We unearth some unusual finds at our old property in the countryside.
Ever since we bought a cheap house in the Japanese countryside for US$9,100, we’ve been gradually making small improvements and clearing the land as we prepare for the main renovations.
After finding a mysterious tap that revealed we were the owners of mountain spring water, we were curious to find out what other surprises lay in store for us on the property. So our reporter Go Hatori and boss Yoshio once again enlisted the help of Imazu, our trusty worker from construction firm Hobien, to do what any curious new homeowner would do — dig up the earth around the property.
▼ Imazu and his trusty digger get to work searching for buried treasure.
In just a matter of minutes, Imazu and the digger had unearthed our first finds of the day: a couple of old millstones.
These millstones must’ve been used by former residents to grind buckwheat to make noodles. They were still in good condition, so after a scrub, we’ll definitely be using these to make fresh soba.
Pleased with this great find, Imazu hopped on the digger again to explore a different part of the property.
Sensing something was beneath the ground in this particular area, Imazu dug deeper and deeper until he unearthed…
▼ …the keys of a piano?!
Well, this certainly was a mysterious find. Who once owned this piano? Or was it a keyboard? And why was it thrown away? At some stage, the SoraHouse must’ve been filled with the sound of music, floating out over the hills and nearby river, creating an idyllic countryside scene.
▼ After that, the finds came thick and fast, with Imazu retrieving…some sort of wrench…
▼ …a weight…
▼ …a scale…
▼ …a ceramic urn…
▼ …a heavy pot with a metal handle…
▼ …an old can of coffee…
▼ …and finally…
▼ …an animal skull.
Hoping this wasn’t the skull of the raccoon visitor we thought was a ghost, our three musketeers took this as a sign to down tools for the day and collect a few more chestnuts from the road before returning home.
Searching for treasure around the SoraHouse is always a fun experience that yields a lot of new discoveries for our city slickers. Stay tuned for the next adventure!
Photos ©SoraNews24
● Want to hear about SoraNews24’s latest articles as soon as they’re published? Follow us on Facebook and Twitter!
[ Read in Japanese ]
Turning a crazy cheap country Japanese house into a home — Step 2: Clearing out weeds【SoraHouse】
Turning a crazy cheap country Japanese house into a home — Step 10: Mysterious water【SoraHouse】
An unexpected visitor stops by our cheap Japanese house in the countryside【SoraHouse】
What happens when our team starts renovating our cheap countryside house in Japan?
Turning a crazy cheap country Japanese house into a home — Step 9: Chestnuts【SoraHouse】
Kyoto Whopper divides customers at Burger King Japan
Forbidden area at Japanese mountaintop shrine opens to the public for first time in 400 years
Taking the Kyoto overnight bus for the first time
Japanese burger chain no longer serves onion rings, but offers intriguing replacement【Taste test】
Domino’s erupts with a 1kg Cheese Volcano in Japan
Yakuza vending machines coming to real-world Tokyo neighborhood that inspired Like a Dragon games
Berserk T-shirts coming to Uniqlo for launch of new Manga Curation line【Photos】
Edo-era illustrated records show the disasters that have plagued Japan throughout its history
The heartwarming story of Japan’s “Weakling Gundam” and the fans who supported it in its hour of need
Kids takoyaki charity almost shut down by reselling middle schoolers, but owner soldiers on
One of Japan’s most beautiful hot spring towns announces new limits on number of day trippers
Ghibli’s Princess Mononoke teams up with Foxfire for outdoor apparel collaboration【Photos】
Mario Kart Happy Meal toys arrive at McDonald’s Japan, and SoraNews24 has the whole set!【Photos】
After cancelling Halloween, Tokyo’s Shibuya neighborhood cancels New Year’s Eve too
Tokyo park’s sea of clouds, nighttime illumination, and cosplay days make now perfect time to visit
Samurai ritual suicide contest cancelled by organizer in west Japan
Japanese job-quitting service contacted by other job-quitting service because employee wants to quit
Flying dango: Unique tourist site where Japanese sweets are flown to you over a gorge
American jackass tourist arrested after carving name into gate at Tokyo’s Meiji Shrine【Video】
Nintendo’s controller capsule toys are so cool, even the machine you buy them from is awesome【Pics】
Tokyo Disneyland loses top-attendance crown for Japanese theme parks for second year in a row
Ghibli Park debuts first winter illumination display with Howl’s Moving Castle theme
Pringles releases a limited-edition sweet flavour in Japan
Sanrio and magical girl anime PreCure join forces for new merch line【Photos】
What’s the deal with akebi, the perfectly purple, alien-like fruit that’s in season now in Japan?
McDonald’s new Happy Meals offer up cute and practical Sanrio lifestyle goods
Foreign tourists on Shinkansen bullet train break suitcase etiquette, angering local passengers
[Deleted] Article written for April Fool’s Day 2018
Japanese government to make first change to romanization spelling rules since the 1950s
Foreigner’s request for help in Tokyo makes us sad for the state of society
Ghibli founders Toshio Suzuki and Hayao Miyazaki contribute to Japanese whisky Totoro label design
Japanese convenience store Family Mart announces abolishment of eat-in spaces
Princesses, fruits, and blacksmiths: Study reveals the 30 most unusual family names in Japan
Life-size vibrating Legend of Zelda Master Sword for sale from Nintendo【Photos】
Studio Ghibli releases free-download board game — Here’s how to play it without reading Japanese
We made a 98-foot-long string telephone at our Japanese countryside house, but does it work?
Renovations at our cheap Japanese house in the countryside plummet to new lows
Turning a crazy cheap country Japanese house into a home — Step 14: Before and After 【SoraHouse】
44 bubble machines on the roof of a Japanese country house is our idea of renovating【Video】
Tearing down the ceiling at our cheap Japanese house in the countryside【SoraHouse】
Pokémon x Mister Donut fukubukuro lucky bag is a very sweet way to ring in the new year
We accidentally turned our cheap country house into a “gaming house” for Christmas【SoraHouse】
Studio Ghibli fukubukuro lucky bag is a sell-out hit in Japan at New Year
How to make a McDonald’s hamburger twice as delicious: Turn it into a waffle!【SoraKitchen】
Setting up zero-cost electricity at our cheap Japanese country house so it looks less haunted
Japanese plastic food samples abound at this impressive exhibition in Tokyo
Comparing two Starbucks fukubukuro shows just how different lucky bags can be
An illustrated field guide to the myriad marvelous uniforms of Tokyo Disney Sea
We built a steel rack taller than our crazy cheap country Japanese house with Daiso goods
The top 10 Studio Ghibli anime homes that fans would most like to live in
Norigami Tacos combines sushi and tacos into one crunchy culinary coupling【Pics】
Leave a Reply