I feel like whether you believe ghosts/spirits exists or not, it is respectful to the original owner of the house and the people who lived there before to perform a ritual like this. Good job!

If anything i'm sure your neighbors appreciated it. Good relations with your neighbors is worth it even if you don't believe your self.

Oh wow, didn't know carpenters and architects also took part in the ceremony, that's pretty cool.

I think you were very wise to have this ceremony done. Especially so for those that will work on the house and for the Japanese side of the family. It also serves as an 'official' detachment with the past of the house and adds to the feeling that this house and land is now yours. I say that, even though I don't follow the Shinto religion, but having lived in Japan for the past 28 years, it often surprises me how much of the superstitions etc also affect me. They especially affect you when times are tough and you start wondering as to whether you should have done this or that at a particular juncture in time.

This is educational to watch a Shinto cleansing ritual

I am sure your house hasn't looked so good in the last 15 years as it does now. it's almost as if it'd be new indoors! And I am really not joking this time. As such the spirit of the old owner should be really happy about it if he'd still be there and see the results of your efforts. I mean even his children didn't want to take over the responsibility of renovating that house and I know that as we grow older we get really attached to our belongings - so seeing that a stranger comes and brings life in the house again (and not just tearing it down and building a completely new house) would certainly make him satisfied. If you could talk to him now I am sure he would also thank you for taking over the place and turning it so beautiful again.

"I accidentally poured the priest a pretty big shot. Coincidentally or not, he was very friendly and we had a good chat afterwards." LOL 😂🤣 You may be in Japan, but glad to see you brought and kept your Australian sense of humor!

Watching this was oddly calming and soothing. The house is looking really nice. Good fortune with the renovations to come.

Wow, you were able to get the carpenters and the architect to participate. Super respectful.

I've been very moved by this video. Assimilating to Japanese culture is so important in making Japan your home. These traditions are about connection with the present and the past, and about respect for the culture and its history. What a beautiful way to ask to be welcomed to your new home.

How fascinating! What a privilege to have participated in such a ceremony.

u gave him the aussie amount

"Accidentally poured the priest a pretty big shot" This is comedy gold!. All jokes aside this was interesting to watch, never seen the actual ritual that they perform.

This house must have been the talk of the town when it was built. It is absolutely gorgeous!

I am visiting Japan on a long-term stay for about 15 months - it's the final bucket list item of things that I have wanted to accomplish. And I'm nearing the end of a 3 and 1/2 month stay in Kyoto. It has been a joy to walk the neighborhood where I have been living. One item I have especially noticed, has been the number of old homes being demolished, with new ones being quickly built in their place. On one such location, I noticed a two-story home being demolished with the typical scaffolding set-up and external typical tarp-like material attached to the outside (I understood it's done in Japan so as to prevent falling objects from harming people passing by, or damage to other non-related structures). The old building was quickly demolished, land completely cleared, then the scaffolding was removed. I happened to be walking by on a Saturday morning on my way to the gym, when I noticed chairs and what later turned out to be a small altar being arranged on the completely cleared property which I thought was rather curious. Returning from the gym, I caught a Shinto ceremony being performed with the attendants dressed in formal "business" attire (except of course, for the priest who was in Shinto garb). In the ensuing week, the base foundation work began, with restoration of the scaffolding and outer coverings following thereafter, but I also recognized that at least some of the workmen were present at the previously held Shinto ceremony. Less than 3 months after the demolition, a new two-story home has just been completed (even with all the rain, extreme heat, and the remnants of a typhoon in Kyoto). Likewise, the other new homes in the area are in various stages of near or full completion, with new kindred projects appearing here and there. The complete demolition and reconstruction process of the one home has been such an interesting visual experience. From the care taken throughout (such as hiring a suitably dressed elderly man to direct people and traffic safety when needed based on the demolition or construction work being performed), to the speed and apparently well-planned execution of the project itself. But the one thing that really stood out for me, was the respect afforded to the project itself, as well as those not directly involved (such as passing pedestrians, vehicles, etc.). Then again, this is Japan. It is a major reason why I keep revisiting this country time after time, always wanting to return, while feeling a nostalgic sadness upon leaving.

