日本国外买家助推东京楼市复苏

After decades of slumping property sales, Tokyo is abuzz with news of hot properties, rising prices and a new wave of international buyers.

东京房地产市场在经历了数十年的下滑后，正迎来一轮新的热潮，楼盘热销、房价飙升、以及新一波国际买家涌入的消息充斥着东京地产市场。

Last fall, a major Japanese developer put 22 new condominiums on the market in a building overlooking the lush green of the emperor's palace. All 22 sold on the first day of sales. The average price per square foot -- $2,219 -- was the highest seen in Japan since 2008.

去年秋天，日本某大型地产商一栋能俯瞰皇宫绿色景致的大厦开盘，推出的22套新公寓在销售的第一天即被抢购一空，其均价更是达到了每平方英尺2,219美元（约合每平米人民币14.8万元），创下2008年以来日本房价的新高。

Such a tale may be commonplace in cities such as New York, London and Singapore. But in Tokyo, where property prices have been tumbling for more than two decades, it is a sign of hope that the market is finally experiencing real recovery.

这样的销售神话在纽约、伦敦和新加坡已经成为了家常便饭，但对于房价在过去20多年来一直萎靡不振的东京，这却是一个希望的象征，表明房地产市场终于迎来了真正的复苏。

Many in the real-estate industry credit the boom in the luxury condo market to so-called Abenomics -- an aggressive stimulus plan pursued since December 2012 by Prime Minister Shinzo Abe. They also say Tokyo is seeing strong interest from foreign buyers. Adding to the city's appeal are the Summer Olympic Games to be hosted in the city in 2020.

许多房地产业界人士将豪华公寓市场的繁荣归功于所谓的“安倍经济学”(Abenomics)，即日本首相安倍晋三(Shinzo Abe)自2012年12月以来推行的积极的经济刺激计划。他们还认为，东京将会引起外国买家浓厚的兴趣。另外，东京将举办2020年夏季奥运会，这无疑也会增加东京市场的吸引力。

According to Real Estate Economic Institute Co., a Tokyo think tank, the average selling price for all types of condominiums in central Tokyo rose 10.8% in 2013 from a year earlier, even as the supply of new units surged by 46% to 28,340.

据东京智库日本不动产经济研究所(Real Estate Economic Institute Co.)的数据，2013年，东京市中心所有类型公寓销售均价较上年上涨了10.8%，而这还是在同期新公寓供应量激增46%、达到28,340套的情况下实现的。

No formal indicator exists for high-end properties on the city's prime blocks, but real-estate executives give anecdotal evidence suggesting a strong recovery for the segment. For example, a two bedroom in a high-rise residential building near the U.S. embassy in Akasaka was recently put on the market for about $1.93 million, up more than 30% from its price when the building was completed 1 1/2 years ago, real-estate executives say.

东京主城区高端房地产销售状况没有正式的数据，但房地产业管理人士给出了一些例证表明该市场正在强劲地复苏。比如，在东京赤坂(Akasaka)地区美国使馆附近的一栋高层住宅楼，里面一套两卧室公寓最近报价达到了193万美元，较一年半前它建成时的价格高出了30%以上。

Foreign buyers -- led by investors from Hong Kong, Singapore and Taiwan -- are helping to push up prices. They tend to prefer properties in the neighborhoods considered the most fashionable: Aoyama, Akasaka, Azabu and Roppongi, referred to locally as '3As and an R.'

以香港、新加坡和台湾投资者为首的外国买家也助推了房价的飙升。他们一般喜欢购买公认是最时尚街区周边的房产，像青山(Aoyama)、赤坂、麻布(Azabu)和六本木(Roppongi)，当地人称之为“三A一R”。

After years of surges in property prices in other Asian cities, these buyers are finding bargains in Tokyo, once one of the world's most expensive cities. Sharp depreciation of the yen over the past two years helps make Japan attractive to investors.

在亚洲其他城市的房价连续数年飙升之后，这些买家开始在东京寻找价格划算的房产，这里曾经是全世界消费最高的城市之一。过去两年日元的大幅贬值也增加了日本对投资者的吸引力。

'Finally, we can say properties in Tokyo can offer capital appreciation,' said Akihiko Mizuno, international director and head of capital markets in Tokyo at Jones Lang LaSalle, a Chicago real-estate-services company. 'There has always been potential demand for properties in Tokyo from foreign investors who like visiting the city, including fans of its great food. But until now, we just couldn't say Japan was a good investment.'

芝加哥房地产顾问公司仲量联行(Jones Lang Lasalle)驻东京的国际董事兼资本市场主管Akihiko Mizuno说，我们终于可以说，东京的房地产可以带来资本增值了。他说，喜欢来东京、包括喜欢这里各色美食的外国投资者一直是东京房地产市场的潜在买家。不过，直到现在，我们还不敢说日本是个投资的好地方。

JLL estimates that compared with Tokyo, prices of condos in brand-new buildings on prime city blocks are 30 to 40% more expensive in Singapore and 70% higher in Hong Kong.

仲量联行预计，对比不同城市主城区新楼盘的公寓价格，新加坡要比东京高出30%至40%，而香港更是要贵出70%。

Last year, the real-estate company held eight seminars in Singapore and Hong Kong to pitch Tokyo's residential market. Each was attended by about 200 investors, Mr. Mizuno said. Some bought properties sight unseen.

