日本國外買家助推東京樓市復甦

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

東京房地產市場在經歷了數十年的下滑後，正迎來一輪新的熱潮，樓盤熱銷、房價飆升、以及新一波國際買家涌入的消息充斥着東京地產市場。

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，日本某大型地產商一棟能俯瞰皇宮綠色景緻的大廈開盤，推出的22套新公寓在銷售的第一天即被搶購一空，其均價更是達到了每平方英尺2,219美元（約合每平米人民幣14.8萬元），創下2008年以來日本房價的新高。

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.

這樣的銷售神話在紐約、倫敦和新加坡已經成爲了家常便飯，但對於房價在過去20多年來一直萎靡不振的東京，這卻是一個希望的象徵，表明房地產市場終於迎來了真正的復甦。

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.

許多房地產業界人士將豪華公寓市場的繁榮歸功於所謂的“安倍經濟學”(Abenomics)，即日本首相安倍晉三(Shinzo Abe)自2012年12月以來推行的積極的經濟刺激計劃。他們還認爲，東京將會引起外國買家濃厚的興趣。另外，東京將舉辦2020年夏季奧運會，這無疑也會增加東京市場的吸引力。

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.

據東京智庫日本不動產經濟研究所(Real Estate Economic Institute Co.)的數據，2013年，東京市中心所有類型公寓銷售均價較上年上漲了10.8%，而這還是在同期新公寓供應量激增46%、達到28,340套的情況下實現的。

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.

東京主城區高端房地產銷售狀況沒有正式的數據，但房地產業管理人士給出了一些例證表明該市場正在強勁地復甦。比如，在東京赤阪(Akasaka)地區美國使館附近的一棟高層住宅樓，裏面一套兩臥室公寓最近報價達到了193萬美元，較一年半前它建成時的價格高出了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、新加坡和臺灣投資者爲首的外國買家也助推了房價的飆升。他們一般喜歡購買公認是最時尚街區周邊的房產，像青山(Aoyama)、赤阪、麻布(Azabu)和六本木(Roppongi)，當地人稱之爲“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.

在亞洲其他城市的房價連續數年飆升之後，這些買家開始在東京尋找價格划算的房產，這裏曾經是全世界消費最高的城市之一。過去兩年日元的大幅貶值也增加了日本對投資者的吸引力。

'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.'

芝加哥房地產顧問公司仲量聯行(Jones Lang Lasalle)駐東京的國際董事兼資本市場主管Akihiko Mizuno說，我們終於可以說，東京的房地產可以帶來資本增值了。他說，喜歡來東京、包括喜歡這裏各色美食的外國投資者一直是東京房地產市場的潛在買家。不過，直到現在，我們還不敢說日本是個投資的好地方。

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.

仲量聯行預計，對比不同城市主城區新樓盤的公寓價格，新加坡要比東京高出30%至40%，而香港更是要貴出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，仲量聯行在新加坡和香港舉辦了八場研討會，推介東京的住宅。Mizuno說，每場研討會都有大約200名投資者參加。一些人連房子都沒實地考察過就直接買了下來。

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.

此類活動把像Alex Chen這樣的買家帶到了東京市場。54歲的Alex Chen是一名臺灣企業主，他在中國大陸市場進行過大量的房地產投資。Alex Chen和其他六個臺灣人一起在最近的一個週六對東京中心區進行了一次旋風式的考察，他們參觀了一批投資型的公寓和小型商業樓。而就在一個月前，Alex Chen剛剛在東京另外一個區完成了他在日本的第一筆房地產投資：一套50萬美元的開間公寓。

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.

這羣投資者還考察了麻布區俄羅斯使館附近的一棟中高層公寓樓，參觀了待售的公寓，包括一套732平方英尺（約68平方米）、要價75萬美元的兩臥室公寓。Chen穿過裝有大理石臺面的狹窄廚房，看了看窗外的景觀，讚歎道，“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說，他是去年開始關注日本市場的，之前中國政府推出措施爲房地產市場降溫，使得中國市場不再那麼有吸引力。他說，日本市場迄今已經連續下跌了25年，這裏的房產更加便宜。

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.

爲了節省時間，參觀者們在乘坐的巴士上吃便當午餐，這時Chen說，他在認真考慮是不是要出手買套一臥室公寓。

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.

這次考察是由一家名爲Tokyu Livable Inc.的房產中介公司組織的，爲了適應公司越來越多的外國投資者業務需求，該公司配備了五名能講漢語的經紀人，還有幾位能講英語的經紀人。最近，該公司和臺灣一家旅行社簽署了一份協議，每週組織一次16人的日本看房遊，內容包括看房、購物和觀光。

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，倫敦高檔住宅開發商高富諾(Grosvenor Ltd.)位於六本木的Westminster項目推出了20套重新修葺一新的公寓，部分單位成交價高達每平方英尺1,941美元（約合每平米人民幣13萬元）。高富諾駐日本的首席代表Koshiro Hiroi說，據信這創下了東京翻修公寓售價的新高，而在東京一般是新公寓樓才能賣出更高的價格。他說，其中40%左右的買家是外國人，多數來自香港和新加坡。

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.

爲了讓公寓更加吸引外國富豪，高富諾對這棟建成11年的公寓樓進行了全面的翻新，請來了紐約室內裝飾師保羅・戴維斯(Paul Davis)主理。原來受日本人普遍喜愛的封閉式廚房被更適合宴請的開放式廚房取代，並添加了次衛。室內裝飾以簡潔爲基調，突出用料和質感。

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.

東京大型開發商森大廈株式會社(Mori Building Co.)的一棟商住兩用樓將於今年6月份完工，它將成爲東京市場的一塊試金石。這個名爲Toranomon Hills的項目計劃推出高層10層共172套公寓。銷售細節尚未確定，但東京房地產業管理人士預計其最高售價爲每平方英尺3,606美元（約合每平米人民幣24萬元），將創下20世紀90年代初日本房地產泡沫破滅以來東京房價的新高。