Shirokane road widening plan to start this year
Bad news for this stretch of historic shophouses alongside Kitasato Street in Shirokane. On July 25, the Tokyo Metropolitan Government announced that a road widening plan will start sometime this year that will see the road widened from its current 11 meters to 20 meters. Doing so will probably require some buildings to be partially or entirely demolished.
Historic home in Kagoshima to be demolished
A historic and heritage-listed home in Kagoshima City will be demolished by the end of this year after a six-year attempt to save it.
Less than 3% of Kyoto's machiya avoid demolition
A recent attempt by Kyoto City to save its historic machiya townhouses has only resulted in 5 out of 170 properties avoiding demolition. Back in 2016, a survey found that as many as 800 traditional machiya townhouses in Kyoto were being demolished each year. With an estimated 40,000 machiya in the city, they could vanish within the next 50 years, leaving no trace of the city’s merchant past.
Apartments planned for Azabu-Nagasakacho
An 8-story block of apartments is planned in the wealthy and exclusive Azabu-Nagasakacho enclave in central Tokyo.
National Theatre of Japan to be demolished next year
On June 17 the Japan Arts Council announced that the National Theatre of Japan will officially close its doors at the end of October 2023 with the modernist building to be demolished and redeveloped.
Shibuya Marui department store to be rebuilt with wood
On May 27, Marui Group announced that the Shibuya Marui department store will temporarily close its doors on August 28 while the 51-year old building undergoes redevelopment.
Osaka Marubiru to be demolished
The circular Osaka Marubiru office tower in Umeda will be redeveloped, with construction set to start next year.