[Foreclosed] Mita Tsunamachi Park Mansion 15F

Court Evaluation: 70,000,000 Yen

*Update: The winning bid was 80,300,000 Yen. A total of 4 bids were made on the apartment and the winning bidder was a private individual.

This 2-bedroom apartment in Mita Tsunamachi Park Mansion is up for public auction. The building was developed by Mitsui and was Japan's first high-rise apartment development. The 15th floor corner unit overlooks the greenery of the Mitsui Tsunamachi Club grounds and also has views of Tokyo Tower. Because of its views, it was valued at 5% higher than apartments facing other directions. Carparking and a storeroom is included.Read more


Aoyama The Tower Penthouse for Sale

Price: SOLD
Size: 140.83sqm (1515 sqft)

This 23rd floor 3-bedroom penthouse apartment is located in one of the top condominium apartment buildings in the Omotesando area. The apartment is south and west facing and has uninterrupted city views. The monthly management and repair fund fees for this unit are 54,305 Yen/month.Read more


Kobe's oldest foreign residence for rent

Rent: 1,260,000 Yen/month
Size: 192.71 sqm

Built in the late 1880s / early 1890s, this is said to be the oldest ijinkan in Kobe. Ijinkan is the name for the Western style residences built mostly for early foreign settlers during the end of the Shogunate and the Meiji era. Kobe is known for its collection of old Western residences and many in the Kitano area are open to the public as tourist attractions.Read more


The leaning tower of Sendai

Sunny Heights Takasago, a 14-storey, 189 unit apartment building in Sendai City, suffered serious damage during the March 11 Earthquake which left it tilting on an angle.

Following the earthquake, 400 residents evacuated their apartments and stayed in the 1st floor meeting area or at the nearby school hall. The pillars in Sunny Heights had developed cracks and the reinforcing steel was poking out of the concrete. From a distance it was easy to see how much the building was leaning.Read more


Hiroshima's Kyobashi Kaikan residence to be demolished

Kyobashi Kaikan was constructed by the Hiroshima Prefectural Housing Corporation during the restoration period following the nuclear bombing. The building is now 57 years old and due to aging and its dilapidated condition it will be torn down and replaced by a 21 story building. Demolition is scheduled to begin in September, 2011.Read more


Garden Grass Minamiazabu (formerly Masuda Homes)

Average price when sold by the developer: 1,400,000 Yen/sqm (All units sold out by July, 2011)
Size range: 143.94 ~ 189.09 sqm

Garden Grass Minamiazabu was originally called Masuda Homes and was a small block of rental apartments built for the expatriate market.  The 22-year old building was purchased by Atrium who completely renovated the building and then listed the individual apartments for sale. Since the bottom has fallen out of the expat rental market and vacancy rate for the luxury property market increase, these type of whole building renovation and sales are becoming more frequent as the rental apartments are longer providing profitable returns to the owners.Read more


Will people still buy high-rise apartments?

This is a translation of an article that appeared in Japanese tabloid Nikkan Cyzo, so take it for what it is.

The March 11 Tohoku Disaster changed the mindset of many Japanese. The real estate market was no exception, with many a shift in the mentality of buyers.Read more