Details on Shinagawa’s new station revealed

Shinagawa New Station 1

On September 6, JR-EAST released details on the new train station planned for the JR-owned site between Shinagawa and Tamachi Stations in Tokyo. The station building has been designed by Kengo Kuma and will include an open atrium, origami-style roof and wood pillars.

Discussions about a new station in this area have been ongoing since the early 2000s. The station site is located on rail yards about 900 meters north of Shinagawa Station and 300 meters from Sengakuji Station.Read more


Atami loses two hotels in August

Atami Misaki kan Annex Hotel
Atami Korakuen Hotel Misaki-kan Annex

Two reasonably large hotels in the beachside hot spring resort area of Atami in Shizuoka Prefecture closed their doors last month.

Atami Korakuen Hotel Misaki-kan Annex

Atami Korakuen Hotel closed their Misaki-kan annex building last month, ending 65 years of operations. The hotel will continue to operate in their newer building next-door, while the former annex building will be demolished and replaced with new facilities in time for the 2020 Tokyo Olympics.Read more


Renovating a historic home in Kamakura may soon become easier

Kamakura

Kamakura City is considering introducing an ordinance that would allow owners of historic buildings to bypass some of the regulations under the Building Standards Act that normally apply for renovations, extensions and changing the use of a property.

When making structural additions or alterations to older buildings, it can be very difficult to make the building comply with the Building Standards Act while still retaining the original features. In many cases property owners simply give up and either rebuild or leave the property to deteriorate. As a result, the neighbourhood begins to lose its character over time as the older properties are demolished.Read more


Sublease and rental guarantee agreements causing problems for first-time investors

Starting September 1, companies* offering sub-lease arrangements to investors and landlords will be obligated to include a clause in pre-contract documentation to warn the property owner that future rent may be subject to change.

The new rule has come after a recent spike in complaints from landlords who, at the advice of real estate brokerages and construction companies, built apartments under the expectation of leasing them for a guaranteed rent. After completion, however, the sub-leasing company would either cancel the rental agreement (a relatively easy task since rental law is strongly in favour of the tenant) or decrease the rent offered to the landlord. Some investors were promised that rents would continue to rise 3% annually, only to find out after purchase that the sublessor would only offer a rent of 10% below initial estimates.Read more


Jingumae designer building sold for 9 billion Yen

Terrazza Aoyama Building Jingumae 1

ORIX JREIT Inc. announced that they will be acquiring the trust beneficiary rights to the Terrazza Aoyama building in Jingumae at the end of September. The acquisition price is 9 billion Yen (approx. 87 million USD), excluding tax, resulting in a net operating income of 4.2%. The seller was RD Legend Alpha SPC.

The building is located alongside Gaien Nishi Street and is 400 meters from the Olympic Stadium site and 650 meters from Gaienmae Station on the Ginza Subway Line.Read more


Tokyo apartment sales in August 2016

Tokyo Apartment Sales 201608

The following is a selection of apartments that were sold in central Tokyo during the month of August 2016:Read more


Historic Rokkosan Hotel sold to car importer

Rokkosan Hotel 2

The 87-year old Rokkosan Hotel in Hyogo Prefecture has been sold to Osaka-based car importer Hakko Group for an undisclosed price. The sale includes the land and both the historic hotel and the adjacent, newer 45-room hotel building. This is the first hotel acquisition for the company. They plan to preserve the historic building and possibly re-open it next year. The newer building next-door will be demolished and replaced with new accommodation as well as multi-purpose hall facilities. In the meantime the hotel will continue to be operated by Hankyu Hanshin Hotels.Read more