I can't afford to buy a house where I live, so I bought one in Japan. It only cost me $30,000.

Courtesy of Justin Wong

This as-told-to essay is based on a conversation with Justin Wong, who bought a house in Japan's Nara Prefecture through Akiya Mart, a site that helps foreigners buy abandoned Japanese homes known as akiyas. Wong, 36, works in marketing in Delta, British Columbia, about 15 miles south of Vancouver. The conversation was edited for length and clarity.