mist – Lucention
All music from Epidemic Sound https://www.epidemicsound.com/referral/1eenp2/
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Credit
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Demographic data: https://data.worldbank.org
https://www.videvo.net/video/an-aerial-view-highlights-the-tokyo-skytree-towering-over-other-buildings-in-tokyo-japan-1/617918/
https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Shimogawara_Tatsuno_Hyogo_pref01n4272.jpg
https://unsplash.com/photos/_h1IO0AHilM?utm_source=unsplash&utm_medium=referral&utm_content=creditShareLink
Kawazu-Nanadaru Loop Bridge: FoxyStranger Kawasaki, CC BY-SA 3.0 https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
#shikoku #japan #renovation
45 Comments
Thank you Jaya! It was great spending a few days with you in Iya, and the weather was good to us since we saw the magical mists at their best. I'm so impressed at how you produced this video, maybe the most beautiful ever done of Iya and the houses. And it's not only beautifully filmed, but you cover the social and heritage issues, as well as the practical challenges of restoring these old houses. It also might be the only one in any depth about Utazu. Now I want to come and visit you in Ibaraki!
We have the same problem in Korea,most people are young and obsessed with modern things and almost nobody show interrest in our ancient Chinese history
I love history allot and preservation of cultural aspects and traditions of my own people aswell as other around the world because what are we if we do not have a visual of where we once came from.
Awesome!! I want to get my own akiya and renovate it but I have no talent….
Btw isn't there some kind of kickstarter project so the people who want to visit Japan but can't can contribute?
That ending is what my home is like, whether I have remodeled or built new. I actually saw it as very funny, I am not the only one😉 I feel like I need to watch this several times to soak it all in. Great video haven't watched in a while, you are becoming a master.🖖
0:16 It is not quite true to say that Japan suddenly became more urbanized around year 2000. Studying the facts of the matter, you will find that many villages and townships began to form cities around that timeframe, so many people woke up one morning to suddenly find themselves living in cities when they didn't move at all.
26:30 "Japan needs its old houses to be restored". While I too feel sad when old houses are torn down in my neighborhood, I'm not as sure as this man that the government should take everyones' tax money and force everyone to support restoring/rebuilding old houses. Right after saying this, he puts down the govt. for building roads "to nowhere", then the video shows the car driving along a mountain road literally in "nowhere" – ha!
From 29:00 the scarecrow village is amazing, and very thot provoking. Kudos to whoever made them.
Interesting that the foreigners hardly ever wore masks, whereas the Japanese always did, and even the scarecrows did!
Thank you for this interesting video.
Awesome great video thank you sir 🙏🙏🙏
A very rewarding and inspiring discussion.
His works on these properties is much needed.
That drive at 27.00 – 28.00 was a bit of a challenge.
that ending killed me lol!
Loved every bit of this video!
Poignant and yet at the same time hopeful of this fantastic documentary. Beautiful music as well, may I know the one played at the end that starts around 36.00 mins.
I enjoy watching your channel for your adventures with your own house, but this was next level. What a wonderful video. Gorgeously shot visuals, fascinating guest and wonderful story. thank you and congrats.
Such a beautiful place! Would love to see it repaired and remain. Architecture just amazing! 🙏
🙏 so interesting! Such a beautiful restoration!
Perhaps you could pre-sell nights of accommodation to finance the project. It would give me an excuse to visit Japan.
I would love to know the price for these Minkas
It’s heartbreaking to see these traditional villages fading away. I’m glad there’s people like yourself who continue to use these houses but with modern amenities.
"Cool story, but when are you gonna finish the deck?" XD <3 Hehehe.
Greetings from Denmark! Love your channel!
If I had the funds, I would definitely save one of these houses. I wish I were born in Japan.
The ending though. It's like straight outta mystery movie.
If I would win lotterie, first thing I'd do is move to Japan for sure… and would do this exactly. Take a very old house and renovate it just like that with modern utilities invisible with the old ancient Japanese look.
