[steven]

I've done a bit of research on this kind of thing. I think the term "traditional Japanese house" may vary depending on the region (and the time period of "traditional"). I have friends who have houses with parts that are 150-200 years old (with obvious repairs/remodels of course). There are also "traditional houses" in this area that are 200 or so years old that are quite unique from other "traditional houses" in other areas.

If you mean "traditional style house" in the modern sense, then you're looking at kind of a compact house that is 2 stories. This means one bathroom/shower area for a family. It also means that you'll have kind of a small living area and a numerous small rooms (as opposed to a few big ones). This could have something to do with heating/cooling as well as a couple to a few generations living in one building.

To build a decently sized house of medium quality, I'd say it would cost $300,000-500,000 or so. That will generally get you a nice "western style" house (you could still get a "japanese style room" in there though). To get a "Traditional-modern" style house (they call it "wa-modern/和モダン" I think) you'd be looking at 600,000-800,000. Then you have to add in the land, taxes, and the loan.

I've heard that taxes are much cheaper on used houses. A used house could be quite a few things though. For example, you could get a used house that was built 5 years ago or you could get a used house that is pushing 50-100 years old. Those "fixer-upper" like houses go for real cheap but I can't imagine all the variables that would determine the final price. Houses that are 5 or so years old might have quality issues though. Keep in mind that "traditional style houses" in the "old" sense of the word implies a lot of things. It's usually a house that has been passed down generation after generation. It's built on the family land and may or may not have been re-built or added on to a few times.

It is my opinion that the structures of Japanese houses are great, but the interior varies drastically. The "model house" you've gone to or seen in the ad was great looking, but when you go to someone who actually built a house with that particular company you might notice plastic counter tops or rubber baseboards and too much flimsy plastic everywhere. A company might have a cheap baseprice, but they charge a ton of money for sprinkles and nuts, if you get what I mean. All this stuff is in the fine print, of course. Some home-building companies are slyer than others, so be careful.