yamayamayama 2 Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 I noticed how many old and decrepid buildings there were along the side of the main road - some of them that look like they've not been used since the 70's (complete with signage and everything). Some other buildings that looked like they were seriously hazardous and really should be knocked down. Are there no laws here about things like that or can you just abandon properties and let them ruin and become safety hazards as well as make the whole place look awful. Link to post Share on other sites
xxx 2 Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 Sad to see some of those places, there are a lot yes espectially when you'll looking out for them. There's this one building near where I live that looks like it will collapse any minute now. And it's right on the main road, looks really bad. I wonder if some kids went in there and it collapsed on them who would be responsible. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted July 19, 2005 Share Posted July 19, 2005 What gets me is the run-down and dirty looking state of some places to eat that are actually open, I just wonder how anyone would even consider choosing some of the places there are. Link to post Share on other sites
veronica 2 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I hate seeing things like that and yes there seems to be so many old falling apart buildings left alone. My parents really noticed it when they came as well. That and the telephone/electicity lines and old cars at the side of the road. Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by yamayamayama: Are there no laws here about things like that or can you just abandon properties and let them ruin and become safety hazards as well as make the whole place look awful. Is there any law about it in your country? Link to post Share on other sites
Zaoman 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 If a building is in a state of disreapair and is a danger then yes the owner is responsible to do something about it. Link to post Share on other sites
sakebomb 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 In Sydney, if it is up for demolition it has to be fenced around the perimiter for safety issues, as Zaoman mentioned the owner is liable for any injuries that occur on the property. Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Yes, of course the owner is responsible for safety. What if the owner is financially difficult to do demolition and that's why they leave that old house there? Any punishment? Link to post Share on other sites
yamayamayama 2 Posted July 20, 2005 Author Share Posted July 20, 2005 I know very little about this kind of law, so any comments about that are meaningless.... all I know is there are way way way more of these kind of places in Japan than back home, and it's a real shame. Link to post Share on other sites
sakebomb 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Probably get sued or worst case jail time due to negligence!! Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by slow: Yes, of course the owner is responsible for safety. What if the owner is financially difficult to do demolition and that's why they leave that old house there? Any punishment? They might rent it out and let the people with the lease make the renovations/improvements. There seem to be a hell of alot of shops that don't maintain their buildings. Half in my area could do with a good coat of paint and they would look like new. In Oz a run down shop wouldn't get too much business, espesh a eatery. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 There seems to be some major hollowing out in the Japanese tourist industry. I went to Aso and Beppu in Kyushu over the 3 days, and everywhere there were giant 70s or 80s hotels and restaurants boarded up or just left open to vandals. It's going to be hard to get foreign tourists to come and look at beautiful Japan if every third building is derelict. It would surely pay from a tourism viewpoint to knock these buildings down quickly and put in some plants if nothing else. Without actually having to think up some fancy new thang that requires investment, it would make the country that bit more attractive to people visiting. Beppu, which has fantastic natural and cultural resources, was overall an ugly dump. Link to post Share on other sites
scouser 4 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I think they're talking more about the places that look like they are from another timeline and a strong wind and they'd collapse - not just the masses of places in need of a lick of paint indosnm. Though they look pretty bad too. One place near where I live that looks like it has been abandoned for decades. There's broken glass in the windows on the 2nd floor and you can see the lovely chandelier and 70's stools up there. Freaky. Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I am very interested in this topic. I'm always wondering why most of Japanese townscape and houses are not pretty. I think it's because people don't care about townscape and design. I quit house building company which I worked before because I didn't like their houses and felt guilty to sell such an ugly houses. I think that the land owners are responsible to make efforts for beautiful townscape. But usually they just care about money and don't care about townscape. I recommended my landlady to renovate her apartment when she was complaining about vacant rooms. She is a nice lady but doesn't want to spend money on maintaining apartment... On the other hand, I visited some friends in Hayama and Kamakura. They are American and British. Both of them are living in a very old Japanese style house. Very old, actually Japanese people would think too old to live. But they made their house very comfortable with nice furniture. I really liked their life style. They told me that their houses will get knocked down by the landowners if they move. Most Japanese people don't care of the house. It's true. Link to post Share on other sites
