Sales of apartments in The Parkhouse Hiroo Hanezawa begin this month

Mitsubishi Jisho Residence will begin sales of apartments in The Parkhouse Hiroo Hanezawa.

Readers may remember that these apartments are being built on the site of the former Hanezawa Garden - home of Yoshikoto Nakamura (1867 - 1927). Mr. Nakamura was a former Mayor of Tokyo, Railroad Minister and second Chairman of the South Manchurian Railway Company. The original house (c1915) had been used as a wedding facility / reception hall since the 1950s.

Mitsubishi acquired the site in 2011 and demolished the house in early 2012, much to the dismay of neighbours.Read more


The last Dojunkai to be demolished in June

While the 84-year old Uenoshita Apartments in Tokyo's Taito-ku may have miraculously survived the Great Tokyo Air Raid in 1945, it is not immune from re-development as the wrecking ball is set to swing on the apartment building next month.Read more


Former Jonas Residence in Kobe facing possible demolition

The Jonas Residence in Shioya-cho, Tarumi-ku, Kobe, may soon be demolished and replaced with a 10-storey apartment building.

The 2-storey waterfront residence was built in 1919 for British trader Frederick/Frank Maurice Jonas. It was later sold to Mr. Sakunosuke Yamada, a lawyer for Kawasaki Heavy Industries.Read more


Villa in Suginami-ku saved from demolition

Plans are underway to convert the private residence of a former Prime Minister, Prince Fumimaro Konoe, into a public garden. The local Suginami City is looking into purchasing the 6,000 sqm grounds and converting them into a public garden with a planned opening in 2017.  

Named 'Tekigaiso', the house was built in a traditional Japanese style in 1927. The total floor area of the house is approximately 500 sqm (5,380 sqft). Prince Konoe purchased the property in 1937. In October 1941, he discussed war efforts in the house's drawing room with Hideki Tojo, general of the Imperial Japanese Army and Prime Minister from late 1941 to 1944. Konoe later committed suicide in his library in 1945, and Tojo was sentenced to death for Japanese war crimes in 1948.Read more


Former town hall in Gifu to be demolished

The former Kanohonmachi Town Hall in Gifu City will be demolished due to ageing and deterioration.

The two-storey reinforced-concrete building was completed in 1926 at an estimated cost of 60,000 Yen.  Read more


Former residence of Mitsubishi zaibatsu leader donated to Chiba

The former residence of Mitsubishi's third leader, Hisaya Iwasaki, in Tomisato City, Chiba, has been donated by Mitsubishi Jisho to the city. The city has plans to turn the villa and its surrounding land into a public park.Read more


Rent a house in a UNESCO World Heritage area for just 10,000 Yen/month

A 88-year old house in Gokayama has been listed for rent at just 10,000 Yen/month (127 USD) in a bid by Nanto City to entice families to the area.Read more