Revival of Karuizawa property market following March 11

Although land prices have been falling year on year in the popular resort town of Karuizawa, Nagano Prefecture, property transactions have increased since the March 11 Tohoku disaster as the power conservation and fear of radiation led people to seek safer and cooler locations outside of Tokyo.Read more


Japanese hotels being sold off due to lack of tourists

Emerald Hotel (left) and Kawasaki Grand Hotel (right)

The effects of the March 11 Tohoku disaster have had wide-reaching consequences with hotels as far away as Hokkaido being forced to close their doors and sell due to a faltering tourism industry.Read more


$5 million price reduction on penthouse in Akasaka

The asking price for the full-floor penthouse at the top of Foretseine Akasaka Hikawacho has been reduced from a staggering 1.205 billion Yen to a still staggering price of 820 million Yen (10.6 million USD). This is a discount of 385 million Yen (5 million USD), or just over 30%.Read more


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

Representatives submitting the demand for compensation to the head of Tepco's Ibaraki Office.

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