Potential for real estate in Imabari (Shimanami Kaido area)? Looking for local insights and thoughts.
Hey everyone,
Born and raised in Imabari (the starting point of the Shimanami Kaido cycling route), and been living in Tokyo for the past 10 years.
I’ve been looking into my hometown lately and noticing a huge shift. Imabari is blowing up as a tourist destination for Western cyclists, and at the same time, the influx of foreign workers (mostly from the Philippines working in shipbuilding/textiles) is creating a unique demand for affordable rentals and company housing.
It seems like there's a lot of untapped potential for non-Japanese buyers here—whether it's a coastal vacation home, an Airbnb for cyclists, or high-yield rental housing targeting foreign workers. Some of these older/abandoned places can be picked up for as low as 1M JPY ($10,000 USD) before renovations, but local agents don't speak English so nothing moves.
As someone who knows the area well, I'm trying to gauge the actual market interest from a foreign perspective.
Does the Shikoku/Seto Inland Sea area actually appeal to foreign buyers, or is the focus still entirely on Tokyo/Kyoto/hokkaido?
From an investor's POV, would a cheap ~1M JPY property with guaranteed demand (like foreign worker housing through local companies) be a viable option, or are the hidden hurdles of rural property too high?
Would love to hear some honest thoughts or if anyone has experience with real estate in this specific region. Thanks!