[lit-ideas] Signs of the Times
- From: John McCreery <mccreery@xxxxxxx>
- To: Anthro-L <ANTHRO-L@xxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxxx>, "Japan-U.S. Discussion Forum" <japanforum@xxxxxxxxxxxxx>, lit-ideas@xxxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Mon, 6 Jun 2005 12:30:06 +0900
The following was written for bestoftheblogs.com. Thought some folks =20
here might also be interested.
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<b>Recycling instead of rebuilding=81\Japanese housing</b>
This morning's edition of the Japanese-language Asahi Shimbun front-=20
paged a story with the headlines "Buying back homes for re-=20
sale....Promoting moving to new homes for residents of aging New =20
Towns....Renovating for families with children."
The context includes, of course, Japan's aging society, where the =20
birthrate has fallen to 1.28 (well below the 2.0 per couple needed =20
for Zero Population Growth). But it also includes a traditional =20
Japanese preference for scrap and build when it comes to housing.
As an anthropologist I know that, traditionally speaking, Japan =20
shares a custom widespread throughout Oceania and Southeast Asia, =20
homes and other structures designed to be torn down and replaced in =20
each new generation. I know, too, that this custom may have been=81\=20
along with the need to replace huge quantitities of housing destroyed =20=
by US fire-bombing raids during WWII=81\a contributing factor behind a =20=
banker's advice a few years ago when my wife and I looked into buying =20=
a new house.
As Americans who grew up and had lived in houses meant to last =20
several generations and supported ourselves while out of work on the =20
profit from a house bought and sold in a rising market, we were =20
stunned to hear that Japanese lenders were accustomed to lending half =20=
on the value of the land and half on the value of the structure=81\and =20=
the value of the structure was expected to depreciate to zero in 18 =20
years.
Returning, then, to the story=81\The parties doing the buy-backs are the =
=20
private railway/real estate/retailing conglomerates that developed =20
the suburbs that lie between Tokyo and Yokohama along the private =20
railway lines, in areas that became Tokyo's equivalent of Westchester =20=
or Shaker Heights. Once inhabited by young, affluent, growing =20
families, the homes they built and sold are now inhabited by aging =20
parents whose children have grown up. Increasingly the old folks want =20=
to move to apartments close to the railway stations, where shopping, =20
restaurants, medical care and other services are concentrated. But if =20=
simply left behind, the homes into which they moved in the 50s, 60s =20
and 70s seem old-fashioned and inconvenient to the younger families =20
who, the conglomerates hope, at least, will move in to replace them. =20
So the guys who have thought up this new scheme have made =20
arrangements with trust banks (Japan's S&Ls) to buy back the =20
properties, allowing the old folks to move to their new, more =20
convenient, apartments, and allowing the corporations to renovate the =20=
houses. The result will be homes that will sell for around 10 million =20=
yen ($90,000) less than new buildings in the same areas. And, if all =20
goes well, the railway/real estate/retailing conglomerates will keep =20
property values high and foster a new generation of affluent =20
commuters and shoppers.
Very smart if it works.
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John L. McCreery
The Word Works, Ltd.
55-13-202 Miyagaya, Nishi-ku
Yokohama, Japan 220-0006
Tel 81-45-314-9324
Email John.McCreery@xxxxxxxxxxxx
"Making Symbols is Our Business"
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