A 33-year-old man turned a Japanese farmhouse into a mountainside Airbnb retreat for $25,000 — here's how he did it

• After studying in Japan, Xian Jie Lee moved to a village called Ryujinmura in the mountains.
• He rented a farmhouse and renovated it to live in then purchased the house next door to list on Airbnb.
• The guesthouse now rents for $190 a night and he offers tours to his visitors for $40 to $270.

Singaporean Xian Jie Lee, 33, moved to Japan in 2012 to study political science. He loved the country so much that he decided to stay, and he started a desk job at an IT company.

Within a few months, Lee realized he was unfulfilled and quit to start a tour guide company with a friend called Craft Tabby. While running that in Kyoto, Lee met 72-year-old tea master Shu at a tea festival.