1000 room hotel for Osaka’s Umeda district
On August 7, Hankyu Hanshin Holdings announced plans to open a 1,000 room hotel in Yodobashi Umeda Tower - a 35-storey redevelopment adjacent to the Yodobashi electronics store in Umeda, Osaka. The first 8 floors of the building will be retail, with the hotel located on floors 9 and above. The hotel is scheduled to open in 2020 as Hotel Hankyu RESPIRE Osaka, with the lower-floor retail to open in late 2019. This will be the largest hotel based on room count in Osaka City.Read more
40-storey tower for Shinjuku's Kabukicho
A 225-meter tall, 40-storey tower is planned for the site of the former Shinjuku Tokyu Milano movie theatre in Kabukicho. Construction is expected to start in July 2019 with completion tentatively scheduled for 2022.Read more
Daikanyama retail to be replaced with residential building
La fuente Daikanyama, a low-rise retail complex in the heard of the Daikanyama district, will soon be demolished to make way for an apartment building. The retail mall will close in July 2018.Read more
Japan land prices increase in 91% of locations - highest share in history
According to the quarterly LOOK report issued by the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT) in the first quarter of 2018, land prices have increased in 91% of the surveyed locations. This is the first time the percentage has exceeded 90% in the history of reporting.
The main factors behind the rising land prices include positive conditions for the office market in central Tokyo, Osaka and Nagoya, major redevelopment projects, surging tourism numbers and expenditure, and strong demand for apartments that are close to transport. These factors are also encouraging investment into the office, retail, hotel and residential sector.Read more
Ginza office floor sale sees price more than double within a year
Shioi Kosan, the private asset management company for fast-food bento maker Hotto Motto, has paid 25 billion Yen (approx. 230 million USD) to acquire the 8th floor of the Ginza Six retail and commercial building in Tokyo’s Ginza district. The sale price is more than double the price that the floor sold for 7 months prior.Read more
Kasumigaseki Building turns 50 this month
Kasumigaseki Building, Japan’s first skyscraper, turned 50 on April 12. To celebrate the half-century anniversary, the exterior of the building has been lit up with an art display that runs in the evenings until the end of May. A beer garden has also been set up outside the entrance for the duration of the event.
Built in 1968 and with a height of 147 meters, this was the first building in the country to be over 100 meters tall. Nowadays it is flanked by a taller neighbor - the twin tower Central Government Building No. 7 - which was completed in 2007 and is 156m and 176m tall.Read more
Two floors in ARK Hills sell for 3 billion Yen
Two floors in ARK Mori Building - the office tower in the ARK Hills complex located in central Tokyo - have been acquired by Heiwa Real Estate REIT. Heiwa paid 3.085 billion Yen (approx. 29 million USD) for the trust beneficiary rights to the 30th and 31st floors from an unnamed seller.Read more