Apartment rents in greater Tokyo climb 4.5% in 2019
The average monthly rent for a condominium-type apartment across greater Tokyo in 2019 was 2,886 Yen/sqm, up 4.5% from 2018. This was primarily due to an increase in rents within the Tokyo metropolitan area, while Yokohama City saw rents fall.
Central Tokyo apartment asking prices reach record high in September
Last month, the average asking price of a 70 sqm second-hand apartment in central Tokyo’s six wards (Chiyoda, Chuo, Minato, Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Bunkyo) exceeded the 80 million Yen mark. This is the highest level seen since real estate data provider Tokyo Kantei began keeping records in 2002.
First condo for Osaka’s Sakishima Island in 8 years
Sakishima, a man-made island in Osaka Bay, will soon get its first condominium in over 8 years.
Rosenka land values increase for 4th year in a row
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.
Residents in mountainous new-town growing increasingly cut-off
Back in February, Japan’s ABC TV ran a special program on problems facing one of the aging 'new towns' that were developed in far-flung, mountainous regions. These subdivisions were developed in the 1970s and 1980s, promoting an ideal lifestyle away from the hustle and grind of downtown Tokyo or Osaka. Decades later, the remaining residents are facing issues both with a declining and aging population, and a lack of access to basic amenities.
Kyoto hotels outperform Osaka in 2018
In 2018, the Kansai area was struck by an earthquake in June and typhoon Jebi in September. Although the effects of these two events had very little impact on Kyoto’s tourism industry, they did affect Osaka which saw a drop in visitor arrivals from other Asian countries. STR’s Global Hotel Study for 2018 reported a 7.7% drop in the room revenue index for Osaka, while Kyoto saw a milder 0.2% decrease.
Given that these two cities are only 13 minutes apart by bullet train, why did Kyoto perform better than neighboring Osaka?
Osaka to have luxury high-rise rental apartments in 2022
A high-rise apartment tower under construction in Osaka’s Umeda district is set to become the region’s largest high-end rental building. The 56-storey, 191m tall building will have 836 rental apartments. Completion is scheduled for early 2022.