Residents told they are 'on their own' in a major earthquake
Residents of The Tokyo Towers - a 58-storey condominium complex in Chuo-ku's Kachidoki bayside area - attended an information session on disaster preparedness held by the building's management committee in October. Following the Tohoku earthquake, the committee have been looking at revising their disaster manual.
Mr. Motose, who is in charge of disaster management in the committee, informed residents that they may be without electricity and elevators in the event of a major earthquake, and should prepared to have enough supplies to last a month.
Residents were also told of possible ways the building could be affected in an earthquake. Read more
Sales in Park Court Chiyoda Fujimi The Tower start today
Mitsui Fudosan Residential begin sales of apartments in Park Court Chiyoda Fujimi The Tower today. The 40-storey building will be completed by the end of March, 2014, and apartments will be ready to move into by the following July.Read more
Able to offer improved rental apartment service for foreign students
Japanese rental agency, Able, have introduced a new service for foreign students that will assist them in finding an apartment to move into as soon as they arrive in the country.
Up until now, foreign students have had to stay in temporary accommodation, such as student dormitories, until they receive their alien registration card. It was only when they had received the card that they could rent an apartment privately. This resulted in the student waiting several weeks before moving into more permanent accommodation.Read more
47-yr old ryokan converted to sharehouse in Tokyo
Real estate company R Bank have converted an old Japanese inn (ryokan) into a character-filled female-only sharehouse in Tokyo's Katsushika ward. Called 'Tokyo Kita Wave', the property was renovated from a 47 year old post-war inn, and is their 30th sharehouse.Read more
Changes underway that will no longer require 100% of condo owners to agree on demolition
The Ministry of Justice announced plans on November 5 that would affect the the number of condo owners that need to agree before a building can be demolished, or its land sold.
Currently, if a condominium is severely damaged in a disaster and needs to be demolished, 100% of apartment owners must agree to the plan. If one person was against demolition, they could not proceed. However, for restoration or emergency repair work, the ratio of agreement required is 3:4, and for tearing down and rebuilding, the ratio is 4:5.Read more
Former residence of Mitsubishi zaibatsu leader donated to Chiba
The former residence of Mitsubishi's third leader, Hisaya Iwasaki, in Tomisato City, Chiba, has been donated by Mitsubishi Jisho to the city. The city has plans to turn the villa and its surrounding land into a public park.Read more