Volume 20　日米英の住宅事情


The Life of a Building

Michael: Do you find that, that Japanese buildings are quite different in the way they're designed from those in the States?

Ann: Well, one thing I notice that's, and this has always struck me as being a very interesting cultural difference, is that here a building, the life of the building maybe is about 40 years.

Michael: Right.

Ann: And in the States often the older buildings, I mean, you could buy for example a brownstone in New York and it might have been around for 100 years or, or more and it wouldn't have devalued. Like here, after 40 years, usually the building's pretty much ready to be torn down and rebuilt. Whereas there often the value appreciates.

Michael: Yes.

Ann: Whereas here the minute you move in it starts depreciating.

Michael: Right. In England it's exactly the same, um-

Ann: As the States or here?

Michael: As the States. Uh, the area where I come from, there's a lot of development that was done in 1930s. So there's a lot of these terraced rows of 19-beautiful 1930s houses; they're still there. They retain their value. They're not cheaper because they're older.

Ann: Right, they're more expensive probably.

Michael: It, it doesn't affect the value at all. They're more expensive tin some cases. Whereas in Japan, as you say, things are changed very quickly, a very high rates of change with, especially in a city like Tokyo. 

Ann: Yes. And there's a real premium put on new things and I remember once when we were looking for a place and one of the realtors said to us, he says, "Oh I have something good to show you. It's a used house." And I said, "What does that mean, a used house?" Ha-ha. It's like your used car or, used . . . ? Ha-ha. I thought, how interesting 'cause we would never look at it that way. 

Michael: Right.

Ann: Right. You know, you know. So, OK, some people may have lived there before, but it's not used in that sense of, like, things you find at a recycle shop. 

Michael: Right, yes, the same attitude in England. Whereas here it's secondhand. It has that same kind of feeling as, as a secondhand car or something like that. 

Ann: Well, that has been our discussion this month of house hunting and moving and, uh, we've really enjoyed being with you, and we hope that you enjoyed discussing it or listening to the discussion. Um, this has been the moving season right in Japan.

Michael: It is, yes.

Ann: Right, February and into March. 

Michael: So, I'm sure a lot of our listeners are going to be moving into new places, which is very exciting.

Ann: And we wish you the best of luck.

Michael: Absolutely.

Ann: So, thank you very much for joining us and we hope your spring is getting off to a fabulous start.

Michael: Yes indeed. So,  goodbye from me.

Ann: And goodbye from me. Take care.

Michael: Bye-bye.