Aussie tourists turn their back on Niseko
Australians have been a long staple of Niseko’s winter crowd. But, recent tourist numbers show a shifting trend as Aussies shun the slopes of Niseko for the ski fields in Honshu.
In 2018, foreign tourists spent a total of 465,000 nights in Niseko. Visitors from Hong Kong, Singapore and other countries in Asia are up, while visitor numbers from Australia are down by much as 20% since 2015.
Musashino in talks to buy modernist residence
Musashino City is currently in discussions to acquire a modernist home designed by a renowned Czech architect.
Public housing block to receive heritage listing
Three public housing blocks in Tokyo’s Kita ward have been registered as tangible cultural properties by Japan’s Council for Cultural Affairs. The historic building registration was formalized in December 2019. These are the first public housing blocks in the country to receive a national heritage listing.
32-story office tower for Akasaka
The former Kokusai Akasaka Building will be replaced with a 32-story office tower. The new building will have a floor area of 73,000 sqm (approx. 785,000 sq.ft).
Apartment rents in greater Tokyo climb 4.5% in 2019
The average monthly rent for a condominium-type apartment across greater Tokyo in 2019 was 2,886 Yen/sqm, up 4.5% from 2018. This was primarily due to an increase in rents within the Tokyo metropolitan area, while Yokohama City saw rents fall.
Remaining apartment inventory in Tokyo drops for first time in 27 months
According to REINS, a total of 2,810 second-hand apartments were reported to have sold across greater Tokyo in December, down 11.5% from the previous month and down 5.9% from December 2018. New listings dropped for the 4th month in a row, with a 7.4% drop from the previous year.
Hiroshima to demolish historic warehouses
Hiroshima Prefecture plans to demolish two of four historic warehouses in Hiroshima City. The 100+-year-old buildings survived the 1945 atomic bombing and are of significant importance to the city’s history.