99-year old residence in Kamakura opened to public for first time
A historic residence in Kamakura that was once the holiday home of former Prime Ministers Fumimaro Konoe (1891 - 1945) and Osachi Yamaguchi (1870 - 1931) has been repaired and converted into a French restaurant and wedding function centre. This historic, privately-held home had been closed to the public until now.
The Koga Residence was built in 1916 as a villa for Seijiro Sho (1862 - 1926), the managing director of Mitsubishi. In 1937 it was purchased by Mr. Koga, a manager of Nippon Tochi-Tatemono, and has been in the Koga family ever since.Read more
Renovated apartments offer cheaper alternative to new
There is a common belief that Japanese only like new things - new cars, new appliances and new homes. However, with the price of new apartments rising and incomes falling, buyers have been turning their attention to older properties on the resale market.
Second-hand apartments can be about 20% lower than the price of a brand new one, although in prime locations in central Tokyo the difference in price is almost zero. As you move to the outer suburbs, eg. 40 minutes by train from Tokyo or Osaka, you can find older properties for about half the price of new ones in the same area. Travel even further and you may find secondhand apartments in 10-year old buildings selling for just 30 ~ 40% of the price of a new apartment.
An apartment’s interior can be upgraded to almost the exact finish as a brand new apartment, although consumers do need to be wary of factors such as the building age and possible issues with piping.Read more
Residential yields in Minato-ku - May 2015
According to real estate listing site Homes, the average gross yield on an apartment in Minato-ku in May was 4.7%, down 0.1 points from the previous month and down 0.6 points from last year. The average gross yield across Tokyo was 6.6%, showing no change from the previous month but down 0.5 points from last year.
The average asking price of a second-hand apartment in Minato-ku was 869,700 Yen/sqm as of May 1, down 1.1% from the previous month but up 9.8% from last year. The average asking price for land was 1,211,818 Yen/sqm, up 0.5% from the previous month and up 5.7% from last year.Read more
Tokyo apartment sales in April 2015
The following is a selection of apartments that were sold in central Tokyo during the month of April 2015:Read more
Greater Tokyo's largest apartment development announced
Chiba Prefecture announced the three developers that have been chosen to work on a large-scale apartment project in Makuhari New City in Chiba. Mitsui Fudosan, Mitsubishi Jisho and Nomura Real Estate will begin work on a 180 billion Yen (1.5 billion USD) residential complex with approximately 4,300 apartments. When complete, it will be the largest apartment complex in the greater Tokyo area.
To appeal to young family buyers, prices will kept at affordable levels, with some suggesting they could be around the 40 million Yen (335,000 USD) range. The complex will house as many as 10,000 residents when complete.Read more
89-year old bathhouse to close this month
One of Tokyo’s oldest wooden bath-houses will close its doors this month, and there are concerns that the 88-year old building could soon be demolished.
The Tsuki-no-Yu bath-house was built in 1927 in a ‘hafu’ curved gable style, which is often seen on temples and shrines. Mr. Yamada, the 70-year old owner, said his father purchased the bath-house in 1933 from its former owner.Read more