A newly constructed apartment building in a Tokyo suburb will be demolished in the month before the apartments are handed over to buyers, after angry locals complained that the building blocked their view of Mount Fuji.
The 10-story apartment building on Fujimi Street — which translates to “Fuji View” — in the Kunitachi suburb consists of 18 condominium units, which range in price from about 70 million yen to 100 million yen (US$445,000 to 636,000), according to the company. Construction Sekisui House Ltd.
The company issued apology on Tuesday, saying the building has a “significant impact” on the landscape.
“We have concluded that the view from Fujimi Street should take priority. We have voluntarily decided to cancel the project,” she said in a statement on her website.
A company spokesman told Bloomberg News that the company will compensate buyers' costs and help arrange other housing for them if necessary. No financial loss has been revealed for the soon-to-be demolished building.
Sekiswe House @SekisuiHouse_
Fujimi Street as seen from Kunitachi Station #Mount Fuji I can not see it. Will we be able to see it again once this 10-storey apartment building is completed? Of course, this may be in accordance with landscape law and so on, but it is very shocking. (I hope it spreads) pic.twitter.com/WleLNFSRoh– Miki Takeuchi (@takekan) December 19, 2023
Views of Mount Fuji, a UNESCO World Heritage Site, are a real estate selling point in Japan. “Fujimi” is a common term that can be used to name anything from streets to apartment buildings to… The whole city, usually announcing a view of the landmark. Kunitachi was selected in a Government guide For the top 100 spots to watch Fuji in the region.
The building obstructed the view of the mountain from the local train station, according to a post on X It was Takeuchiis an associate professor at Hitotsubashi University, which has a campus in Kunitachi.
While views of the famous mountain are highly prized by Japanese people, tourists' right to see them has recently become a topic of debate. The country is experiencing a tourism boom due to the weak yen and the desire to travel after the epidemic, and locals complain that visitors are disrupting the popular viewing sites of Mount Fuji.
In May, local authorities in the holiday city of Fujikawaguchiko put in place an opaque cover roadblock In a small shop in the distance with Mount Fuji as a backdrop. The site was packed with photo-hungry tourists looking for the perfect Instagram shot. A second barrier was also recently installed at Overpass With a similar attractive view in Fuji City.
Sekisui House has not released future plans for the Kunitachi location.