Hi! My name is Anton. I live in Japan, but I am originally from Stockholm, Sweden. My adventure in Japan started back in 2015 when I came here for my work as a fashion model. I’ve lived and worked in cities all over the US and Europe—New York, Paris, London, Milan—and when I came here for the first time, I had no idea that Japan would capture my heart and become my home.
If I could time-travel a decade into the past and tell myself that in ten years I’d be living in Tokyo, speaking fluent Japanese, making YouTube videos, and buying and renovating old houses, I wouldn’t have believed it.
Well, maybe I’d have believed the renovating part. Growing up in Älvsjö, a southern suburb of Stockholm, my family lived in a fixer-upper built in 1909. To save money my Dad did the renovations himself and he worked on the house from when I was little until I was a teenager. My two younger sisters and I would take the leftover wood and build tiny little houses in the garden. Something an American kid would probably call a “fort.” Renovating is in my blood.
But Japan?
Although, looking back on it now, there was much more Japanese influence on my childhood in Sweden than I was aware of at the time. Nintendo, Toyota, Honda, Toshiba, Sony, Nikon, Canon—I had no idea these were all Japanese imports we were using every day. In middle school there were also these kids with pink hair and weird t-shirts that were obsessed with all things Japanese. I didn’t get it then, but now I know they were on to something. We all loved Dragon Ball Z and Pokemon. I’m not sure what was more exciting—the stories or the fact that the pages of the book turned from right to left instead of the typical left to right we were used to. So exotic.
The thing I remember most is my Mom’s love of sushi. Like I said, I grew up with two younger sisters and we always ate at home. We went grocery shopping about once a week and my parents cooked meals at home every night. Eating out in a restaurant was incredibly rare—a special treat. Every so often, just a few times a year, when my Dad was away from home, my Mom would treat us to sushi from Fruängen, the local Japanese takeout restaurant. We’d get some California rolls and maybe an eight-piece sushi plate and eat it at home with the chopsticks my Mom kept in the silverware drawer. It was so expensive and I’m not sure that any of us kids really understood why Mom loved it so much, but it felt special to be sharing her favorite food and seeing how happy it made her.
Later, when I started modeling, I met so many people who were into Japanese fashion, craftsmanship, and materials. I heard from models who had worked in Japan that the pay was good, the food was great, and the way they treated the models was exceptional. I started to think I was really missing out on something. So, when I got that invitation to come to Japan for the first time, back in 2015, I immediately said yes.
I had always assumed that the Big Apple—New York City—would be my ultimate destination. But after my first trip to Japan, I couldn’t get Japan out of my mind. I came back twice more for work, and each time when my contract was up and it was time to go, I would have this overwhelming feeling that I didn’t want to leave. When I worked in other countries I would compare them to Japan, wishing I was back here. Eventually, at the end of 2018, I was able to move here permanently. I’ve never looked back.
Within a year after moving here I bought the Tree House. My first property! I renovated it in true DIY style. When I finished that one, I found another, Liton House, which I now live in. Then a third, Sangenjaya House, the house renovation that’s featured on my YouTube channel playlist Tokyo Renovation Diaries.
Originally, I made videos about the renovation in Japanese so I could practice my language skills. I started publishing them on YouTube in 2021 on a Japanese-language channel. I never expected there would be interest in European/American-style DIY renovations with a Japanese-speaking audience. Given how small the DIY culture is here (more on that later) it was a surprise. There was so much interest that in 2023 I decided to launch an English-language channel on YouTube, Anton in Japan.
My first video went viral with over 30 million views, and within four months the subscriber list topped 400,000. Questions and comments poured in on every video. I had no idea that there would be so much interest in this unusual thing I was doing.
I am so incredibly thankful to everyone for being so supportive and asking so many questions. You are the reason I decided to share my knowledge and expertise regarding buying and renovating old houses in Japan. I’m having fun and making a living while doing it. This book, my first book, is a culmination of the tens of thousands of comments and interactions I’ve had with you across my YouTube channels. Your engagement and curiosity have shaped this work, and I couldn’t be more grateful.
Thank you for being a part of this incredible journey.
—Anton (in Japan)
