Dec 09
0

Floor plan of 2 toilets～in the case of Osaka

By | Real Estate

The design of the floor plan of apartments is basically different between Japanese and foreigners due to their different lifestyles. For Japanese people, housing is designed so that they can feel at ease and relax. In order to feel at ease and relax, it is necessary to have a floor plan that does not require you to worry about the glance. Therefore, there is “AGARIKAMACHI (=the timber frame at that part of a house through which one steps into the house proper)  at the entrance, and the bedrooms and living room are separated by a wall so that no one else can see it.

The reason why there are two toilets in a Japanese apartment is that it is inconvenient to go to the toilet place because it is “far”. If the floor plan is 160㎡ or more and the floor plan is long and narrow, the human path of flow from one end to the other is too long, so two toilets may be created. The floor plan in the photo above (Kita-ku, Osaka, 180㎡) is an example of this.

Even if the floor plan is 160㎡ or less, there may be two toilets. It is a case where a toilet is installed in the master bedroom. It is convenient to have a toilet nearby when people are sleeping at night in the master bedroom. Again, the reason there are two toilets is that the toilets are “far”. The floor plan in the photo below (Fukushima-ku, Osaka, 120㎡) is an example of this.

In the case of a detached house, it will be 2 to 3 floors, so it is “far” to move up and down on the stairs, so toilets will be installed on each floor, so there will be two or more. Detached houses are located in the suburbs, not in the center of Osaka. Again, the reason there are two toilets is that the toilets are “far”. The floor plan in the photo below (a detached house in Suita City, Osaka Prefecture, 140 m2) is an example of this.

The floor plan of a tower-type apartment in the center of Osaka city tends to become smaller year by year. Tower apartments have the advantage of being a convenient location because they are close to the station and convenient for shopping. Tower apartments take up a lot of common area (entrance, reception space, guest room, party room, gym, etc). On the other hand, the space of the exclusive part (individual ownership space) is narrowed. The floor plan in the photo below (newly built “Proud Tower” in Kita-ku, Osaka, 70㎡) is an example of this.

Dec 08
0

Nature of the locality – “Horie” area

By | Life Style, Real Estate

We have the opportunity to visit various areas to guide our customers to apartments in Osaka, but when we actually visit the area, each area has its own “nature of the locality”. I think this “land pattern” is a very important point when choosing a house.

We introduced a young couple to a rental apartment in Minamihorie, Nishi-ku, and when we contracted with a customer, a few months after moving in, we asked the customer, “This apartment is very good. I like it very much. ” This is because the apartment property was good, but the “local environment (= nature of the locality)” where the apartment is located was also good.

From the Horie area in Nishi Ward to Shinmachi on the north side to Utsubo Park, there is a slightly similar atmosphere. However, when you cross the Dotonbori River on the south side and become Naniwa Ward, the atmosphere changes completely. The area around Shin-Imamiya Station has a place to introduce the work of day laborers, so the regional characteristics will change completely. In a city like Osaka, the types of residents are completely different depending on the area.

I think history creates the ” nature of the locality ” of the region. What kind of people lived in the area in the past determines what kind of people live in the area now, and those who will move in the future will be dominated by the history of the area. Therefore, when choosing a house, it is important to control not only the interior of the room, the distance to the workplace, and housing-related facilities, but also the ” nature of the locality ” of the area.

The area seems to be connected by some invisible thread between humans. “Life” and “life” may be connected. There is always a connection between the past “life” and the present “life” as well as the “life” that is alive now. This is history.

When thinking about which property to choose, try walking and feeling the atmosphere around the property. I’m sure you will discover something.

There are many fashionable cafes and interior shops centered around Orange Street in Minamihorie and Kitahorie Park. The American Village is nearby, and the culture of young people such as live houses continues to the Horie area.

However, while the American Village is a night town with bars, the Horie area is calm. The younger age group is better. In addition, there are many luxury apartments in the Horie area. This means that many high-income people live there.

People with high incomes consume high added value. Horie has many select shops because it fits the local pattern. It is highly likely that fashionable shops will continue to develop and the area will be fun.

Dec 06
0

The Kitahama and Complex Use

By | Life Style, Property, Real Estate

The Kitahama is located directly above Kitahama Station on the Sakaisuji Subway Line. It is also connected to Kitahama Station on the Keihan Line by an underground passage. Because it is near the street of Doshomachi, a historically famous pharmaceutical company town in Osaka, there are many historic buildings nearby. The Mitsukoshi department store was demolished and The Kitahama was built using the site.

