Tsunami-damaged kominka to be moved to Shikoku
Many of Japan's cultural properties were also damaged or destroyed by the March 11 Tohoku Disaster, including a 300 year old farmhouse (kominka) in Minamisanriku Town, Miyagi Prefecture.
The "Endo Residence" is over 500 meters from the coast, yet was picked up and moved about 20 meters by the March 11 tsunami. Despite the house being warped, the daikoku-bashira and thatched roof remain mostly intact in their original shape.Read more
Real estate companies seeking compensation from TEPCO
Approximately 2000 real estate agents from Ibaraki Prefecture are seeking compensation from Tepco for loss of revenue caused by the various news reports and rumors surrounding radiation levels from the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant in the neighboring prefecture.
On September 13th, the industry group submitted an official letter demanding restitution to Tepco's Ibaraki Office, in what is believed to be Tepco's first case where a real estate group has demanded compensation.Read more
Free farmhouses for evacuees
A new site called "Kominka Net" is providing a listing service for owners of empty Japanese farmhouses (or kominkas) to offer them free of charge as temporary accommodation to evacuees of the March 11 Tohoku Earthquake, Tsunami and Nuclear Disaster.Read more
Prices of large apartments in Tokyo fall in second half of 2011
The Japan Real Estate Institute (JREI) published their "Residential Market Index" report on price movements for apartments in Tokyo's 23 wards for the first half of 2011.Read more
Sendai City planning to ban construction on coastal areas, 2400 homes to be affected
Sendai City announced on September 16th that they plan to prohibit any new construction or additions to existing homes in the coastal areas that are at risk of being inundated in a Tsunami over 2 meters high. The City plans to present the proposed reforms to the Diet by the end of this year.
The City said that a 2-meter or higher tsunami poses a very high risk of washing away homes. As such, approximately 1500 hectares of the city's coastal areas including Miyagino-ku and Wakabayashi-ku has been designated as a disaster risk area. Up to 2,400 homes will be affected by the planned ban on construction or additions, and plans to move residents 1 to 2 kilometers further inland are progressing.Read more
Land prices across Japan continue to fall after the Tohoku disaster
On September 20, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) published the results of the nationwide land price survey (chika-chosa) as of July 1, 2011. Overall, land values fell by 3.4% from the year before with residential land falling by 3.2% and commercial land values falling by 4.0% over the same period. In 2010, residential land values fell by 3.4% and commercial land fell by 4.6% so the rate of decline has lessened slightly.Read more
Chinese citizens can now receive 3-yr multiple entry tourist visas for Japan
The Ministry of Foreign Affairs of Japan (MOFA) announced that from July, 2011, citizens of mainland China can apply for multiple entry tourist visas to Okinawa Prefecture.
The visa's term of validity is 3 years and the tourist can visit as many times as they like during this period and stay for a maximum of 90 days each visit. The terms require the traveler to arrive in Okinawa and stay for at least one night, after which they are free to travel elsewhere.
This will be a welcome change for Chinese citizens wanting to visit Okinawa and Japan. Up until now, individual tourist visas for Chinese citizens only allowed them toRead more