Chinese Embassy buys land in Minamiazabu

August 16, 2011Tokyo land,Minamiazabu landLand,Real Estate News

The Chinese Government has purchased a 5677 sqm block of land in Minamiazabu. The Japanese Foreign Minister, Takeaki Matsumoto, said there is no reason for the Government to oppose the purchase.

The land was put up for sale by open tender by the Federation of National Public Service Personnel Mutual Aid Associations (KKR). It is thought that China paid 6 billion Yen (78 million USD) for the site.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Designer house in Oyamacho, Shibuya-ku

August 14, 2011Tokyo houses for sale,Hiroo NanjoHome Design

Price: No longer on the market

Designed by architect Hiroo Nanjo of atelier NANJO. The architect spent 20 years working in Brazil with other architects include Oscar Niemeyer. The Oyamacho House was his first project after returning to Japan in the 1980s. The house was built by one of Japan's major construction companies, Tokyu Corporation.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Kawaguchi Apartments (1964)

August 14, 2011Tokyo Apartments,Bunkyo-ku apartmentsRental Market,Vintage Properties

Size range: 36.80 ~ 146.85 sqm

This apartment building was built in 1964 by Japanese novelist, playwright and movie producer, Matsutaro Kawaguchi, and one of his quotes is displayed in the building lobby. It was considered one of the most luxurious apartment buildings in Japan for its time and was featured in GQ Japan magazine in 2001 in an article on desirable places to live. In its early years, the residents included many prominent people from the theater and literary world. It is located in the Kasuga 2 Chome area in Bunkyo-ku which was originally a very high-class residential neighborhood.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Living in a love hotel

August 12, 2011Tokyo Apartments,tokyo apartments for rent,Sumida-kuRental Market

Rent: 58,000 ~ 81,000 Yen/month

Tokyo-based property company, Landmarks Co., Ltd, have redeveloped a former love hotel in Sumida-ku into a rental apartment building. The studio apartments now have mini kitchens, bathrooms and, with the help of several designers, are finished in various modern and eclectic styles. The rooftop terrace was converted into a BBQ deck for residents (a rare thing to have in Tokyo apartments). The apartments have high-speed internet access, air-conditioning and there is also a washer/dryer room.Read more

by Zoe Ward

July Market Data

August 12, 2011Tokyo Apartments,Tokyo Office,Osaka apartmentsNew Construction,Office/Retail News & Information,Market Information

  • Average new apartment price down 3.7% in Tokyo
  • No. of high-rise apartments fall 69.5%
  • Office vacancy rates down in both Tokyo and Osaka

NEW APARTMENT SUPPLY DOWN:

Brand new apartments listed for sale in the Tokyo area in July fell 1.3% compared to a year earlier to 4073 units. This is the second month of decline. This is due in part to apartment showrooms opening for shorter hours to conserve power, less activity by developers and a general constraint in supply as material shortages and restrained buying cause developers to delay sales activity.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tokyo's population growth areas

August 11, 2011Market Information

While the overall population of Japan is declining with rural areas suffering the most, the population in urban areas is growing as people move to larger cities to find work. In Tokyo City, the population increased in 2011 by 52,549 people to a total of 12,662,461 residents. While Tokyo's population is continuing to grow, the rate of growth is, however, slowing. For potential investors in Japanese property, obviously it is important to stick to areas that are growing and avoid the areas in decline.

Tokyo's Koto-ku and Minato-ku saw the largest increase in population over the past year, while other areas in Tokyo such as Kita-ku and Nakano-ku saw a net decrease in population.Read more

by Zoe Ward

100 billion Yen redevelopment project for Toyosu area

August 11, 2011Reclaimed land,Tokyo Bay,Toyosu,Koto-kuNew Construction,Office/Retail News & Information

Mitsui Fudosan will be embarking on a large-scale redevelopment of Koto-ku's Toyosu area from next year. The 100 billion Yen (1.3 billion USD) project on one of Tokyo Bay's reclaimed islands will cover a 47,400 sqm site. The project will include two high-rise office buildings (31 and 22 stories) as well as retail facilities. Due to the nature of the site, measures will be taken to strengthen the ground against liquefaction and the building will be built using "seishin" (vibration-control) construction. Completion is scheduled for 2016 and Mitsui Fudosan will be contributing 90 billion Yen in capital.Read more

by Zoe Ward