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.
Mampei Hotel to undergo 18-month refurbishment
The historic Mampei Hotel in Karuizawa will temporarily close from January 2023 to undergo an 18-month restoration and refurbishment. It is scheduled to re-open in 2024 to mark its 130-year anniversary.
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.
Tenant sought for 95-year old historic home in Tokyo
Tokyo City is looking for a new tenant for the historic Ogasawara Residence in Shinjuku. The Spanish-style home was built in 1927 for Count Nagayoshi Ogasawara (1885-1935).
Brutalist house for sale in Kichijoji
A brutalist-style concrete house designed by Yoji Watanabe and built in 1966 is on the market for sale in Kichijoji. This one is very likely to be demolished if not purchased by a collector.
90+ year old home in Yokohama being restored
The new owner of a historic home in Yokohama is carrying out a full restoration. The Yamate 133 Ban-Kan residence was built sometime around 1930 and initially occupied by the Rising Sun Oil Corporation (a predecessor of Shell).