Co-working spaces to open in two historic merchant houses
Kawagoe City in Saitama has converted two historic merchant houses into co-working spaces under a trial run. It is hoped that the recent telework trend might have the positive effect of utilizing long-empty buildings as well as preserving the traditional townscape.
1930s building in Shimbashi to be converted into share offices
An 88-year old heritage-listed building in Shimbashi is being converted by construction giant Takenaka Corporation into a share office for start-ups.
100+ year old home in Shibuya saved from demolition
The historic former home of Tamanosuke Kume (1861-1931, a politician and civil engineer, will be relocated to a city-center location in Kume’s hometown of Numata, Gunma Prefecture. Demolition was initially scheduled to start on September 1, but the home has been spared thanks to the efforts of local preservationists.
Historic villa in Hayama to open as holiday rental
A historic 1920s villa in Hayama has been restored and will open up as a short-term holiday rental next month.
Historic ryokan sells for ¥212 million
The city of Fuchu in Hiroshima Prefecture will be purchasing a historic ryokan for an estimated 212.5 million Yen (approx. US$2 million).
Historic ryokan in Gunma to be demolished this month
The Kazawa-kan Ryokan in Tsumagoi, Gunma, is scheduled to be demolished in the coming months. The traditional inn suffered serious damage due to a landslide caused by the Typhoon Hagibis in October 2019. Facing an astronomical repair bill and with the recent pandemic decimating the local tourism market, the 4th-generation owner made the difficult decision to cease operations.
91-yr old building in Jimbocho to be demolished
The 91-year old former Sogo Mutual Loan building in Tokyo’s Jimbocho neighborhood will be demolished in September. The 5-story concrete building with brick-tile facade was built in 1929. It has a total floor area of 453 sqm (4,874 sq.ft) and sits on a 106 sqm block of land.