Foreign tourists are back and hotels are seeing record-high revenues
Despite the scorching summer temperatures, foreign tourists returned to Japan in droves in August and hotels are the first to benefit. The Nikkei Shimbun newspaper reported in early September that hotels in central Tokyo are seeing ADRs that are 30% higher than pre-pandemic levels, and the rate of increase has exceeded that of New York. The Palace Hotel Tokyo’s ADR has exceeded 100,000 Yen for the first time. Some city hotels in Osaka have seen their ADR increase by as much as 30% since the beginning of the year and over 100% from early 2022.
Developer acquires Gaetano Pesce-designed building in Osaka
A landmark office building in Osaka has been sold to Kintetsu Real Estate in June. Organic Building was designed by Gaetano Pesce and built in 1993. The facade is comprised of various red planter panels, with the 80 varieties of plants kept alive with a computer-controlled watering system. Read more
Imperial Hotel sells 35% of land for 62 billion Yen
On September 26, Imperial Hotel announced plans to sell a 35% share of the land under its tower building in its Tokyo property to Mitsui Fudosan for 62 billion Yen (approx. US$416 million). This purchase price works out to around 15 million Yen per square meter (US$9,300/sq.ft), which is approximately 93,600 times its book value.Read more
Rare ruling sees leaseholders responsible for paying land taxes
In a rare court ruling, some leaseholders in a city in Toyama Prefecture are now on the hook for paying land taxes.Read more
Japan's Standard Land Prices increase by 1.0% in 2023
Japan’s Standard Land Prices were announced on September 19, and as the pandemic winds down and dwellers and tourists return to central hubs, the major urban centers saw the steepest increase.
Nationwide, land prices across all uses increased by 1.0%, following a 0.3% increase in 2022. Regional areas saw the first increase across all uses for the first time in 31 years; however, this may have been driven by growth in cities such as Sapporo, Sendai, Hiroshima, and Fukuoka. Residential land outside of those cities continued to decline, while commercial land increased for the first time in 32 years.Read more
Historic Osaka office building demolished and sold to developer
A landmark heritage building alongside Dojima River in Osaka is under demolition by a local developer. Demolition started in April 2023 with completion expected by late October.Read more
Tokyo apartment rents up 11.9% y-o-y
After remaining relatively subdued throughout the pandemic, apartment rents in Tokyo’s 23 wards are on the rise, increasing by 8% since the start of the year.
The average monthly rent of a condominium apartment in the 23 wards was 4,266 Yen/sqm as of August, up 2.3% from the previous month and up 11.9% from last year. This has exceeded the previous record high set in July. Read more