Historic Rokkosan Hotel to close
Hankyu Hanshin Hotels, part of Hankyu Hanshin Holdings, will close the historic 86-year old Rokkosan Hotel in Kobe on December 20. Hotel operations will continue in the newer 45-room main building located next door.
The original hotel was opened in 1929 as an annex to the Takarazuka Hotel, before later operating as an independent hotel. It was designed by architect Masaharu Furuzuka, one of the Osaka-Kobe area’s leading modernist architects. Furuzuka also designed the Takarazuka Hotel in 1926.Read more
Historic villa in Beppu at risk of demolition
A historic home and art gallery in Beppu City is at risk of demolition, leading local residents and art aficionados scrambling to find a solution to protect the 86-year old property. The gallery and cafe is due to close by the end of this month.
Chochokaku was built in 1929 and is registered as a National Tangible Cultural Property. It was built by Kinya Takahashi (1866-1937), a politician, businessman and first president of the Beppu Chamber of Commerce, as his personal residence and guest house. The 2-storey wooden residence has a total floor area of 270 sqm (2,905 sq.ft). It includes both the traditional Japanese-style residence with tatami rooms, as well as an art-deco western-style wing.Read more
Hyogo-based company starts boutique historic hotel brand
In early October a Japanese association called NOTE opened up a series of historic hotels in the Sasayama Castle Town in Hyogo Prefecture. The boutique hotels are located in traditional and historic Japanese homes that have been carefully restored. NOTE currently has 11 hotel suites in four buildings in the town, and operates them under their NIPPONIA Sasayama Castle Town Hotel brand. They have also converted a former bank (c1934) in Toyooka into a hotel, restaurant and cafe.
NOTE is a Sasayama-based association that was established in 2009 with the purpose of reinvigorating rural areas through restoring old and vacant houses, promoting tourism and supporting local businesses. The food served in the hotel restaurants, for example, is sourced locally to support the town’s farmers, while staff are hired locally where possible.
NOTE is aiming to have 10 hotels in operation by the 2020 Olympics.Read more
Kobe to restore 82-year old town hall
Kobe City will soon carry out earthquake-retrofitting work on the historic Kobe Municipal Mikage Town Hall. The hall will close in early 2016 and will reopen in 2017. Although it survived the 1995 Hanshin Earthquake, a building inspection in 2008 found that it did not meet current earthquake codes.
With the urging of local residents, the city plans to retain as much of the historic exterior and interior as possible. Retrofitting and repairs are expected to cost 1.597 billion Yen (13.2 million USD).Read more
Introducing our Unique Spaces
For those interested in an architecturally designed property, or something a little older or unusual, we are launching a special section on our site called Unique Spaces.
This is a carefully curated selection of properties currently listed for sale that, in our eyes, are different from the cookie-cutter apartments or homes that make up the majority of the listings in Japan. Some of these one-of-a-kind listings include pre-war homes, modernist masterpieces, and contemporary designs. Some may have been designed by famous architects or may have historical importance. We hope this section of our website will be a place where these properties are appreciated and exhibited, and may attract new owners who want a special place of their own.
Our current selection includes homes by Shigeru Ban and Yoshimura Junzo, as well as apartments designed by Tadao Ando and SANAA.
Due to the various age of these properties, they are in various conditions and some may require repairs and maintenance in order to restore them to their prime. We can introduce our clients to specialist architects and consultants who can assist in restorations and renovations.
Click below to view the current listings:
Japan has some of the top architects in the world, yet, based on our experience, the supply of uniquely designed homes listed for re-sale is extremely limited. Such homes rarely change hands and there are very few opportunities to buy. Awareness and appreciation of the value of architect-designed homes is also lost over time and, to our dismay, little attention may be paid to the history of homes by some realtors.Read more
Historic residence in Wakayama donated to city
The owner of a historic home in Shingu City in Wakayama Prefecture, donated a 89-year old western-style house to the City.
Although the house was donated for free, the city agreed to pay approximately 18 million Yen (152,000 USD) for the 730 sqm block of land. The city plans to repair the home and open it to visitors. The total cost of the project, including the purchase price, was estimated at around 100 million Yen (843,000 USD).
The former Chapman Residence was built in 1926 for American missionary E.N. Chapman and his family. It was designed by architect Isaku Nishimura (1884-1963), the founder of the Bunka Gakuin School in Sumida-ku, Tokyo. Nishimura was born into a wealthy merchant family in Shingu City. His father, Yohei Oishi, was and elder of the Presbyterian Church and named Isaku after Isaac from the Old Testament. Read more
Karuizawa to introduce blue plaque scheme for historic homes
In an effort to preserve the history of Karuizawa, the town will be introducing a blue plaque scheme similar to those used in the United Kingdom. The signs will be affixed to buildings and homes considered to be of historical importance to the resort town.
The town’s Board of Education has made a list of 100 important buildings, and, with the permission of the property owners, will affix plaques in the next year.
One of the shortlisted historic buildings is the Miyama-so Villa. Built in 1943 for a Japanese businessman, the house was later used as the Legation of Switzerland and was is said to be the place where a telegram was sent in 1945 declaring Japan’s acceptance of the Potsdam Declaration. The house was at risk of being demolished by a previous owner until the town acquired it in 2007 for 210 million Yen.