Bauhaus villa in Atami to undergo restoration
The former Hyuga Villa annex in Atami is about to undergo a two-year restoration starting this July. The Bauhaus-style annex was built in 1936 and was designed by Bruno Taut (1880-1938), a renowned German architect. This is the only building Taut designed in Japan.
Foreign hotel guests in Hakone reach record high in 2018
In 2018, 21.26 million tourists visited the hot spring resort town of Hakone, down 1.2% from 2017. According to the town, the drop was attributed to a particularly harsh summer between July and September which saw people limiting day trips.
Tokyo office vacancy reaches lowest level in 29 years
The office vacancy rate across Tokyo’s central five business districts dropped to 1.64% in May, down 1.04 points from last year and the lowest level seen since December 1990 when the rate was 0.39%.
Is Furano the next Niseko?
As land values in Niseko skyrocket, investors have been shifting their attention to more affordable ski locations around Hokkaido. One of those destinations is Furano which is seeing an influx in foreign investment and foreign tourists. Located 110 kilometers north-east of Sapporo, or a 2-hour drive, the city is becoming increasingly known for its high-quality powder snow.
Construction Co to relocate 140-yr old house to Koto-ku
Construction giant Shimizu Corporation has acquired the historic home of Viscount Shibusawa Eiichi and will relocate it to an innovation center currently being developed on a manmade island in Tokyo Bay.
A forecast of new apartment prices between 2019 and 2025
On May 28, the Japan Real Estate Institute (JREI) issued their latest medium-term forecast for the price of brand-new apartments in Tokyo’s 23 wards. As we saw last year, price predictions have again been revised upwards from earlier forecasts. In 2019, the average new apartment price is forecast to be 1,065,000 Yen/sqm, up 0.4% from 2018 and 7.7% from an earlier forecast.
Castle in Nagasaki to be converted into hotel
Hirado City in Nagasaki Prefecture is looking for someone to open a small hotel within Hirado Castle’s turret. According to the Japan Castle Foundation, this would be the first accommodation to be created in a castle in Japan.