15th century home in Kyoto demolished
A traditional townhouse dating back to the 1400s in Kyoto was demolished at the end of August. The Kawai Residence, located alongside the Tenjin River in Nakagyo Ward, was the oldest surviving townhouse in the city.
Shinagawa's historic Hara Museum to close in 2020
The Hara Museum of Contemporary Art in Shinagawa, Tokyo is scheduled to close its doors at the end of 2020. The 80-year old Bauhaus-style building poses too many maintenance and repair issues to continue to remain open to the public.
Historic home in Bunkyo-ku to be demolished next month
An 81-year old house in Tokyo’s Bunkyo ward will be demolished next month. A farewell open-house event was held on November 16 and 17 by a Bunkyo historical preservation society, with over 280 visitors lining up to visit the home for the last time.
FrancFranc to open store in historic townhouse in Gion, Kyoto
Home goods store FrancFranc will open their Masterrecipe branded flagship store in a traditional townhouse in Kyoto’s Gion district today.
Historic brick warehouse in Nagasaki under demolition
Nagasaki City is pushing ahead with the demolition of a historic brick warehouse in Matsugaemachi. According to city archives, the Lake & Co. Warehouse was built sometime in the mid-Meiji period (1868-1912) by merchant brothers George and Edward Lake to store goods for their general store.
140-yr old house to be relocated to Tokyo
The 140+ year old former home of Viscount Shibusawa Eiichi in Aomori Prefecture is begin relocated back to Tokyo. Shibusawa Eiichi (1840-1931) was considered the father of Japanese capitalism and founded or supported over five hundred companies over his lifetime, including The First National Bank (now Mizuho Bank).Read more
91-yr old Spanish-style villa converted to innovation hub in Tokyo
Takenaka Corporation, Tokyu Corporation and TOHO-LEO Co., have jointly restored a 91-year old historic residence in Tokyo’s Chiyoda ward and converted it into a business innovation hub.
The current owner, a descendent of the original owner, keen to find a way to preserve the home, entered into a master lease agreement with the three companies. The members-only innovation hub, called ‘kudan house’, officially opens in September.Read more