Interested in investing in Japanese historical real estate but don’t have quite enough to afford a medieval castle town?

Right now there’s a 150-year-old traditional Japanese thatched-roof farmhouse for sale on Yahoo! Auction for the unbeatable price of 1 yen (about 1 penny)!

Though by judging from the pictures, it may be a bit of fixer-upper…

The house is located in Kujishi city in Iwate prefecture, but not much more is said on the auction page so it’s unclear if the homestead is equipped with running water or electricity.

It does look like the home offers plenty of living space and is surrounded by lush green trees, so it should be perfect for a family looking to enjoy the peaceful live in the Japanese countryside. There even seems to be shrubbery growing on the thatched roof, surely an attempt by the previous owner to make the home more eco-friendly.

The listing went up on August 25 at the starting bid of 1 yen. Over the past few days, a fierce bidding war between two potential buyers has pushed the price up more than ten-fold to 11 yen.

If you want to own this stunning display of traditional Japanese architecture you’d better act fast as the auction is set close on August 30!

There is a bit of fine print at the end that is worth noting: “It costs money to take the house apart; is there anyone who will occupy it for me?”

It seems the actual land will still belong to the original owner and you are just bidding on the house itself. Still, not bad for 11 yen, right?

But wait, beneath that reads: “Update: Please take apart this house and use the materials as pillars, etc.“

Is the owner trying to have someone do the dirty work of breaking down an old building for cheap? Is the house haunted and anyone who tries to tear down the building has seven days until they meet a gruesome death?

Whatever the case, we know only one thing: once you step into this mystery house, there is no return.

No, really. The auctioneer has specified that returns will not be accepted after the auctions closes.

Source: Yahoo! Auctions


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