Saitama's "Johnson Town" resembles US suburb

 While Hokkaido has its own version of a Swedish village, Saitama has 'Johnson Town' a small neighbourhood of American-style homes built to house the US forces during the Korean War in the early 1950s. 

Although much of Johnson Town's atmosphere can be attributed to it's re-development in the 1950s, the history of this enclave dates back even further.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Grand Front Osaka Owner's Tower sold out

All 525 apartments in the just-competed Grand Front Osaka Owner's Tower have now sold, heralding what many believe to be the turning point for the residential market.

The most expensive apartment was a 415 million Yen 300sqm 3-bedroom penthouse. Read more

by Zoe Ward

End of mortgage moratorium means foreclosures set to rise

At the end of March 2013, the home loan moratorium expired, creating potential for a mortgage crisis in Japan. Households struggling to make repayments are beginning to panic as forecasts suggest interest rates are set to rise.

While banks are not likely to immediately foreclose on all late-payers, there is a chance we will see an increase in bank foreclosures on well-located properties in the later half of 2013 if land prices increase.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Tokyu Livable teams up with real estate brokerage in Singapore

Tokyu Livable is teaming up with Singapore real estate company OrangeTee to offer Japanese real estate to Singaporean buyers. Recently, demand from Asian investors for properties in Japan has been increasing and Tokyu Livable hope to act as intermediaries between Asian funds and wealthy investors.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Apartment bubble - Why new apartment prices are rising

Recent news reports have suggested that real estate prices in Japan are set to rise and that a property bubble is imminent. But how true are these reports?

The prices of brand new apartments in Japan's major capitals has certainly increased (up 3.0% over 12 months in greater Tokyo in March 2013). However, the main reason for the increase in price is not a property bubble, but an increase in construction costs.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Mori's latest apartments in Shibuya's Kamiyamacho neighbourhood

Luxury property developer Mori Building has completed construction of a stylish residential development in the exclusive Kamiyamacho neighbourhood in Shibuya.

Called 'Case' the six units were designed by Pritzer Prize-winning architectural firm SANAA (Sejima and Nishizawa and Associates).Read more

by Zoe Ward

New apartment supply to return to pre-Lehman levels in 2013

According to the Real Estate Economic Institute, the supply of new apartments offered for sale in greater Tokyo in March 2013 was 5,318 units - 48.4% higher than March 2012. Developers have been pushing forward their sales dates in order to capitalise on an expected last-minute rush before the first consumption tax increase hits consumers in 2014. 

The total supply of new apartments in 2013 is expected to exceed 50,000 units for the first time since 2007. In 2012, the supply was down 3.5% from the previous year to 46,754 apartments and the contract rate was 76.7%. The contract rate for March 2013 was 82.1%.Read more

by Zoe Ward