Historical Ijinkan in Kobe burns down
The Grande Maison Graciani French restaurant in Kobe's Kitanocho neighborhood caught fire early this morning and was completely destroyed.
A neighbor alerted the fire department after noticing flames from the 1st floor on the north-west side of the building. Fifteen neighboring residents were evacuated as the fire posed a risk of spreading. The restaurant was closed on February 13th and had been locked up since the evening of the 12th. On February 7th, a small fire was reported at the front of the property, but was extinguished. Authorities are currently investigating the cause of the fire, and suspect arson.Read more
Six hotels demand compensation from TEPCO
Six hotels in Akita Prefecture are seeking a total of 12.8 million Yen (166,000 USD) in compensation from TEPCO. The hotels claim that the nuclear power plant disaster has led to cancellations from foreign visitors, which has reduced their operating revenue.
The hotels are part of the Akita Prefecture Ryokan Association. The Association submitted the claim for compensation to TEPCO on their behalf. The claim by each hotel ranges from 120,000 to 5,200,000 Yen.Read more
PM companies leaving Hokkaido amid Sapporo office market slump
Several real estate property management companies have begun to close down their offices in Sapporo, Hokkaido, as the local commercial market continues to decline.Read more
Gunma also targeting foreign buyers of forestry
On February 8, the Gunma prefectural governor held a press conference to announce that they are considering introducing regulations to help preserve the forestry and natural water sources in the area.
This follows on from similar movements by other prefectural governments, including Hokkaido and Saitama, who are starting to monitor the purchase of large tracts of forest by foreign buyers.Read more
Farmer donates land to Kashiwa City
A farmer in Kashiwa City, Chiba, has donated a 5350sqm block of land to the city to be used for a children's playground and as an emergency evacuation site.
The land has a market value of approximately 640 million Yen (8.3 million USD). It is 700 meters from JR Minami Kashiwa Station and is adjacent to the Shintomicho residential neighborhood.
Mr. Ryoichi Iinuma's request is that the land is used for the benefit of the community and is not subdivided. The block adjoins Mr. Iinuma's home and is currently planted with chestnut trees.Read more
Apartments for wine lovers in Shibuya
Apartment developer, Inovv Inc, announced plans for a new residential building in Shinsencho, Shibuya-ku, that will be designed for wine aficionados.
Construction of the tentatively titled "Shibuya Shinsen Wine Apartment Project" will start in May 2012. The 10-storey building will have 18 studio apartments ranging from 42 to 45 sqm (452 ~ 484 sqft). Apartments will be available for rent only, and will not be available for individual sale.Read more
3480 homes completely destroyed in Kanto area following Tohoku disaster
An investigation by the Tokyo Shimbun has found that as many as 3480 homes in the Kanto area were completely destroyed in the Tohoku disaster. A further 2815 homes were partially destroyed and will need to be demolished. In some areas, the number of partially destroyed homes equalled the number that were completely destroyed.
Homeowners may be eligible to receive a maximum of 3 million Yen as compensation, but high construction costs mean that very few homes are being rebuilt. It has been almost 11 months since the disaster and the full extent of the damage is only now coming to the surface.Read more