2.2 Traditional machiya houses in Kyoto are demolished each day
Kyoto City is losing its traditional machiya townhouses at an alarming rate, with an average of 2.2 of these symbolic houses demolished each day.
On May 1, Kyoto City announced that approximately 5,600 machiya have been demolished over the past seven years. In 2016, a survey found that there were 40,146 surviving machiya in the city.
Of the surviving machiya, 14.5% are vacant and not occupied by owners or tenants, an increase of 4 points from the previous city survey in 2009. Kyoto City’s vacancy rate across all types of housing was 14% in a 2013 survey.Read more
91-yr old condo-conversion in Tokyo blends old with new
Nestled down in a quiet and hidden location in Tokyo’s Hongo neighbourhood is a 91-year old building that was converted into condominium-type apartments several years ago, making it the oldest apartment conversion project in Japan.
The Kyudo Gakusha was built in 1926 as a student dormitory. It was designed by architect Goichi Takeda (1872-1938) and originally had 30 rooms, each about 10 sqm in size, as well as a common area with dining hall and library. The 3-storey building is one of Japan’s earliest reinforced concrete buildings.
The building fell into disrepair in the 1990s, with roof leaks causing serious damage to the 2nd and 3rd floors and rendering them unlivable. In the early 2000s, the owner had considered demolishing the historic building and replacing it with a block of studio apartments.Read more
Historic restaurant in Nagasaki looking for buyer
The owner and operator of the 150-year old Fukiro Restaurant in Nagasaki City will be temporarily closing the restaurant later in the year while they search for a buyer of the historic property.
The owner, who is the 6th generation of the founder, made the difficult decision due to a shortage of staff and not having a successor. Annual revenues have also fallen to about 10% of what they were during the bubble years. The large building and traditional Japanese gardens are costly to maintain, which is putting a further strain on operations.Read more
First heritage de-listing for Kyoto City as 90-yr old bookstore is about to be demolished
Demolition of the 90-year old Heirakuji Bookstore in downtown Kyoto will begin this month as the owner can no longer afford to maintain the aging building.
The building was registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property in 1998. The heritage listing will be removed due to the demolition of the structure. This is the first time a national heritage listing has been removed from a property in Kyoto City and the second time for Kyoto Prefecture.Read more
80-yr old Osaka department store to be converted to luxury serviced apartments
The East Annex Building of the Takashimaya Department Store in Osaka’s Nipponbashi district may soon be refurbished and converted into high-end serviced apartments catering to foreign visitors.
Takashimaya is expected to enter into an agreement with major Singapore developer CapitaLand later this year.
The 7-story Renaissance-style building has a total floor area of 40,000 square meters (430,000 sq ft). It was was originally the Matsuzakaya Osaka Department Store and was built over two stages between 1934 and 1937. In 1966 it was sold to Takashimaya and has since been used as their office and archives.Read more
Historic Yugawara Fujiya Ryokan sold to fund, to reopen in 2018
The historic Fujiya Ryokan in Yugawara, Kanagawa, has been sold to a fund and will re-open in 2018.
The sukiya-style building was built during the Meiji period (1868-1912), while the gardens date from the previous Edo period. The ryokan was a famed high-end onsen until its closure in 2002. Since then, the building has sit empty and unused.Read more
Mori Trust to develop luxury hotel near Nara Park
Mori Trust has won the bid to develop a hotel on the edge of Nara’s Yoshikien Garden and Nara Park.
Mori is planning to have architect Kengo Kuma design the buildings, and will be seeking out an international luxury hotel brand to operate the hotel. Read more