First of all, you are so lucky! I studied architecture in Japan and you don't see this extravagant style in private residential homes anymore AT ALL!! Second, I am so glad you did the ceremony. I don't necessary believe in spirits or ghosts but the previous owner must have been very proud of the house, therefore must have been attached to it as well and everyone who cleaned up the house probably went thru a lot of emotions, like felt like you are invading into someone's space even tho you own it, cleaning out previous owner's personal items out of the house wondering about them etc. Doing this ceremony gives closure to everyone(including previous owner) and I hope it gave you refreshed feel, a new chapter. Good luck with the renovation!

🍃I can assure you, that any ancestral spirits in the home, is quite proud of the love and respect you have given, to bring this home, it's restored beauty it deserves. Thank for sharing. Every culture has it's own way of cleansing and bringing in the humbleness and showing the utmost respect to it's past owners.🍃

That was definitely mesmerizing. When we moved to Japan almost a decade ago, there was a demolition of an old house near our place. When the entire thing was just soil again, they built a small wooden shrine and did something like what the priest here did. A a couple months later, a new apartment was up.

The house is sooooooooo beautiful the owner Rest In Peace is happy that someone nice bought his house he happy u clean it and u pay respect to him

Such a stunning house. Can't wait to see how you finish it. Out of curiosity, the friends who felt "something" in the house, I wonder if they feel that way anymore....

Excellent my friend! A new fresh beginning for the house and the family's peace of mind. Whether we believe or not in ghosts is culturally necessary, in my opinion, to perform this ceremony. Not just for you and everyone working in the house, but also for the previous owner who deserves the respect. Congratulations!!! がんばってください

I became emotional watching this, as my Great Grand Mother and her Tribe The Niitsitapi would have simular cleanings and blessings for the inhabitation of hand crafted Ti Pi, they were so individual in their art works and the structures while being the same, were also decorative on the inside. So in the handing down of such a structure their were ritual cleancing and blessings for a new life and adornments!

3:58 "bruh I just vacuumed the floor..." joke aside, very interesting Ritual and video.

There's something incredibly moving about this. Whatever it is, I felt it here in England. A universal respect for all past, present & future.

It's sad that the adorable little stone houses with such incredible little ornate details must be destroyed. I loved the look of them and thought that whoever crafted them must have put a lot of effort and care into doing so, honestly a shame.

I've always felt strongly that if I moved to a new country, or indeed even visited, especially one with the ancient traditions, customs and beliefs as Japan, that I would integrate as much as possible, learn the language as fluently as I could (I have mild brain damage from a stroke which makes means I see certain writing - even calligraphy - as art, but I can still learn and retain some spoken languages - Japanese is the one I've started because my brain hears it as a melodic roll which means it somehow sticks well in my memory; korean and Italian is the same), and be respectful of the people and their traditions. I think your neighbours and the other local people would be very happy to see you so lovingly restoring that beautiful house and respecting their way of life and their history and beliefs. Your work and your respect is amazing to see. :) (I'm very jealous you get to live somewhere so beautiful).

It was really cool to be able to watch a ritual like this, thank you for sharing. I was a little surprised that stone shines had to be destroyed, I find it a bit sad really, but I guess they were for the previous family and you can get some of your own.

The house looks very pretty and ceremonies like this are fascinating to watch. :)

It seems really stressful to perform rituals you're not used to, i would be scared to death to do something wrong that could offend the native people

Thank You for being so respectful while you inhabit this magnificent Japanese home. It is good that someone like you and your wife are here to continue.

Increíble! Muchas gracias por compartir este hermoso ritual, cada vez encuentro más similitud entre la cultura japonesa y la mapuche, en una ceremonia mapuche se hace algo muy similar, casi con la misma estructura, de dar ofrenda primero y luego lo que queda compartir entre quienes están participando! Saludos desde Chile

Wow Shinto, one of the last bastions of paganism that all of our ancestors use to follow. It's good to see it alive and well!

I'll bet the neighbors are loving the the way the property is looking now.💖

Respect for tradition keeps a culture stable.

Beautiful ceremony! I believe house blessings (or something similar) are very important, regardless the house's history.

Until I went to work for the U.S.G.S. in *'89,* I was a millwright at a sawmill near Seattle. One of our big markets was very large heart cut select timber to Japan for redimensioning into high grade lumber such as that. It's really fun for me to think that maybe some of our gorgeous Cascade Evergreen Cants ended up *in* that work of ART !!!

Yes! I love that you payed all respects to the previous owners and builders of this house! I feel you will now live a long beautiful life with your family in this amazing home! What a find,what a blessing!🙏🏾

seems a very respectful way to honour the life of the previous owner and let you have the peace of mind that the area is cleansed and open for it's new life.

