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Homeownership by Single Women in Central Tokyo

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Divided Tokyo

Part of the book series: International Perspectives in Geography ((IPG,volume 11))

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Abstract

This chapter examines how developers’ perceived risks affected Tokyo’s condominium market, resulting in the emergence of a new lifestyle, social changes, and an urban divide within the Tokyo metropolitan area after the late 1990s. First, to identify their housing needs, we focus on the housing pathways of younger people, women, and other members of non-nuclear households who were marginalized in the post-war housing market of Japan. Then, single women’s homeownership and the new condominium developments responding to their emerging housing needs in central Tokyo are discussed. The results presented in this chapter indicate that major housing developers have attempted to conform to the needs of small-sized households, including those of single women, providing opportunities for homeownership in central Tokyo. The diversification of supply strategies by major housing suppliers has transformed the housing market in central Tokyo, resulting in wide-ranging alternatives for owner-occupied housing that meet homeowners’ needs, demands, and expectations.

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Notes

  1. 1.

    In this study, “central Tokyo” comprises 23 special wards of Tokyo. Among them, the five core wards in central Tokyo (Chuo, Chiyoda, Minato, Shinjuku, and Shibuya) are called “core wards of central Tokyo”.

  2. 2.

    Data source, Accessed on 12 August 2014 http://www.jgho.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/02/20140131_SH_Reserch.pdf#search=‘%E3%82%B7%E3%82%A7%E3%82%A2%E3%83%8F%E3%82%A6%E3%82%B9+%E5%89%B2%E5%90%88+%E6%97%A5%E6%9C%AC.

  3. 3.

    “Kon-katsu” denotes activities to improve the likelihood of getting married and being selected by a desirable partner, such as joining singles-matching parties, being a member of a company that arranges marriages, learning housekeeping skills, and taking classes on how to apply makeup or how to dress.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Life and Environmental Sciences, University of Tsukuba, Tsukuba, Ibaraki, Japan

    Tomoko Kubo

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  1. Tomoko Kubo
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Correspondence to Tomoko Kubo .

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Kubo, T. (2020). Homeownership by Single Women in Central Tokyo. In: Divided Tokyo. International Perspectives in Geography, vol 11. Springer, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-15-4202-2_4

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