SMBC restores 89-yr old office building in Osaka
On May 19, Sumitomo Mitsui Banking Corporation (SMBC) completed the restoration of the 89-year old building that houses their Osaka head office.
The Sumitomo Building was built in 1926 as the headquarters of Sumitomo Bank. The 6-storey building was constructed by Obayashi Corporation and had a total floor area of 36,000 sqm. It was designed by architects Yutaka Hidaka, Eikichi Hasebe and Kenzo Takekoshi of Sumitomo’s construction division. Construction took five years. During construction, the greater Tokyo area was struck by the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake. As a cautionary measure, the building’s proposed floor count was reduced by one storey. A spanish-style private courtyard was built on the top storey.Read more
Historic hotel in Takarazuka to be demolished
Hankyu Hanshin Holdings plan to demolish the historic Takarazuka Hotel in Takarazuka City, Hyogo Prefecture, and will build a new hotel in a separate location nearby.
The 5-storey hotel opened in 1926. It was developed by Ichizo Kobayashi, the founder of Hankyu Railway, the Takarazuka Revue and Toho, and local industrialist Kaemon Hiratsuka. Hankyu acquired the hotel a few years after it opened.Read more
Historic 84-year old apartment building in Chuo-ku under demolition
The historic Shokin Apaato in Chuo-ku, Tokyo, is being demolished to make way for a 13-storey mixed-use office and residential building.
Shokin Apaato was built in 1931, around the same time as the Dojunkai apartments. The 5-storey, reinforced concrete building was occupied by tenants up until 2013. The owner decided to rebuild as the building does not meet earthquake-resistant standards and has become too costly to maintain.Read more
99-year old residence in Kamakura opened to public for first time
A historic residence in Kamakura that was once the holiday home of former Prime Ministers Fumimaro Konoe (1891 - 1945) and Osachi Yamaguchi (1870 - 1931) has been repaired and converted into a French restaurant and wedding function centre. This historic, privately-held home had been closed to the public until now.
The Koga Residence was built in 1916 as a villa for Seijiro Sho (1862 - 1926), the managing director of Mitsubishi. In 1937 it was purchased by Mr. Koga, a manager of Nippon Tochi-Tatemono, and has been in the Koga family ever since.Read more
89-year old bathhouse to close this month
One of Tokyo’s oldest wooden bath-houses will close its doors this month, and there are concerns that the 88-year old building could soon be demolished.
The Tsuki-no-Yu bath-house was built in 1927 in a ‘hafu’ curved gable style, which is often seen on temples and shrines. Mr. Yamada, the 70-year old owner, said his father purchased the bath-house in 1933 from its former owner.Read more
Historic Yokohama building to be converted into shared office
The historic former Kanto Local Finance Bureau building in downtown Yokohama will re-open in 2016 as a restaurant and shared office space after undergoing restoration and renovations.
The heritage listed property was built in 1928 and was originally the Yokohama ranch office of Nihon Menka - a raw cotton importer that is now Sojitz Corporation. It was temporarily confiscated by the US during the occupation in 1952, before being sold to the national government in 1954. From 1960 it was used as the Yokohama branch of the Ministry of Finance. Yokohama City acquired the 4-storey concrete building in 2003.
In August 2014, Yokohama City started an appeal to find suitable uses for the building. The Yokohama DeNA BayStars baseball team were selected out of nine applicants to manage and operate the building.Read more
Starbucks opens store in historic former home in Aomori
On April 22, Starbucks will open a store in a heritage listed building in Hirosaki City, Aomori Prefecture. This is the first Starbucks store in the city, and the first Starbucks store to be located in a local government owned property. Starbucks Japan operates over 1,000 stores across the country, including four in Aomori Prefecture.
The Hirosaki Koen-mae Store will open in a building that was built in 1917 as the official residence of the Commander of the 8th Division in the Imperial Japanese Army. It was designed by Hikosaburo Horie, the eldest son of Sakichi Horie who was a carpenter that worked on many of the western-style residences built in Aomori during the Meiji period.Read more