NoFakie 45 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Demolition of buildings according to the codes costs upwards of 30,000 yen a tsubo (3.3sqm) for wood and more for concrete. Do it haphazardly and you'll have dust, toxic fumes and asbestos everywhere. 9/11 is a fine example. Of course, if the government didn't waste money on stuff like defence, it could afford to improve many areas. Link to post Share on other sites
indosnm 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Quote: Originally posted by scouser: I think they're talking more about the places that look like they are from another timeline and a strong wind and they'd collapse - not just the masses of places in need of a lick of paint indosnm. Though they look pretty bad too. Yeah I realise that. I was ng another point at how neglected buildings are here. Think how they become to be in a bad state in the first place??? With alittle maintenance every now and then they wouldn't be in such a bad state. Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 > I'm always wondering why most of Japanese townscape and houses are not pretty They could make a start by forbidding all the huge, ugly, dangerous signage, and putting limits on how big you can make them. Link to post Share on other sites
7-11 2 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 I would be embarrassed if I owned the vast majority of properties here. So damn ugly. And the signage - yeah it's just so ott in some places. Link to post Share on other sites
sakebomb 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 Question, I am considering expanding my business and need a larger area. What do you think the chances of being able to get one of these buildings (in my town) to use at no/relatively low costs? It would depend of course on condition/safety etc. If I suggested I was willing to maintain and improve the look (clean it up) would that raise my chances of scoring! Advice anyone? PS I know it sounds crazy but I want to keep my costs down also kinda like recycling and beautification! Link to post Share on other sites
soubriquet 0 Posted July 20, 2005 Share Posted July 20, 2005 It cost my partner 1.2 million to get her old house demolished, and that was a special price because the Yak fancies her. sakebomb: I'd say your chances are pretty good. People still have to pay property taxes even if empty. Link to post Share on other sites
me jane 0 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 It's not just in the cites. In parking areas or at the top of cable car stations in the mountains I have often seen huge derelict restaurants and hotels. It's difficult to imagine them ever having been full. Link to post Share on other sites
sunrise 0 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Some of those old buildings have a rustic quality about them and make good painting subjects. But from the sounds of this thread, the majority that people are seeing don't fit into this category (especially old hotels). Link to post Share on other sites
slow 0 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 Sake, it's not easy to find a decent old office building or mansion. If it's built before 1971 (before new Building Standard Law), it's not earthquake-resistant and more possibile to collapse. And it takes a lot of money to check the strength of structure and concrete. So, you have to look for one built after 1971. We tried to rent an old office building and negotiating. We showed our design and the owner allowed us to remodel the room, but the owner demanded us to restore to original state when we move out. we know it's custom that the owner demands restoring to original state, but it was ridiculous in this case. Even if we install new toilets, they wanted us to restore it to the original... You will know Japanese real-estate industry is very conservative and really frustrating. Link to post Share on other sites
sakebomb 0 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 I agree Slow and the advice is invaluable. I had a look at a couple around here and on close inspection they were not safe to say the least. I am trying to avoid dealing with real estate agents and deal with some generous owners direct. I would probably need to draw up a contract in any case, yeh? Was that 'original state' from when you moved in or like new original state? Looks like it could be a pain in the butt! Link to post Share on other sites
Ocean11 0 Posted July 21, 2005 Share Posted July 21, 2005 You might want to have a look at this book/site http://www.sayingyestojapan.com/ It's sort of relevant, especially to what slow just noted about Japanese real-estate agents. I downloaded the first chapter and it was interesting. Possible business chances here... Link to post Share on other sites
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