The pillar home comes with two levels and an indoor hot spring onsen.

People often say that Japan is a land of contrasts. It’s a country where faxes coexist with futuristic robot technologies, ancient shrines peer out from the shadow of city high rises, and women in kimono strut around on streets where you’ll also find some of the craziest cosplay.

And while some of the smallest houses on tiny plots of land can sell for big bucks in urban areas, there are gobsmacking free housing offers and amazing discounts to be found here as well. Case in point is this unusual home currently on the market and drawing attention from potential buyers around the country.

Standing on a single reinforced concrete pillar base, this unusual home is on the market for the surprisingly low price of 1.3 million yen (US$11,976).

And though it might look small from the outside, the layout shows there are actually two levels inside the home with one room, a combined living, dining and kitchen area, a bathroom on the ground floor, and a second room on the next level.

▼ The living, dining and kitchen area has corner windows on both ends of the room.

▼ The house comes with a basic kitchen…

▼ …and a toilet that’s separate from the bathroom.

▼ While the ground floor bedroom is large enough to fit two single beds.

▼ The room on the second level, with traditional tatami floors, can be used as a living room or second bedroom.

One of the home’s most impressive features is the bathroom, which is connected to a hot spring. While this comes with a monthly usage fee of approximately 11,000 yen ($101) a month for 20,000 litres of water, it does mean you get to enjoy all the benefits of hot spring bathing in the privacy of your own home.

There’s also a monthly 1,000 yen management fee for the property, which sits on land measuring 138 square metres (1,485 feet). The building itself is 55.89 square metres in size, and was built in September 1976.

Despite being in a rural countryside area, it takes just 8 minutes by car to get to the nearest shopping centre, where clinics, a post office, convenience stores and banks are also located. The property is a ten-minute walk from the nearest bus stop, and 4.5 kilometres (2.8 miles) from Shuzenji Station.

▼ Shuzenji Station

Many people in Japan have been likening the unique property to the home of Kitaro from the popular anime GeGeGe no Kitaro.

https://twitter.com/tonariocamaro/status/1082295954487664640

Whether you have ambitions to live in a home like Kitaro, a yokai boy from a Ghost Tribe, or are simply in the market for a tree change, the property is currently empty and available to purchase.

Like Japan’s many other weird and wonderful properties, this home is likely to be snapped up soon, so be sure to contact the agent now if you’re interested!

Source: Nissin Home via At Home
Images: Nissin Home

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