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
Brick warehouse in Gunma at risk of demolition
A 90 year old red-brick warehouse built during the Taisho period in Ora Town, Gunma, is at risk of being demolished in the near future.
The building was once used in the production of "nakanogasuri" - a style of cloth-weaving dyed with wooden patterns, and is now owned by the JA Oura Tatebayashi Agricultural Cooperative (JA). The warehouse suffered structural damage during the Tohoku earthquake and the owner has expressed intent to demolish the structure.Read more
Hotel Suigo in Ibaraki to be demolished due to earthquake damage
The Suigo hotel in Tsuchiura City, Ibaraki, will be demolished after it sustained damage in the March 11 Tohoku earthquake. Suigo is a local government operated hotel which offers low-cost accommodation. These type of lodgings are called "kokumin shukusha".Read more
Motoazabu Grand Mansion to be demolished in February
Taisei Corporation announced that they will begin the demolition of expat apartment "Motoazabu Grand Mansion" in February. The demolition work is scheduled to be completed by the end of November.Read more
Modernist House in Kobe demolished
The former Matsuhashi Ryuzo Residence is a 2-storey home in Ashiya City that was built in 1935 for a businessman from Tennoji in Osaka. It was one of the few remaining examples of modernist architecture in the Hanshin area. It was designed by architect, Kikuji Ishimoto, who also designed the Shirokiya Department Store in Nihonbashi.Read more
Former village office in Yamagata to be demolished
The former Kogane Village Office in Tsuruoka City, Yamagata Prefecture, is going to be demolished as the historical property has become too difficult to maintain. Tsuruoka City owns the property and does not have the financial ability to preserve and maintain the building.Read more
Bankrupt Matsubishi Dept Store to be demolished
Demolition preparation work has started on the Matsubishi Department Store in Hamamatsu City, Shizuoka Prefecture. The building is expected to be completely demolished by the end of July, 2012.
The total cost is expected to reach 500 ~ 600 million Yen and will be shared amongst the landholders, which include Asahi Corporation.
The main building of the Matsubishi Department Store was completed in 1936. It suffered damage but miraculously survived the bombing of Hamamatsu in WWII which destroyed 60 percent of the city. Later, in 1956, the store was home to the first escalator in Shizuoka Prefecture.Read more