Toranomon Hills officially open from today
Mori Building’s latest high-rise - Toranomon Hills - is officially open today. At 247m tall, the 52-storey building is Tokyo’s second highest mixed-use building after Tokyo Midtown. An opening ceremony was yesterday, with Prime Minister Shinzo Abe giving a speech.
The building contains office space on floor 6 to 35, apartments on floors 37 to 46 and the Andaz Hotel on floors 47 to 52. Of the 172 apartments, 70 were offered for sale (most have already sold) with the remaining apartments offered for rent.
Monthly rents range from 550,000 Yen (5,400 USD) for a 1-bedroom up to 2.92 million Yen (28,500 USD).Read more
Hotel Okura Tokyo to be redeveloped
Yesterday it was announced that the Hotel Okura Tokyo in Toranomon, Minato-ku, will be redeveloped. The new hotel is expected to be completed in time for the 2020 Summer Olympics.
The current 408-room hotel was completed in 1962 - two years before Tokyo hosted the 1964 Summer Olympics. The annex building was completed in 1973. It has been a landmark hotel and has hosted numerous foreign dignitaries and VIPs, the most recent being US President Obama who stayed in the hotel during his visit to Tokyo in April.Read more
Foreign developers caught by zoning regulations in Niseko
Development in parts of Niseko's ski fields is being stalled due to inconsistencies between national and prefectural government building approvals.
In recent years, a number of hotels in Niseko have been purchased by foreign funds, closed down and in many cases demolished. The foreign developers acquired the hotels with the aim of building condominium-type hotels and resort apartments which would then be sold to wealthy foreigners.
However, a number of these sites have been sitting vacant without any signs of construction.
Why the hold up?Read more
Large-scale resort/apartment complex planned for Yokosuka
After sitting idle for almost 25 years, a large-scale resort/apartment complex may finally be built at the eastern side of the City Marina Velasis in Yokosuka. The 8 hectare site was once the Sumitomo Heavy Industries Kawama Factory and ship building yards.
In 1989, Sumitomo's SHI Resort Development planned to build a 700-unit resort condominium complex, but the collapse of the property bubble put their plans on indefinite hold. Sumitomo later sold the land and yacht harbour to Unimat. In 1993, approval was granted to built the Velasis Uraga apartment blocks which were completed in 2001. There were also plans to develop the eastern side, but construction stalled over 10 years ago and the land has remained vacant.Read more
Kyoto Kokusai Hotel to be sold
Fujita Kanko Inc announced that they will close the Kyoto Kokusai Hotel at the end of 2014 and sell the building and land. The hotel, which opened in 1961, overlooks the Nijo Castle in the centre of Kyoto. Read more
Yaesu Fujiya Hotel to be redeveloped
The Yaesu Fujiya Hotel by Tokyo Station will close at the end of March 2014 as the Kokusai Kogyo Group plan to sell the building and land to Sumitomo Realty & Development in April.
Sumitomo are expected to demolish the hotel and redevelop the site into an office building.
Hotels worried about new earthquake-retrofitting obligations
From November, large-scale buildings such as hotels built before 1981 will be obligated to ensure that their buildings meet current earthquake-resistant codes.
Building inspections must be carried out before the end of 2015, after which the results will be made public. This has left some hotels worried that guests will avoid places that receive a low score. However, the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) says that this information is necessary for hotel guests.Read more