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Red Dot Abroad
Singaporean couple buy $89,000 home in Okayama, open doors to friends and strangers
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Mr Sean Gwee and Ms Ashley Hong bought 2,000 sq m of land, on which their 150 sq m Japan home sits, for $89,000 in June 2023.
PHOTO: SAMUEL GOH
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- Singaporean couple bought a house in Okayama, Japan, in 2023 for $89,000, seeking a quieter life and space for one of the owners' architectural projects.
- They've hosted over 40 guests for free, aiming to offer a welcoming experience of Okayama, sharing their home and life with friends and strangers.
- Currently on tourist visas, they plan to use the house as a holiday home when their daughter starts primary school in Singapore, continuing home improvements and hosting.
AI generated
SINGAPORE – Singaporean couple Sean Gwee and Ashley Hong, both 34, liken the suburb in Japan’s Okayama, where they bought a three-storey house in 2023, to Singapore’s Toa Payoh neighbourhood.
“Like Toa Payoh, we’re around 20 minutes outside of town and have amenities like supermarkets, restaurants and convenience stores nearby,” says Ms Hong, a freelance television producer who grew up in Singapore’s second satellite town.
