Prices of apartments on secondary market continue to fall

According to real estate information and consulting agency, Tokyo Kantei, the average price for an apartment on the secondary market in the greater Tokyo area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba and Saitama) in June, 2011, was 29.75 million Yen (386,000 USD). This is a fall of 3.5% from a year earlier and a fall of 0.7% from the previous month.Read more


Tokyo Stock Exchange negotiates lower rent on headquarters

Heiwa Real Estate Co. announced on August 24th that their major tenant, the Tokyo Stock Exchange (TSE), had negotiated for a lower rent of 4.412 billion Yen (57.3 million USD) per year for the TSE headquarters in Tokyo's Nihonbashi area. This is a discount of 8.3% on the previous rent. The current contract is for two years, after which time the rent will be adjusted according to economic conditions.Read more


Bank of China to offer home loans to Chinese residents in Japan

Mitsui Real Estate Sales announced on August 24th that they have tied up with the Bank of China (BOC) to provide mortgages for Japanese properties to Chinese residents in Japan.

The new loan product was introduced by the BOC in June, 2011, and is aimed at Chinese who currently reside in Japan but do not have Japanese citizenship. Domestic Japanese banks can also provide financing but they have much stricter terms and conditions. The BOC aims to lower the hurdles to borrowing.Read more


[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