Kanazawa City finds success matching machiya with new residents
On August 9th, Kanazawa City announced a record number of contracts between Kanazawa-style machiya townhouse owners and buyers and tenants in 2017. A total of 12 contracts were signed in 2017.
The program is run by the city through their Kanazawa Machiya Information Center, which connects owners and agents with people looking to utilize the historic homes. The city’s service, which started operations in 2011, typically finds anywhere from 1 ~ 7 matches per year, but the opening of the Center in late 2016 has made it easier for interested owners and users to connect. The system operates similarly to many of the vacant home banks operated by local municipalities across the country. With the cooperation of the Ichikawa Prefecture Society of Architects and Engineers, machiya-style homes are registered online, with transaction support provided by the Ishikawa Takken Association.
City struggling to protect crumbling historic home
A 99-year old historic residence in Hyogo Prefecture is close to collapse, leaving city officials struggling to find a way to protect it against the wishes of its owner.
The Ando Residence was built in 1919 near Okubo Station in Akashi City. The exterior walls of the home are built from stone, while the mansard roof has emerald-green glazed Spanish tiles. It was designed by architect Yutaro Kagoya (1876-1936). Kagoya specialized in repairing old shrines and temples before establishing his own architectural firm that designed homes. Some of his works included the Sarue Dojunkai Apartments (c1927) in Koto Ward, Tokyo (demolished in 1992), the Takushoku University main building (c1932) in Tokyo, and the Higashi Honganji temple in Asakusa (c1939).Read more
Suginami to spend up to 1 billion Yen restoring historic home
Suginami Ward in Tokyo is budgeting up to 1 billion Yen for the restoration of the 91-year old Tekigaiso Villa. The traditional Japanese home was once the private residence of former Prime Minister Prince Fumimaro Konoe. The property, which includes 6,000 sqm of land and gardens, was acquired by Suginami in February 2014 for 3.1 billion Yen (approx. 30 million USD at the time).Read more
Sale falls through for 91-yr old former bank building in Kyushu
The sale of a city-owned historic building in Kurume, Kyushu, fell through recently, with the city now considering future options for sale. The building was built in 1927 as the Kurume Branch for the 77 Bank (now the Bank of Fukuoka). In 1968 it was sold to Kurume City and had been used as a public library annex and archives up until 2010. The exterior and interior remains largely unchanged from its original condition.Read more
Toshiba sells historic residence in Shinagawa
Furniture company Nitori Holdings has acquired a historic residence in Tokyo from Toshiba. The home, which was used by Toshiba as a reception hall for guests, sits on a sprawling 6,400 sqm of grounds in the Nishi-oi address in Shinagawa.
The traditional Japanese house was built in 1941 for Keitaro Miho, the president of Japanese record label Nippon Columbia. It was transferred to Toshiba in 1953. The site was originally part of a larger castle-like estate, with some parts of the original foundation walls said to be remaining within Toshiba’s grounds.Read more
Historic waterfront properties in Miura at risk of demolition
UPDATE: The building has since been demolished.
The University of Tokyo may be planning to demolish its Misaki Marine Biological Station Laboratory building in Kanagawa Prefecture. The 2-story, 1,000 sqm (10,760 sq.ft) building was built in 1936 and sits on a waterfront location overlooking Shoiso, Aburatsubo and Sagami Bays in Miura. The demolition is likely to also include the 400 sqm Exhibit of Aquatic Species building that was built in 1932. This was one of the Kanto region’s first full-scale aquariums and once drew over 100,000 visitors per year, turning the Aburatsubo area into a sight-seeing destination. Read more
City to purchase Lafcadio Hearn’s residence for 175 million Yen
Matsue City in Shimane Prefecture plans to acquire the former residence of writer Lafcadio Hearn for 175 million Yen (approx. 1.6 million USD). The seller is a private individual. The traditional, single-storey Japanese residence has a total floor area of 244 sqm (2,645 sq.ft) and sits on a 1,030 sqm (11,083 sq.ft) block of land located directly across the street from Matsue Castle. Read more