Why and how we buy properties in Japan, design our spaces, and are creating our own hub for creativity and experimenting.
Tokyo is getting too big and expensive so creatives are moving into cheap areas closeby. Digital nomads are always looking for places to stay and build their startups. Black Americans and Japan have two of the strongest cultures in the world. <br /> What would it look like if we created a place that brough these 3 groups to meet, live, exchange ideas, and cocreate together?
Why start ZuCity in Japan? Theres a lot of reasons. We also love Komoro where we are based in Nagano Prefecture — 90 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen.
Three houses and one event venue, all <5min walking from each other. Every property is near Komoro Station and the Shinkansen, under 90 minutes from Tokyo.
Browse our spaces and upcoming events on the app.
the red dot is our central community space. Every white dot is a community-owned room within minutes on foot. This is ZuCity's neighborhood.
| Property | Distance | Walk |
|---|---|---|
| Nakamandem | 0.1 km | 1 min walk |
| ZuCity Artist & Builder Residency | 0.1 km | 1 min walk |
| ZuCity Balcony Bedroom #1 | 0.1 km | 1 min walk |
| ZuCity Balcony Bedroom #2 | 0.1 km | 1 min walk |
| ZuCity Secluded Backyard Flat | 0.1 km | 1 min walk |
| ZuCity Office Bedroom and Mountain View | 0.2 km | 2 min walk |
| ZuCity Master Bedroom | 0.3 km | 4 min walk |
| ZuCity Traditional Tatami Bedroom | 0.3 km | 4 min walk |
From 0 to 4 properties in 1 year: how ZuCity is building a vertically-integrated community-owned neighborhood in rural Japan by replacing vibes with equity.
We've seen the flaws in coliving from past experience. So we tried it different. We designed a positive feedback loop following JR East's model used to build train stations. They acruire land, develop it including adding stations, increase surrounding property values, use funding from rental income and property value to fund more property and stations. ZuCity buys properties, renovate them, bring high-value residents to cocreate the neighborhood, which increses residents and tourists, which gives us funding to buy more properties. Each property makes the next one more valuable by giving us more creative freedom in our neighborhood for larger scale experiments.
Acquire abandoned properties for $2k–$50k. DIY renovate what we can and call local tradesmen for the rest. Reimagine the space into something we want to see in our neighborhood and decorate. Our cost basis is negligible.
Renovate into coliving spaces, workshops, venues, and gardens. Bring artists, entrepreneurs, and builders who create culture and economic activity. Host popup cities and events that put Komoro on the map.
More residents means more local spending, more events, more tourism, more government cooperation, higher property values. Capital that would evaporate in rent or event costs instead accumulates in community-owned real estate that appreciates.
Use increased value and revenue to acquire the next property. Each cycle, the community gets bigger, the infrastructure gets better, and the flywheel spins faster. The neighborhood improves for everyone — us, our neighbors, the city.
Want to understand the community behind the properties? Read about ZuCity.
ZuCity's first Zuzalu popup city in rural Japan generated ¥480,000 in revenue while converting 26% directly into community assets like vehicles and furniture.
Japan's population is shrinking. Business owners are retiring with no heirs. Entire businesses — restaurants, workshops, farms — are closing not because they failed, but because nobody is there to run them. We're acquiring cash-flow positive businesses to sponsor visas for community members who want to live here and run them. Preservation through participation.
We buy what the domestic market has abandoned and the global market hasn't noticed yet — world-class timber construction, traditional joinery, antique fixtures, all under an hour from Tokyo. The math is absurd; the opportunity is real.
Why start ZuCity in Japan? Theres a lot of reasons. We also love Komoro where we are based in Nagano Prefecture — 90 minutes from Tokyo by shinkansen.