Jingu Stadium may sell air rights to pay for redevelopment

The Japan Sport Council and Meiji Shrine are reported to be considering the sale of the air rights above the Meiji Jingu Stadium and Prince Chichibu Memorial Rugby Stadium in central Tokyo to help cover the stadiums’ redevelopment costs.  Both stadiums are located near the Olympic Stadium.Read more


40-storey apartment tower planned for Shirokane

The Shirokane 1 Chome West Central District Redevelopment Committee announced plans for two 40-storey high-rise apartment buildings. The development site is located on the western side of Shirokane Aer City, which includes the 43-storey, 134m tall Shirokane Tower apartment building.

The redevelopment will include a 140m tall, 40-storey residential building with 900 apartments and a 20m tall factory building. A town planning decision is expected later this year. Construction could start in 2021 with completion by 2025. The total project cost is estimated at 70 billion Yen (approx. 640 million USD).Read more


Price of investment-grade studio apartments reaches record high in 2017

According to Kenbiya, a multi-listing site that specializes in investment properties across Japan, the average asking price of a studio apartment in Tokyo and Osaka in 2017 reached the highest level since record-keeping began in 2006.

The average asking price of a studio apartment in Tokyo’s 23 wards in 2017 was 19,610,000 Yen, up 9% from 2016 and exceeding a previous peak of 18,280,000 Yen recorded in 2015. In Osaka City, the average asking price was 13,810,000 Yen, up 20% from 2016.Read more


Japan’s first Hilton Curio Collection hotel to open in Karuizawa

Tokyu Land Corporation has entered into a franchise agreement with Hilton Hotels & Resorts to open Japan’s first Curio Collection by Hilton hotel in Karuizawa.

KYUKARUIZAWA KIKYO, Curio Collection by Hilton is the rebrand of the former Kyu-Karuizawa Hotel that was acquired by Tokyu in March 2017. It is scheduled to re-open in spring of 2018. The 39-year old hotel sits on a 5,800 sqm site located 1.2km north of Karuizawa Station. Almost 90% of the 50 rooms are over 40 sqm (430 sq ft) in size.Read more


Rent in Tokyo jumps 4.2% thanks to supply of new construction

According to Tokyo Kantei, the average monthly rent of a condominium in Tokyo’s 23 wards was 3,474 Yen/sqm in December 2017, up 4.2% from the previous month and up 3.6% from 2016. The increase was caused by a larger share of relatively new buildings which typically command higher rents, along with the release of a large number of brand new high-rise apartment towers in Shinjuku and Shinagawa.Read more


Foreign funds spend 1.1 trillion Yen on Japanese real estate in 2017

In 2017, foreign corporations and funds spent a total of 1.1 trillion Yen (approx. 9.7 billion USD) on real estate acquisitions across Japan, a three-fold increase from 2016 and the first time that the annual volume has exceeded one trillion Yen.Read more


Tokyo apartment sale prices increase for 63rd month

According to REINS 3,011 second-hand apartments were sold across Greater Tokyo in December 2017, up 3.7% from the previous month and up 0.6% from the previous year. The average sale price was 33,200,000 Yen, up 3.7% from the previous month and up 6.3% from 2016. The average price per square meter was 519,400 Yen, up 3.5% from the previous month and up 4.3% from 2016. This is the 60th month in a row to see a year-on-year increase in sale prices. The average building age was 20.85 years.Read more