Tag - estate

 
 

ESTATE

Japan Times
JAPAN / EXPLAINER
Nov 28, 2016
Slew of redevelopment projects give Ginza a face-lift
Tokyo's Ginza district has established itself as Japan's shopping mecca, drawing in people from all over the world.
BUSINESS
Nov 21, 2016
China's Anbang reportedly may buy $2.3 billion in Japanese property from Blackstone
China's Anbang Insurance Group Co is in talks to buy as much as $2.3 billion in Japanese residential property assets from Blackstone Group , two people involved in the discussions said, in what would be Japan's biggest property deal since the global financial crisis.
BUSINESS
Nov 16, 2016
New condo supply slips in Tokyo area, surges around Osaka
The number of condominiums newly listed for sale in the Tokyo region in October dropped 0.6 percent from a year earlier to 2,903 units, a research institute said Tuesday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / YEN FOR LIVING
Nov 12, 2016
Japan's laundromat bubble shows no sign of bursting
Almost every Japanese household has a washing machine, so why are so many of them using laundromats that cost them extra money?
BUSINESS / Companies
Oct 7, 2016
MHI may sell property unit Ryoju Facility in streamlining bid
Mitsubishi Heavy Industries Ltd. is considering selling its real estate subsidiary Ryoju Facility and Properties Co. for around ¥100 billion as part of efforts to streamline its less competitive businesses, sources familiar with the matter said Friday.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Oct 4, 2016
Tokyo condo sales plunge to 24-year low
Sales of new condominiums in Tokyo have fallen to the lowest since the property bubble collapsed in the 1990s.
Japan Times
LIFE / Lifestyle / HOME TRUTHS
Oct 1, 2016
Tokyo faces declining condominium prices
In Japan's housing market, there has always been one verity: Certain parts of Tokyo will always be popular and, therefore, profitable for developers. However, according to various media reports, that verity may have collapsed, at least when it comes to new condominiums.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Sep 3, 2016
For elderly residents, city life doesn't get old
The government in Japan is facing an immediate demographic crisis with regards to seniors, whose numbers relative to the general population are increasing rapidly. One of the main problems is where they are going to live out their lives.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Aug 6, 2016
Resort condos: an option for home buyers
As everyone in Japan now knows, there are millions of vacant houses and apartments throughout the country, many of which are on sale for a song. The money and effort needed to renovate these properties, however, often isn't worth it given how inexpensive new houses can be. That, of course, is the main reason why there are so many vacant homes in the first place. With the Airbnb boom, people may think they can buy some of these cheap residences, fix them up and make a killing by renting them out to tourists. However, 75 percent of the Airbnb listings in Japan are in Tokyo, Osaka and Kyoto, cities where property remains expensive, and 70 percent of all listings are apartments and condos.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Jul 2, 2016
A rise in vacancies won't mean drops in rent
According to the June 11 issue of Nikkan Gendai, the vacancy rate for rental properties in the 23 wards of Tokyo is currently 33.7 percent, while in surrounding prefectures, it's even higher: 35.5 percent in Kanagawa and 34.1 percent in Chiba.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jul 1, 2016
Japan land prices up 0.2%; first gain in eight years
Land prices have eked out their first gain since 2008 as overseas investment, rock-bottom interest rates and the Bank of Japan's stimulus nudged urban housing markets upward.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Jun 16, 2016
Bank of Japan buying spree inflates world's priciest real estate investment trusts
Japan's real estate investment trusts have soared in value to become the priciest in the world. More purchases by one of the biggest investors in the landlord business — the Bank of Japan — may help propel prices even higher.
Japan Times
JAPAN / Media / MEDIA MIX
Jun 11, 2016
No guarantees: the struggle of being old and alone in Japan
Foreign media have been diligently covering Japan's rocky economic road to an uncertain future, but they seem to have missed the recent bankruptcy of Nihon Life Kyokai, a company that provides guarantor services. Though it's only one failure, the Japanese press has paid particularly close attention, treating it as a harbinger of a coming darkness.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 30, 2016
Yukarigaoka proves 'new towns' can age well
Tama, in western Tokyo, is currently trying to find a way to rehabilitate Parthenon Tama, the city's public cultural complex. During headier times, Parthenon hosted world-famous classical musicians and theater companies, and in addition to a large auditorium and a small auditorium, it contains a museum, a gallery and numerous conference rooms. According to the Asahi Shimbun, the 30-year-old facility is now in need of more than ¥7 billion worth of renovations that the local government says it can't afford. As it stands, it spends ¥400 million a year just to maintain the facility, and if it doesn't act soon, the complex may become unusable.
Japan Times
BUSINESS
Apr 12, 2016
New buzzword for Japan condo buyers: nature-friendly
Ryuji Idenoue, 35, and his wife Moyuka bought a condo late last year in a building under construction in Kokubunji, western Tokyo, that plays up the fact that there is greenery on-site.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Apr 2, 2016
Low interest rates cause spike in refinancing
It has been more than a month since the Bank of Japan introduced negative interest rates in its bid to revitalize the economy. For consumers, the rate change is a mixed blessing. Obviously, interest on deposits will not go up any time soon, but anyone thinking of buying a house or condominium can get cheaper loans.
JAPAN / Media / Japan Pulse
Mar 30, 2016
The onsen odyssey of the Japanese snow monkey
A new commercial features a monkey traveling from Nagano to Tokyo —u00a0via train — to take a dip in a hot spring.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Mar 5, 2016
Tohoku is literally still waiting to move on
Earlier this month, the NHK travel series, "Tsurube Toasts Families," in which rakugo (traditional comic storyteller) performer Shofukutei Tsurube and a guest visit a town and talk to residents on an impromptu basis, went to some new communities in the area destroyed by the Great East Japan Earthquake and tsunami of March 11, 2011.
Japan Times
COMMUNITY / How-tos / HOME TRUTHS
Feb 6, 2016
The ups and downs of apartment elevators
In the 2014 American movie, "5 Flights Up," Morgan Freeman and Diane Keaton play an elderly couple who think about selling their two-bedroom Brooklyn apartment. Since they have lived in the unit all their married life, the decision is a difficult one, and the premise of the plot hinges on the reason for their putting it on the market, which turns out to be a simple one: They live on the top floor of a five-story building with no elevator.
Japan Times
BUSINESS / Economy
Jan 29, 2016
Japan's 'quiet property bubble' faces end as transactions slide
The number of property transactions in the nation has tumbled, rents have been muted and inflation expectations have waned — all of which has prompted a growing number of analysts and economists to turn bearish on property prices, which have been recovering since Prime Minister Shinzo Abe came to power in 2012.

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