Rare 90 year old house in Chiyoda-ku to be demolished
The 90 year old Kashiwayama Residence in Kanda-Sudacho, Chiyoda-ku, is going to be demolished soon due to deterioration and redevelopment. The sheet copper house dates from the Taisho era. It survived the Great Kanto earthquake in 1923 and the air raids during WWII.
The 3-storey wooden-frame house has a sheet copper facade and a European-style mansard roof. The 1st floor was a small shop, while the owner lived on the 2nd and 3rd floors. The 85 year old owner, Kazuko Kashiwayama, began living here in 1949. In those days, a 3-storey home was rare, and coupled with its modern exterior, it stood out in the neighborhood. When the war had ended, times were very difficult for many residents and quite often people would pinch a copper tile or two from the facade.Read more
Govt urges landowners in Fukushima evacuation zone not to sell
The government is requesting that residents from the evacuation zones near the Fukushima Daiichi Nuclear Power Plant refrain from any real estate transactions within the area until evacuation orders are lifted.
The warning is to avoid any potential trouble arising after Tepco pays compensation to landowners and to ensure a smooth reorganization of the zones. The Yomiuri Shimbun gave a slightly different, and perhaps more honest reason for the request, which is to avoid the land being acquired by various yakuza organizations who, seeing an opportunity, may make it more difficult and more expensive for the government and Tepco to negotiate the storage of contaminated waste on such land. This is not an unfounded fear, as local real estate agents have reported receiving inquiries with very similar intentions.Read more
Thai property developer buys Hokkaido ski resort
Thai property developer Property Perfect has invested 770 million baht (approximately 1.9 billion Yen, or 24 million USD) in the takeover of the relatively unknown Kiroro Ski Resort, 43km west of Sapporo, from Mitsui Real Estate.Read more
Historic Shimoda Ice Factory to be demolished
The Nanzu Ice Factory in Shimoda City is scheduled to be torn down this month due to deterioration and concerns over its earthquake-resistance.Read more
Chunk of concrete falls off building in Ikebukuro
A 20 centimeter piece of concrete fell from the top of a 10-storey apartment in Ikebukuro yesterday, smashing onto the pavement below. No one was injured.
The incident occurred at about 8am when a fragment from the rooftop of the building came loose. Another 4 meter long piece of concrete was left dangling, but was later removed by workers.
The apartment building is over 40 years old and the police headquarters said the deterioration of the building was to blame.Read more