140m tall apartment tower planned for Shirokane
Tokyu Land Corporation has been chosen to lead the Shirokane 1 Chome North-Central Redevelopment Project. This will see a 140-meter tall, 900-unit apartment tower built on the western side of Shirokane AER City.
Awaji’s abandoned Kannon statue awaits uncertain fate
A 100-meter tall Kannon statue on Awaji Island has become a curse rather than a blessing as the city struggles to find a solution to the rapidly deteriorating building. The crumbling structure is too costly to maintain, too costly to demolish, and too costly to sell. Local residents are also feeling increasingly concerned about their towering neighbor.
Tokyo Apartment Sales in October 2019
The following is a selection of apartments that were reported to have sold in central Tokyo during the month of October 2019:
Jiro Osaragi’s former residence in Kamakura on the market
On October 9, the Kanagawa Shimbun newspaper reported that the former residence of author Jiro Osaragi (1897-1973) in Kamakura is for sale. The 100-year old traditional thatched roof house is designated by the city as an important scenic structure. The owners are hoping to find a buyer that will continue to preserve the culturally significant and historic home.
Added flights to limit building heights in Tokyo
Building height limits could soon be introduced across a large swathe of Tokyo as part of the new flight routes in and out of Haneda Airport.
Japan has 98,000 hectares of unused farmland
According to the Ministry of Agriculture, Forestry and Fisheries (MAFF), a total of 97,814 hectares of farmland was sitting idle and unused across Japan in 2018, down 700 hectares from 2017 but the third year in a row to be around the 100,000 hectare range.
Niseko now has an accommodation tax
The popular ski resort of Niseko in Hokkaido has joined the ranks of districts with accommodation taxes. Kutchan Town introduced the tax on November 1. It will apply to all types of accommodation providers, including hotels and minpaku-style operators.