去年，仲量联行在新加坡和香港举办了八场研讨会，推介东京的住宅。Mizuno说，每场研讨会都有大约200名投资者参加。一些人连房子都没实地考察过就直接买了下来。

Such efforts have brought to Tokyo buyers like Alex Chen, a Taiwanese business owner with extensive experience in investing in real-estate developments in China. With six others from Taiwan, the 54-year-old investor took a whirlwind tour of central Tokyo on a recent Saturday, looking at scores of condos and small commercial buildings for investment. Just a month ago, Mr. Chen bought a studio apartment in another part of Tokyo for about $500,000 as his first real-estate investment in Japan.

此类活动把像Alex Chen这样的买家带到了东京市场。54岁的Alex Chen是一名台湾企业主，他在中国大陆市场进行过大量的房地产投资。Alex Chen和其他六个台湾人一起在最近的一个周六对东京中心区进行了一次旋风式的考察，他们参观了一批投资型的公寓和小型商业楼。而就在一个月前，Alex Chen刚刚在东京另外一个区完成了他在日本的第一笔房地产投资：一套50万美元的开间公寓。

The group made a stop at a midrise apartment building next to the Russian embassy in the Azabu neighborhood and looked at available apartments, including a 732-square-foot, two-bedroom unit offered at $750,000. Mr. Chen walked through its narrow kitchen with marble countertops and checked out the view. 'Fantastic!' he declared.

这群投资者还考察了麻布区俄罗斯使馆附近的一栋中高层公寓楼，参观了待售的公寓，包括一套732平方英尺（约68平方米）、要价75万美元的两卧室公寓。Chen穿过装有大理石台面的狭窄厨房，看了看窗外的景观，赞叹道，“真棒！”

Mr. Chen said he became interested in Japan last year after the Chinese government's move to cool the local property market made investing in the country less attractive. 'The Japanese market has been coming down for 25 years now. Japan is cheaper,' he said.

Chen说，他是去年开始关注日本市场的，之前中国政府推出措施为房地产市场降温，使得中国市场不再那么有吸引力。他说，日本市场迄今已经连续下跌了25年，这里的房产更加便宜。

By the time the participants were served lunch in bento boxes on their bus to save time, Mr. Chen said he was seriously considering making a bid on a one-bedroom.

为了节省时间，参观者们在乘坐的巴士上吃便当午餐，这时Chen说，他在认真考虑是不是要出手买套一卧室公寓。

The tour was organized by Tokyu Livable Inc., an agency that has five Chinese-speaking brokers and several English-speakers for its growing business targeting non-Japanese investors. Recently, the company signed an agreement with a Taiwanese travel agency to organize a weekly property tour for 16 people, who will combine property viewing with shopping and sightseeing.

这次考察是由一家名为Tokyu Livable Inc.的房产中介公司组织的，为了适应公司越来越多的外国投资者业务需求，该公司配备了五名能讲汉语的经纪人，还有几位能讲英语的经纪人。最近，该公司和台湾一家旅行社签署了一份协议，每周组织一次16人的日本看房游，内容包括看房、购物和观光。

When Grosvenor Ltd., a London-based developer of luxury residential properties, offered 20 renovated apartments in the Westminster in Roppongi last year, some units fetched $1,941 per square foot. That is believed to be the highest sales price for renovated condos in Tokyo, where brand-new buildings typically command big premiums, said Koshiro Hiroi, Grosvenor's chief representative in Japan. About 40% of the buyers were non-Japanese, mostly from Hong Kong and Singapore, he said.

去年，伦敦高档住宅开发商高富诺(Grosvenor Ltd.)位于六本木的Westminster项目推出了20套重新修葺一新的公寓，部分单位成交价高达每平方英尺1,941美元（约合每平米人民币13万元）。高富诺驻日本的首席代表Koshiro Hiroi说，据信这创下了东京翻修公寓售价的新高，而在东京一般是新公寓楼才能卖出更高的价格。他说，其中40%左右的买家是外国人，多数来自香港和新加坡。

To make the condos more appealing to wealthy foreign investors, Grosvenor did extensive renovations -- overseen by New York interior designer Paul Davis -- in the 11-year-old building. Enclosed kitchens -- generally preferred by Japanese -- were replaced by open kitchen suitable for entertaining. Second bathrooms also were added. The interiors are simple, emphasizing materials and texture.

为了让公寓更加吸引外国富豪，高富诺对这栋建成11年的公寓楼进行了全面的翻新，请来了纽约室内装饰师保罗・戴维斯(Paul Davis)主理。原来受日本人普遍喜爱的封闭式厨房被更适合宴请的开放式厨房取代，并添加了次卫。室内装饰以简洁为基调，突出用料和质感。

A test case will be a new mixed-use tower to be completed in June by Mori Building Co., a prime Tokyo developer. Mori plans to offer 172 apartments on 10 high floors of the building, Toranomon Hills. Details of the sale haven't been set, but real-estate executives in Tokyo are aiming to sell them for up to $3,606 per square foot -- a price that hasn't been seen in Tokyo since Japan's property bubble burst in the early 1990s.

东京大型开发商森大厦株式会社(Mori Building Co.)的一栋商住两用楼将于今年6月份完工，它将成为东京市场的一块试金石。这个名为Toranomon Hills的项目计划推出高层10层共172套公寓。销售细节尚未确定，但东京房地产业管理人士预计其最高售价为每平方英尺3,606美元（约合每平米人民币24万元），将创下20世纪90年代初日本房地产泡沫破灭以来东京房价的新高。