Old Japanese Architecture: Buy it to Save It ? Real Estate Japan ...

The market for historic homes in Tokyo attracts a fair amount of foreign buyers these days. Japanese buyers tend to choose modern homes so the market for traditional houses is driven by buyers from overseas.

According to Ken Arbour, president of Century 21 SKY Realty, a Tokyo-based real estate agency, anyone buying a house that is over 30 years in Tokyo is expected to do one thing: renovate. Some of the historic homes in Japan, which are more than 40 years old, exist in central Tokyo.

However, there are a few Japanese who still want to preserve the beauty of postwar Japanese architecture.

Toshiko Kinoshita, an architect in Tokyo, together with her husband, Juan Ordonez, came up with a unique preservation tactic. They decided to buy a classic postwar architecture in her neighborhood which was also likely to face demolition. They also organized a temporary exhibition at a gallery in Denenchofu, in southwest Tokyo, to showcase three properties that are up for sale, and match them to buyers who appreciate historically and culturally important houses. Though the exhibition ended without a sale, the couple says that they are hoping that their move would serve as a starting point to raise awareness on the difficulty of preserving Japanese architecture.

Outside Tokyo, Sotheby?s International Realty is looking to sell two traditional houses, one in Kyoto which is more than 50 years old and one in Kamakura built in 1972. Yukiko Takano of Sotheby?s commented that foreigners are more appreciative of old traditional houses in the area and are far more knowledgeable about Japanese architecture and landscape than the Japanese.

American developer, Jacob Reiner is also into the trend, revamping neglected houses for international buyers. Together with his team at Eden Homes, they refurbish kominka (traditional houses) in Shojiko, a lakeside village and one of the remaining undeveloped areas around Mount Fuji. Their company used to buy old houses, fix them and resell. However, he now prefers to sell houses that haven?t been modernized. He says that through this, they are able to encourage people to design their own homes and support them with planning and construction while preserving their historical and cultural value.

Tokyo Apartments For Sale | Tokyo Apartments For Rent | Real Estate Japan

Source: http://www.realestate.co.jp/2012/11/26/old-japanese-architecture-buy-it-to-save-it/

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