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The story
A post on X (formerly Twitter) about “renovating half of a massive countryside warehouse to live in” was picked up on 5ch and drew a wave of reactions. Rather than just a house with a garage, the poster bought an entire warehouse and is remodeling it however they please — some praised the sheer enthusiasm behind that lifestyle, while others worried about the endless weeding, upkeep in old age, and how realistic it’d be with a family in tow. Between comments calling it “a bachelor’s hobby palace” and suspicions that it’s stealth marketing to unload a hard-to-sell property, the thread ended up split between admiration and concern.
What people said
Bought a house.
Skipped right past "with a garage" and got one with a massive warehouse attached 🏠
How's that gonna work?
They invented this thing called herbicide, you know
but a family would hate this
No way you could do this with a family around
A contractor I know does exactly that
And more importantly, everyone's got their job, commute, kids' schooling to think about — a truly rural place has basically zero resale value, it's basically just a vacation home
Can't say I'm envious, but the guy himself looks like he's having a blast, so who cares lol
Looks like it'd flood if the river overflows.
Looks like the roof would blow off in a typhoon
Living in a one-room apartment, my AC bill is basically nothing by comparison
and is renovating the warehouse however he wants
Must be nice
But once you're elderly you won't be able to maintain something this size, and it'll turn into a hoarder house
people who react positively are enjoying their lives,
people who react negatively are boring.
Pretty easy to tell who's who
People who can't take criticism just get discouraged and give up right away
If I've got to force myself to gush over something like this,
I'll gladly be the "boring one"
Only someone who grew up in the city would find this appealing
Best would be doing what Sanma (comedian Akashiya Sanma) did — buy a building on prime Tokyo real estate, use it as an office, and convert a whole floor into your home
Driving already wears me out — honestly I'd rather live without a car
I wonder which is the better deal — this, or just buying a regular house in the same area.
For people who plan on hitting Hello! Project concert venues (ハロ現場) every weekend, the countryside might be rough to live in
are kind of shallow, no?
I'd rather have it all paved in asphalt like a supermarket parking lot
You can farm anywhere
A home vegetable garden is really the sweet spot.
Actual serious farming is way too much work
Background and Key Points of This Debate
“Maximalist” is a term that emerged on social media as the opposite of “minimalist” — someone who lives without possessions — describing a lifestyle centered on being surrounded by the things you love. The warehouse-property renovation appears to have been shared in that context. In rural Japan, population decline has led to more unused warehouses and vacant houses being sold cheap as “negative-value real estate” — property that costs more to maintain than it’s worth. The thread saw skepticism about renovation costs and resale value, alongside practical tips for upkeep like using herbicide or installing an insulated prefab unit inside. Whether this lifestyle is realistic hinges heavily on whether you’re single or have a family, and whether you can keep maintaining a property this size into old age — points the thread argued over without reaching any consensus.
※This article is excerpted and summarized from the 5ch (Hello! Project) thread “X (Twitter) post: “Renovating half of a massive countryside warehouse to live in — I think that’s the correct answer for maximalists”.”
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