It should come as no surprise that 2020, which will most likely go down in history as the year which sprung one of the biggest, if not THE biggest and least expected surprises of the last few decades on the global economy, has brought forth not only one, but several major shifts to the world’s real estate property markets – and its effects on Japan are equally profound...

These homes are packed with charm, full of history and quickly disappearing. Over the last 30 years, Alex Kerr has given 574 presentations on the cultural importance of Japan’s minka (traditional village homes). For the first 573, his audiences were filled with nothing but local bureaucrats skeptical about lifting a finger to preserve these striking properties. “They all had to be convinced that minka are not worthless but wonderful,” Kerr told the audience at the Minka Summit, the site of the noted Japanologist’s 574th such presentation. “The people who are coming to this conference are really doing (things with) minka. You don’t need to be convinced that minka are wonderful.”

Kyoto's Arashiyama district is cleaner thanks to "smart" trash cans that compress waste and send alerts when full. These high-tech bins improve garbage collection efficiency, but challenges arise during crowded times when trucks struggle to access the area. As tourists return, more trash cans are needed, but each smart unit costs over ¥500,000, presenting a financial obstacle. A balance between technology and cost-effective solutions is crucial to maintaining the district's cleanliness amidst growing tourist numbers.

Japanese authorities convened an emergency meeting to address the yen's decline, signaling readiness to intervene against disorderly market movements. Amid concerns over the yen's 34-year low against the dollar, the Bank of Japan, Finance Ministry, and Financial Services Agency hinted at potential interventions and pledged to respond through monetary policy if necessary.