How to buy one of those cheap, abandoned houses in Japan, according to a Canadian dad of 2 who did it

• Eric McAskill, bought an abandoned house, or akiya, in rural Japan through an akiya bank for $23,600.
• The 38-year-old father of two says navigating the various databases of abandoned homes can be confusing.
• "While there are some websites trying to aggregate this information, it's often all over the place," he said.

Eric McAskill bought an abandoned house in Japan for 3.5 million Japanese yen, or about $23,600, in March 2021.

Back then, the 38-year-old Canadian father of two was living in Bali, Indonesia, with his family.