Excellent! I'm so happy of this new awareness and hope more of these houses can be restored and cherished. Good job!
these people really used minecraft chests as storage
『p』『r』『o』『m』『o』『s』『m』 ☀️
Haha, loved that ending! New subscriber.
As a child, I lived in the outskirts of Tokyo in the 50's, living in an old farm house with my family. This was a wonderful video, bringing back memories of mingei living in the old Japanese way. Thank you so much. I hope you will make more of these videos, luring people from all over the world to go back to living the simple country life still possible in Japan!
Thank you so much for a wonderful documentary!
So beautiful & calming
I would love to have one.
Thanks for this. Inspirational is the least I can say. I can’t help asking how much was the property in Utazu. Alex bought his property for $1800 back in the early 70s. How much have land values risen in 50 years?
Seeing the village of dolls actually got me pretty emotional. It's a dying of a key part of Japanese culture. So many stories we won't get to hear.
Shikoku is my favorite place in Japan, secret amazing place, for me, as I only knew Tokyo. It’s bigger than you think, like all of Japan. The Iya bridge was that one in your video or another one? I volunteered there and what a reward to have been there and swam in the inland sea too.
That was an amazing video.
Speechless…gorgeous video, awesome architectural trip. Delighted to hear Alex Kerr. ありがとうございました.
I have seen most of your vids, and am always put at ease by your quiet, gentle way, mixed with the metro Australian accent that you wear so well. I love all of your stuff, and was very excited to see the early parts of this video showing that you would be showcasing some work done by "some experienced sounding pioneer/old timer". I was enjoying along, when the penny suddenly dropped……OMG……that's Alex Kerr from Dogs and Demons!!!!! There is no drug or alcohol that could alter my mind as much as this video did this morning on a sunny Sunday late winter morning in Melbourne. Thank you. BTW – your video style – one of the least talking hosts on all of youtube – makes some of the most informative footage made today, and the music you used for this video was nearly as stunning as the visuals that you laid out in front of us. So many thanks for what you are doing.
This place needs a tv Reno show like the block in Australia , but high quality and the history, great stuff thanks for showing
Very interesting video and awesome ending 😀
Thank you very much for this wonderful and very interesting video! I am very much interested in old Japan and in how life was in past centuries. Thank you for the interview to Alex Kerr, who made a fantastic work! I hope that an increasing number of those beautiful old houses get restored, so they can have a new life! 👏👏👏👍
Jaya
Fantastic video. Alex should be declared a National Living Treasure if he hasn’t been already.
I wonder if I can make a suggestion about future videos. Would you be able to do some short videos of other traditional Japanese furniture and items for example Tansu, iriori, hibachi, etc
Maybe you could interview experts.
It's hard not to get a lump in one's throat watching this. I feel an ominous sense about the Future as never before. As if the doll city was a premonition of the fate of Mankind.
That is so awesome..wow!
Would be so cool to stay at a Japanese House from the 1850's! It's amazing 😍. Hope he could rescue "The Block".
Awesome. Interesting and informative. Over 20 Business trips I had to Japan. It will never cease to amaze. Congratulations on a pro production
Wonderfully done. I especially enjoy the fast-forward scenes of you driving through the countryside, those are a nice intermission and a chance for the viewer to soak in and contemplate what they just viewed in context. This would make a great episode to pitch to the American PBS (Public Broadcasting Service) or BBC. Your work is every bit as polished as mainstream producers are making.
The gentleman in this video who wrote the book , omg he is such an angel, he seems to be such an honest in heart kinda guy… tell him i said blessings and peace unto him, thanks for this video
Here in Thailand, the same thing s happening to traditional houses some can be bought for little money moved and rebuilt but termites are a problem.
I learned alot! Beautiful countryside. I hope some of the communities will be revived & more historical homes updated. I thought the doll at the bus stop was a real person in the intro. 😆 Your wife at the end.