Lake Biwa historical villa partially de-listed after land sale
The Rokasensui Villa on Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture was built in 1921 and was the holiday home for Japanese painter Shunkyo Yamamoto. In 1994 it was listed as an important cultural property. In 2008, a 190 sqm parcel of the 1230 sqm estate was sold to a private buyer and from August, 2010, an average modern home was built on the site. The Agency for Cultural Affair decided to de-list the smaller parcel of land after it was sold to a third party.Read more
Mori Trust acquires famous Kyoto hotel
Mori Trust announced on November 25 that they had acquired the site of Hotel Rantei in Kyoto from Kyoto Century Hotel for an undisclosed sum.
The traditional Japanese-style hotel has been closed since January, 2010, but will undergo a full refurbishment before being re-opened as a luxury hotel by 2013 - 2014. Once it is opened, they hope to attract wealthy domestic and foreign tourists.Read more
US-based firm acquires two Omotesando buildings
Elliott Management, a US-based fund management firm, has acquired two buildings in prime locations just across the street from Omotesando Hills.
(1) 21st SY Building (fronting Omotesando Avenue and next to the Emporio Armani boutique). The 6-storey building is on a 360 sqm block of land. The 2011 assessed land value (koji-chika) for this site was 9,300,000 Yen/sqm.Read more
Mito City Hall at risk of collapse
Mito City Hall in Ibaraki Prefecture was seriously damaged by the March 11 earthquake. Results of a recent earthquake-resistance inspection found that the building could collapse if it is hit by another earthquake with a seismic intensity of 6 or higher.
Should the City decide to repair the building by installing a base-isolation system, the repair costs are estimated to reach 7 billion Yen (91 million USD).Read more
Shizuoka's expanded nuclear disaster preparedness zone
On October 20, 2011, Japan's Nuclear Safety Commission has proposed an expansion of the recommended emergency planning zones (EPZ) around nuclear plants from 10 km to 30 km , as well as a proposed 50 km radius called a Plume Protection Planning Area (PPA) in which residents must stay indoors and towns must be prepared to distribute iodine tablets in an emergency situation.
The newly proposed 30 km Urgent Protective Action Planning Zone (UPZ) has increased the number of targeted cities and towns from 44 to 130 and the number of residents living in the expanded area is 7.93 million, or 6% of Japan's population. It would also include parts of prefectural capitals such as Shizuoka, Mito, Fukui, Kyoto and Kagoshima. There has been criticism that, similar to what has been observed in Fukushima, the radiation does not travel in concentric circles and may spread to towns that fall just outside of the UPZ.
Shizuoka Prefecture created a special research group to investigate disaster-preparedness measures for the area surrounding the controversial Hamaoka Nuclear Power Plant in Omaezaki City.Read more
Mod home for sale in Nishiazabu
Price: 278,000,000 Yen No longer on the market
This is a stand-out home in central Tokyo that is just a short stroll from Roppongi Hills, Arisugawa Park and the popular Hiroo/Azabu expat area. In October, 2009, the house was fully renovated. The renovations included installing new water pipes, new bathrooms, flooring, wallpaper, new rooftop terrace and exterior re-painting.
The home has been cleverly designed to maximize natural light and airflow. There are 3 bedrooms, 2 bathrooms, 2 storerooms, and a loft/family room on the top floor which has access to the rooftop terrace. From the top floor there are views towards Roppongi and Roppongi Hills.Read more