450-room hotel for Niseko
Philippine real estate developer DoubleDragon Properties is about to embark on a 450-room hotel project in Niseko.
Foreclosure in Niseko sells for 2200% above reserve
A foreclosed block of land in Niseko ended up selling for over 22 times its auction reserve earlier this month. The 1,012 sqm (10,889 sq.ft) lot of non-zoned land is 6.3 kilometers from Niseko Station and in the Annupuri district with the Moiwa and Annupuri ski slopes nearby.
Niseko sees over 20 billion Yen a year in real estate sales
A 2.5-year closure to inbound travel hasn’t slowed investment in Niseko’s ski resort market with the Nikkei Shimbun reporting that the ‘Aspen of Asia’ has seen over 20 billion Yen (approx. US$138 million) in known real estate purchases by foreigners each year. The very recent weakening of the Yen this year is said to be contributing further to demand.
Restrictions on resort development in Kutchan lagging behind schedule
New restrictions on resort development in Kutchan Town, near the popular Niseko ski resort, were scheduled to be introduced this fall, but have been pushed back. These restrictions are aimed at protecting the town’s natural environment and scenery from an unchecked surge in development by foreign funds in the Hirafu and Hanazono districts.
Quick real estate news summary for the week
OYO sells short-term letting unit, New World resort for Niseko, and DeNa moves into WeWork. Below is a quick weekly summary of some of the recent goings-on in the Japanese real estate market.
Six Senses to open in Niseko
A Six Senses resort is coming to Niseko in 2024 ~ 2025 (since pushed back to late 2026). On April 8, the Hokkaido Shimbun newspaper reported that IHG Hotels & Resorts is planning the luxury hotel for the Hirafu district.
Hokkaido sees 12% more offshore investors between 2019 and 2020
A survey by public broadcaster NHK has found that the there were 4,406 buildings and land parcels in Hokkaido owned by foreign funds and corporations as of January 2020. This is a 12% increase from 2019. Even with the international travel bans, some industry experts say acquisitions have continued throughout 2020 as foreign investors are confident that things will return to normal post-covid.