Is a house in Japan less or more than most average homes in the U.S.A?

[GoNative]

In the case of Niseko Town it isn't really that much of a tourist town at all. There is an excellent farmers market at the Niseko View Plaza but other than that not much else that draws in many tourists. And the plaza is situated beyond the main street that has had a facelift. I've never seen many tourists in the town proper and there are no touristy shops. The aesthetic difference though between Niseko Town and the Kutchan (where I lived) was incredible.
I agree that if a place becomes overly touristy and if things aren't done well it can all come off as contrived. In the examples I've given above though I don't think that's the case at all.
Often, like in the case of Niseko Town, it doesn't take a huge amount of money to change things for the better. They did not demolish any of the existing houses or buildings. Only the facades facing the main street had to comply with a consistent theme. The paving and widening of the sidewalks was a nice touch and putting the powerlines underground for about 1.5km's along the main street has made a huge difference. Also incredibly simple things like restricting street advertising signs and maintaining planter boxes with flowers in summer makes a huge difference. It didn't feel contrived or purely done for tourism. It was just a mayor who cared about the aesthetics of his town and got the locals on board with his vision.
If this were to happen more often throughout Japan then there wouldn't be so many incredibly ugly towns! I mean you'd have to agree this would be a good thing wouldn't it? There just seems to have been some disconect in Japan for really planning for beauty in their towns, houses and other buildings in the modern era since the war. There's some great stuff of course, like in the examples I've shown above but I'd like to see more!

[Cayla]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I think you need to be aware that the entire culture of owning a house and the way Japanese neighborhoods are set up is entirely different than in the US. People don`t like in spaced out quiet neighborhoods. There is really only closely packed residential in the city and suburbs, and isolated housing in the countryside. There isn`t the type of space like in the US, so you simply are not going to find anything similar to what you`re used to.
It is also most definitely NOT going to be easier to buy a house - particularly if you can`t buy it with cash.



The simple answer? Don`t live in Tokyo.

What you are doing is like comparing the cost of living in Salt Lake City to the cost of living in New York City. You are not going to find the same type of place for the same type of price.

Everyone seems to look at Tokyo and then compare it to where they live now then gawk at the prices without realizing that if you try to live in New York City (in the case of those from the US) you`re going to be paying just as much. Think about how silly it would sound to say "I did a search on house prices in the US, and it would cost me $2000 to rent a tiny apartment! My house right now (in average sized city) only costs me $800 a month and it has a yard and roofed parking space! Is there nothing more reasonable in the US?" - that is the equivalent, really.

Japan is a lot more than just Tokyo - Just like the US is a lot more than just New York. You can live very reasonably if you don`t insist on living in the biggest metropolitan area in the world.

If you were to live in a metropolitan area comparable to the size of Salt Lake City - Say, Kagoshima - you can find TONS of full out houses for rent for the equivalent of what you are paying or less.
For studio apartments, if you`re not picky you can get something from $150/month.

Do you live in a apartment, Nyororin?
(I find we are on the computer at the same time. Just saying for no reason.)

[Nyororin]

Originally Posted by Cayla

Do you live in a apartment?

I live in a condo. With privacy, a large yard, and a dedicated parking space... A lot more than can be said for a lot of houses.

[Cayla]

Originally Posted by Nyororin

I live in a condo. With privacy, a large yard, and a dedicated parking space... A lot more than can be said for a lot of houses.

Oh, a condo. Those are fine. Although they are almost the same as a hotel and an apartment.
But a condo is really really/ fancy I guess, But it's not really fancy, I don't know how to say it. Nice. Condos have cool stuff. I stayed in a condo in Ocean City once before. My aunt owns three condos and the whole family stayed.

[siokan]

In laying underground the power transmission line, the charge is 20 times or more. The time twice or more hangs in restoration from the disaster.
Great Hanshin earthquake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(The region where the power transmission line had been laid underground became harsh conditions)

Niseko and Yuzawa are immediately before the government finance failure.
(The entire Hokkaido is a bad debt)
It is a tax of people in Tokyo, Osaka, and Aichi for the construction cost.

When the tax revenue doesn't increase because of laying underground the power transmission line, it becomes a a municipality under rehabilitation.
The right of self-government is lost.

[MMM]

Originally Posted by Cayla

Oh, a condo. Those are fine. Although they are almost the same as a hotel and an apartment.
But a condo is really really/ fancy I guess, But it's not really fancy, I don't know how to say it. Nice. Condos have cool stuff. I stayed in a condo in Ocean City once before. My aunt owns three condos and the whole family stayed.

A condo is an apartment you buy.

An apartment is an apartment you rent.

[jbsongaku]

Originally Posted by MMM

A condo is an apartment you buy.

An apartment is an apartment you rent.

Wow. I didn't know that

You learn something new everyday

[Nyororin]

Condos tend to be better maintained and are often built a bit nicer than buildings built for rental purposes.
As a rental apartment is maintained by the landlord, the public spaces of the building tend to get minimal attention... But with a condo, the entire building is maintained by the residents, so the public areas tend to be given a lot more effort. The people who actually take care of the building *live* there rather than come by every once in a while. When something breaks, it is usually fixed very quickly... With rentals, unless it`s vital, it may not be fixed at all (it`s up to the landlord.)

Otherwise, they basically are the same thing. A building that has multiple units with a different family living in each one. The biggest difference is that in one, you pay by the length of time you live there and nothing is yours - and the other, you own everything inside the structural walls of your part, a percentage of the structure itself and a percentage of the land.

[GoNative]

I don't think we ever really use the word condominium in Australia. They're all just apartments whether you live in them or rent them out.

[GoNative]

Originally Posted by siokan

In laying underground the power transmission line, the charge is 20 times or more. The time twice or more hangs in restoration from the disaster.
Great Hanshin earthquake - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
(The region where the power transmission line had been laid underground became harsh conditions)

Niseko and Yuzawa are immediately before the government finance failure.
(The entire Hokkaido is a bad debt)
It is a tax of people in Tokyo, Osaka, and Aichi for the construction cost.

When the tax revenue doesn't increase because of laying underground the power transmission line, it becomes a a municipality under rehabilitation.
The right of self-government is lost.

Yeah but they have no shortage of funds for roads, bridges and tunnels do they? I couldn't believe the amount of tunnels (many very new or being built) in Hokkaido. In Australia they are rare as they cost so much but on parts of the Hokkaido coast you could barely see the water whilst driving as you spend so much time in tunnels! Many of the roads have obviously had 100's of millions of dollars spent on them but they are hardly even used! I reckon Japan probably spends far more each year on roads than even a massive country like Australia.
If even a small percentage of the money spent on such projects was put into helping out towns to have a facelift it would make a huge difference. But of course with how the political system works in Japan the huge amounts of pork barrel projects that go on means there's little money to go around for anything else.