University acquires Hilltop Hotel

Meiji University has acquired the historic Yamanoue Hotel (Hilltop Hotel) adjoining its campus in central Tokyo. The university announced the acquisition on November 15.Read more


Kyoto hotel revenues increase while domestic guest numbers decline

According to the Kyoto City Tourism Association, the average operating ratio across the 109 hotels surveyed was 76.7% in September. This was a 1 point increase from last year but is 6.2 points below the level seen in 2019. The operating ratio for ryokan-style hotels was 70.7%, up 9.6 points from 2019.Read more


Lingerie company pondering sale of Omotesando building

Lingerie company Wacoal Holdings is looking to offload its non-core real estate assets, as reported by the Nikkei Shimbun. And one of those assets might be the Spiral Hall building in Minami Aoyama, according to publication, Seventie Two.Read more


Luxury hot spring hotel to open on 13.5ha site in Hakone

Mitsui Fudosan and Mitsui Fudosan Resort Management are opening a luxury hot spring hotel on a 13.5 hectare site in Hakone in 2026. Hotel The Mitsui Hakone will follow the 2020 opening of Hotel The Mitsui Kyoto. This is Mitsui’s upper-end hotel brand. It will operate in a tie-up with Marriott’s The Luxury Collection, to appeal to inbound travelers.Read more


Sapporo’s office vacancy rate is on the rise

The office vacancy rate in Sapporo’s business district has recently hit an eight-year high. According to Miki Shoji, the vacancy rate was 4.08% in September 2024, up 1.22 points from last year. In existing buildings, the vacancy rate was 2.94%, and in brand-new office buildings it was 49.37%.Read more


20% of 'kyu-taishin' wooden buildings collapsed in Noto Earthquake

Almost 20% of wooden buildings built to the old earthquake codes (pre-1981) were destroyed in the 2024 Noto Earthquake that occurred on January 1, according to an interim report published by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) on November 1.Read more


Demolition to start on Shibuya 2 Chome multi-block project site

The Shibuya 2 Chome West District Redevelopment project will kick off in a few months. This project includes National Strategic Housing, giving it a boost to its floor-area ratio. The overall project, covering blocks A, B, and C, covers a total site of 18,800 m2, and includes a small retail space, along with residential and office towers with a GFA of 322,200 m2.Read more