Shuwa Residence Series of Vintage Apartments

The Shuwa Residence Series of condominium apartments first appeared on the scene in the mid 1960s. They were developed by Shuwa Corporation, who went bankrupt in the early 2000's. Numerous in number, they can be seen all over Tokyo and are easily recognizable by their white stucco and often blue tiled roof.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Traditional Kominka put up for auction

A 90 year old traditional Japanese gassho-zukuri house was listed on an internet auction site with a starting price of 10 million Yen. However, the house failed to attract any bidders and the real estate agent said they may try listing it again in the near future.Read more

by Zoe Ward

The shift to share-housing

The rule of Japanese only buying new has changed.

Atsushi Miura, head of the Culture Studies Research Institute, is also author of best selling book "Karyu-shakai" (lower classes). His latest work covers the concept of sharing, such as car sharing or job sharing, and explains a new type of expenditure and economy under a 'share' system. He also mentions that the younger generation's decision process when purchasing a house or other consumer item is changing.Read more

by Zoe Ward

Average apartment rent falls by as much as 1.6% in June

Tokyo Kantei released the results of their survey on rent movements for condominium apartments for the month of June, 2011.

Tokyo City:
Average Rent: 2960 Yen/sqm/month - down 0.5% from MayRead more

by Zoe Ward

Yokohama Prince Hotel site redevelopment work commences

Clearing work has started on the site of the former Yokohama Prince Hotel in Isogo ku, Yokohama. The 11 hectare site will have a 1200 unit condominium, commercial facilities as well as a child-care center.

The site is located on the top of a hill and development will include elevator access as well as a tunnel. The five developers working on the project are Tokyo Tatemono, Orix Real Estate, Tokyu Corporation, Itochu Toshi Kaihatsu and Nippon Tochi-Tatemono.Read more

by Zoe Ward

High-rise Refugees

Tokyo's bayside area, which has seen a boom in high-rise condominiums or "tower mansions" in recent years, is now considered a rather risky area to live since the March 11 earthquake. The earthquake caused land liquefaction and many elevators to stop working, resulting in a newly coined term for residents living on high floors - "high-rise refugees".

"There was a lot of swaying. It felt like an amusement park ride" remarked a resident who lives in a 54-storey condominium in Koto-ku's Shinonome area. "I still cannot forget the sounds made by the steel-frame of the building."Read more

by Zoe Ward

Market prices for apartments along the Hibiya Subway Line in Tokyo

The following data was published by Tokyo Kantei in July, 2011, and is based on the asking prices for apartments for sale on the secondary market along the Tokyo Metro Hibiya Line. The most recent data for 2011 is based on listing prices from March to May.

The apartment price in the table below is the price in Yen per square meter. The number in brackets is the average apartment age in years.Read more

by Zoe Ward