It is imperative to show respect to the former inhabitants and owners. A "good spirit" ritual, such as this helps clean and purify the house with honor and goodwill. Good job!

Omg your house, look like a mini castle, a manoir, remain me of old samurai movie ;)

I’ve enjoyed watching the ceremony of purification of your home. I am Native American of Apache Tribe, we used salt to do the purification as well. You’re blessed and waiting to see the final completion of your new home.

It is sad to hear that you had to destroy the shrine. I guess it would signify a new owner and detachment from the old owner

This is a very good thing to do, a fresh start so to speak. Clearing and settling and paying resect to any residual energy is a nice way to begin a life in a new home. I had watched this type of ceremony when I lived in Japan for 10 years. In the city, black and white bunting would go up in an empty lot and the ground was blessed before construction started. Even night clubs, bars, and many kinds of businesses in Japan put mounds of salt in the corners of their doorways before the start of the business day. I am Catholic and we bless+ cleanse our houses. I also typically salt all of any rooms and corners of any new home I move into, after opening window of course. This is also a way to settle ones self and to focus on the next chapter of your life in that place. Best of luck and good health in your beautiful new home.

That was a powerful ritual. As a person who has dismantled hundreds of houses over decades and been involved in the restoration of thousands, I am naturally interested in your project. I am not religious, I live in a western culture and am a native Irish person. I do not know you or the previous owner. I have never been to Japan When I saw the shrine and the offerings i started to sneeze. I felt it welling up in the back of my nose almost up to my eyes. Then I realized it was tears. What the heck? Anyway well done, it was clearly the right thing to do.

The home is coming along nicely. Thank you for allowing us to experience this ritual!

It made me in tears. It’s a good Omen to be respectful .

Hello! I just stumbled upon your channel and found myself bingewatching all of your videos! I'm also quite fascinated with traditional japanese architecture and its building techniques, and it's soo thoughtful and respectful of you to enlist the help of the original carpenter of the house and not made major changes all by yourself, it shows you respect such a beautiful house and is dedicated to its preservation. How lucky of you that he's still around and nearby! I really can't wait to see how the house will turn out in the future. If I were the owner I'd be happy with what you've done with the place, the house found itself a true caretaker. My best regards! ✨💕

Thank you for allowing me to watch this traditional ceremony. Many blessings to your family, and may love and joy always fill the walls of your lovely home.

I really like how you respect the culture. Also I must say your videos are amazing. Cheers from Switzerland.

Another one of those "hidden costs" involved in buying an akiya.

So happy to see this beautiful house brought back. It has such a good feeling inside.

That house is a work of art. It represents talent, creativity, skills, and abilities of artisans, many who may no longer be living. Sadly, they may not have the opportunity to pass their skills on. It is a great honor to the efforts of these artisans that you perform this ceremony.

I love the respect and the dedication that you and your family have shown to the spirits of the previous family owners. You have done an amazing job. Hard to understand why a home like this would have been abandoned. Wishing you all a lovely future full of happiness, laughter and love.

Wow, your house really looks amazing now that it is clean. Congratulations - all your hard work seems to have really paid off. Well done!

This was incredibly fascinating to watch and learn about.

I've seen Shinto ceremonies before, so this wasn't entirely new to me, but I enjoyed it. Even more interesting are the various comments about other cultures and religions which do very much the same thing. Christians too will have a blessing at the dedication and opening of a new or renovated building.

May your house be blessed with the running feet of happy joyful Children!

Beats holding burning sage and going from room to room to smoke out bad spirits. Very nice ceremony

Thank you for explaining the process. It's always nice to know what's going on in ceremonies like these.

Brought tears to my eyes, so glad you did this and shared it. Thank you!

The 'Castle' looks great. Soon will be a home! Never a bad time for some sake.

I was in the middle of a meeting when you did your live stream.....hated that I missed it. Still in awe of the house. Even more when I think of the price. 👍

I came across your channel the other day, thank you for deciding to document your journey. This was very touching to watch, actually brought tears to my eyes. Wishing you and your family every happiness in your beautiful home.

Very, very moving. I am so grateful to you for sharing this with us.

Same in India too, Just Built my Home in New Delhi and did the ceremony in a bit different way by sprinkling mustard seeds and rice. Grate video, Best wishes for the New House and life.