The Kitahama is proudly the number one in the popularity ranking of Sumitomo Realty & Development’s 2020 edition.

 

In Japan, industrialization progressed rapidly from 1950 to 1990 after the war. In order to develop the manufacturing industry efficiently, restricted areas (zoning) have been defined in the urban development plan by Japanese government. The factory area, residential area, and commercial area have been set separately. As a result, good housing was located in the suburbs, and the living environment in Osaka was not good. Since around 1990, tower type high rise apartment buildings have been built in central Osaka. And people who lived in the suburbs began to move to the center of Osaka. This is because tower type apartment have made it possible to create a better living environment than a quiet living environment in the suburbs.

The Kitahama area has the historic atmosphere of “Doshomachi” and the atmosphere of the office district of the stock exchange. It’s not a bar like Namba or Dotonbori, so Kitahama area is safe and the nature of the locality of Kitahama is elegant. There are no large department stores. There is no electric shop, so people have to go shopping to Yodobashi Camera in Umeda.

The Kitahama is adjacent to a commercial facility called KITAHAMA PLAZA. It is very convenient for daily life to have a Konami gym, a food supermarket and restaurants. Konami here is classified as a high-grade one with a large facility and beauty. All the shops in KITAHAMA PLAZA are of high grade, so they are preferred by wealthy customers. The residents of The Kitahama are also wealthy people, so the building and the surrounding area have a luxurious atmosphere.

Such real estate development is called “Complex Use”. Complex development is close to work and residence. Complex development means a break from the Japanese old-style life of working at a factory for a fixed amount of time and returning home on a crowded train. People work in a cafe on a laptop computer. Work meetings end up in a cafe next to the apartment. Playing while working. From such a lifestyle, people can generate intellectual ideas. The “Complex Use” is a lifestyle for intellectual labor in a knowledge-information society, not Japanese traditional mechanical labor in a factory.

Dec 05
1

Tower apartment and health

By | Life in Japan, Life Style, Real Estate

Tower apartments are very popular because they have a good view, but various problems have been pointed out. In this article, I would like to consider only about the health of the residents of the tower apartment.

From my 20 years of experience, a 40-year-old Japanese-American wife who lived on the 38th floor had a miscarriage. On the other hand, the foreign wife who lived on the 34th floor gave birth to her second child safely.  I have no scientific basis for whether these things are related to tower apartments. That’s my actual experience.

Scholars have studied this issue and published treatises. Even if scholars criticize tower apartments, realtors deny scholars’ claims. Scientific proof does not seem to be clear yet.

It is known that the atmospheric pressure of 10hPa drops when it rises 100m. The height of one floor of the condominium is about 3 meters, so 100m ÷ 3 = 33 floors. In other words, the atmospheric pressure on the 33rd floor is 10hPa lower than on the ground.

When the weather is fine, it is high pressure. A heavy rainy day is a low pressure. The difference in atmospheric pressure between a clear day and a heavy rainy day is about 17hPa. Generally, the difference in atmospheric pressure between a sunny day and a bad day is considered to be about 10hPa.

“The number of patients undergoing cecal surgery is higher on rainy days than on sunny days,” said one medical doctor.  Certainly, on a clear day, humans become more energetic and motivated to work. On a rainy day, if we feel depressed and a low pressure system such as the rainy season continues, we may want to start crying even if there are no problems. The weather seems to have a huge impact on the human body. And the pressure difference in the weather is 10hPa.

I am a member of a fitness club and am doing underwater walking exercise in the pool. At first, I used to breaststroke, but at some point I began to think that walking in the water was more effective in improving my health than swimming. When I swim flat, my body floats on the surface of the water, but when I walk, I drop my feet to the bottom of the pool, which applies “water pressure”. Because of this “water pressure”, I go to the fitness club every day.

Thinking in this way, living on the upper floors of a tower apartment is thought to have at least some impact on the body.

If you are staying at a hotel for a few days, it is good to enjoy the view. It’s okay for a healthy adult to rent for a few years. However, if you have a pregnant wife or a weak person, it may be safer to avoid the pressure difference of 10hPa.