Karuizawa resort condos sell out
On November 29, real estate company ES-CON JAPAN announced that all 37 resort-style apartments developed in conjunction with Ost Development G.K. in Karuizawa had sold out prior to completion.
Historic home matching service for Karuizawa
In an effort to save the historic holiday villas of Karuizawa, a matching-service has been set up by the Karuizawa Cultural Heritage Preservation Association.
Karuizawa home of Nobel Prize winner demolished
The historic holiday home of Nobel Prize for Literature winner Yasunari Kawabata in Karuizawa has been demolished this month. The town had petitioned the current owner to allow the structure to be relocated but was unable to obtain their approval.
Quick real estate news summary for the week
New hotel opens in Karuizawa, typhoon damage to Japan’s oldest apartment building, and office rents drop for the first time in 7 years. Below is a quick weekly summary of some of the recent goings-on in the Japanese real estate market.
120-yr old Mitsui Besso in Karuizawa at risk of demolition
The recent sale of the original Karuizawa holiday home of Saburosuke Mitsui (1850-1912) to a buyer from an offshore tax haven has locals worried the historic house may soon be demolished.
Japan’s first Hilton Curio Collection hotel to open in Karuizawa
Tokyu Land Corporation has entered into a franchise agreement with Hilton Hotels & Resorts to open Japan’s first Curio Collection by Hilton hotel in Karuizawa.
KYUKARUIZAWA KIKYO, Curio Collection by Hilton is the rebrand of the former Kyu-Karuizawa Hotel that was acquired by Tokyu in March 2017. It is scheduled to re-open in spring of 2018. The 39-year old hotel sits on a 5,800 sqm site located 1.2km north of Karuizawa Station. Almost 90% of the 50 rooms are over 40 sqm (430 sq ft) in size.Read more
Karuizawa's vacation home market on the rebound
The upscale summer resort area of Karuizawa in Nagano Prefecture is seeing its property market rebound as a growing number of older residents from greater Tokyo are move in. In 2015 the extension of the bullet train line will connect Karuizawa with the Hokuriku region, making the area an even more convenient destination.
While the rest of the prefecture is still dealing with sluggish land values, the increase in demand for vacation homes in Karuizawa has started to push land prices upwards.
The town approved 338 holiday homes in 2013, up 9% from the year before. Read more