Kyoto’s former red-light district now a hotspot for investors

Gojo-rakuen, a former red-light district between Gojo and Kiyomizu-Gojo Stations and along the western side of Kamo River, is now a hotspot for fast-moving investors. The neighborhood is undergoing rapid gentrification into a trendy tourist district, while land values are seeing strong growth.

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Novelist's house in Kyoto to be demolished

The former Kyoto residence of novelist Naoya Shiga (1883-1971) is in its final preparations for demolition and sale. The 100+ year old home is 1.5 kilometers south of Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion).

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Kyoto hotel guests reach record high in 2018

US-based Travel + Leisure magazine has ranked Kyoto as one of the top 10 World’s Best Cities for the past seven years, so it is no wonder that in 2018 the number of hotel guests in Kyoto reached the highest number in history. The historic city welcomed 15.82 million hotel guests, up 1.6% from 2017 and the second year in a row to exceed 15 million. 

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Moxy Hotel to open near Nijo Castle

Marriott International is planning a Moxy Hotel for the Nijo Castle area in Kyoto City. Construction began in July, with the opening scheduled for 2021. This will be the third Moxy hotel in Japan and the first in Kyoto. 

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Shangri-La buys land next to Nijo Castle

Good news coming out of Kyoto last week with word that Shangri-La Group has acquired a large development site on the northern side of Nijo Castle in Kyoto. The 4,700 sqm site is about 90 meters west of our restored machiya townhouse.

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Two new luxury boathouse rentals surface in Ine, Kyoto

Two more traditional boathouses in Ine, Kyoto, have been refurbished into luxury overnight accommodation.

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Rosenka land values increase for 4th year in a row

Kyoto's Minami-za Kabuki Theatre

The rosenka land values for 2019 were announced by the National Tax Agency on July 1. Nationwide, land values increased by 1.3%. This is the fourth year in a row to record a year-on-year increase. The rate of growth has also expanded, following 0.7% in 2018, 0.4% in 2017 and 0.2% in 2016. This is the first time to see four years of consecutive growth since 1992.

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