That's what I love about the Japanese. The respect is absolute for everything. Thanks for sharing. House is looking great.!!!👍😎🦘

This has moved me deeply, thank you for sharing this, my daughter and family lived in Hawaii for 10 years and felt the need to do this in their home whilst there. Afterward they lived in great peace x

Thank you for sharing this cleansing ceremony with us. Good fortune to you.

I would feel weird breaking up the hokuras - loved the sun streaming in at the end - your house is beautiful, I hope you have the best times there... 😊

I love this series--I've been to Japan once and it has deeply affected my life in a positive way. I was especially interested in this Shinto blessing--thanks!

I just binge watched your whole process and it was amazing! Thank you and your family for sharing as it was truly a joy! Much respect and the place is awesome. I really appreciate your opening of the ceiling to expose the rafters. Peace!

I think you did a real good thing with this blessing! There's more to this world than we see or hear. Again, great choice you have made!

This is so fascinating to watch, not to mention educational... I'm looking forward to the final output.

I came back to watch this episode after seeing the others and catching up with the current episode. You've done so much with the place. It's incredible. I'm quite sure the previous owner of the house is honored that you chose to restore the home.

I have found all your vlogs really interesting! A culture so different! All the beautiful, intricate workmanship in the structure and then not to finish precautionary wood treatment and wiring, cabling, ducting etc! Yet these buildings have a wonderfully simple, peaceful elegance about them! THANKYOU! XXX

Okay, I started to tear up watching this. Just by seeing and hearing the priest I felt the deep calmness and peace of the ceremony. Shinto is beautiful.

I can’t wait to see your beautiful Japanese home finally renovated and finished

When I stayed in Goa/India I was surprised that many houses were abandonned, but they explained that Indian people didn't live in other people's houses as they could inherit their bad health or bad luck. I visited one amazing house and large garden, the house was full of furniture and objects untouched for many years.

I’m so glad your channel appeared in my feed. What you are doing to this property is inspirational.

That was both courteous and compassionate. Well done!

Looking forward to see the house when it is all done. I am sure it will look awesome!

Can’t wait to see the finished layout of the house!

I look forward to seeing that beautiful house and grounds restored to its former glory. I can't get enough of that gorgeous wood and the light coming in. Beautiful.

This was so lovely to watch and witness. Thank you for posting.

So glad I found your channel! I've been enjoying the progress videos of the renovation, and I think this one was the most interesting yet. Very informative, please keep making videos like this one! Also, what a gorgeous house, I am very jealous. I can't wait to see the final product!

So weird how you said the cleaners felt something. I literally felt it when I was watching your cleaning process video. Where that washroom mirror was off that large dark room, very cool 😎

I enjoy watching your videos. For someone who lives in Chicago, it is insightful to learn new things about buying and renovating homes half way around the world. I hope a you and your family have a successful process in renovating. Can't wait to see the how it turns out in the end.

This is the most wonderful to experience with you my friend. Thank you for much JOY!!!🎆HOME IS SO WONDERFUL💗JAPAN

I’m glad everything is going good with your renovations, I really enjoyed learning about this ceremony too.

I can't wait to see how the house is going to look at the end of renovation, beautiful and shine like the houses in the movie the last samurai :D

So fascinating! Wow. I really enjoyed watching this. I know this is an old video but wow. I can't wait to watch the other renovation videos!

I am an Indian and a Hindu. I found the ceremony soothing to watch and I feel as an outsider/new resident for you to give such acknowledgement and respect to the local culture and people is very appropriate and dignified. Japan’s heritage is impressive and all new residents must appreciate it. Or stay out. If I was the old owner’s spirit I would welcome you with all my heart after this, we all have our humanity and this re-affirms it.

beautiful ceremony, much respect

So beautiful ❤️ physical and spiritual cleansing. I love it!

Thank you somuch for filming this amazing ritual for us. I feel like I got to experience something intimate I otherwise never would have!

Thank you for sharing this journey with us. I have had the honor of visiting Japan twice. This is a wonderful, intimate look at a part of daily Japanese life most of us would otherwise never get to witness.

I felt really sad watching this and thinking about this person's final days. R.I.P

When I saw your first video showing inside the house, I immediately thought it was haunted.

Recently started watching your youtube, and now i can't stop. Wonderful work

Thank you for sharing this ceremony. The house looks beautiful just as it is! It's inspiring me to get rid of all my clutter and head for the simple life I've been yearning for.