Data Sources and How We Estimate Costs

Data sources

• Closed schools: based on the list of closed school facilities seeking new users published by the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology (MEXT) "Minna no Haikou" project, edited by haikou.jp.
• Transaction prices: based on real estate transaction price data from the Real Estate Information Library of the Ministry of Land, Infrastructure, Transport and Tourism (MLIT), edited by haikou.jp.
• Maps: maps and address search by the Geospatial Information Authority of Japan (GSI).
• Listings by municipalities, owners and agents: information registered by the lister.

This content is not created by the government or the agencies above. Please confirm the conditions and the latest status with the contact for each property. English translations of listings are machine-assisted; the Japanese original prevails.

How we estimate costs

For each property we show three separate estimates.

1. Acquisition price (or rent): the published price if there is one. If not, we use winning bids and closed deals for similar properties nearby, or official transaction prices in the municipality.
2. Restoring infrastructure and the building: work needed to make the building usable again, such as the power substation (cubicle), water supply, drainage and septic tank, roof waterproofing, fire safety equipment, the asbestos pre-survey and seismic work. We only add items that the year built and facilities suggest are needed.
3. Renovation for each use: for each use, such as office, lodging, care or food, we add "floor area used x unit cost for that use", equipment specific to that use (sprinklers, kitchens and so on), design fees, change-of-use applications and a contingency.

Unit costs are based on typical construction prices, but real costs vary widely with the condition of the building, the region and the scope of work. Get a site survey and quotes before you make plans.

Amounts in US dollars are shown for reference only, at a fixed exchange rate set by us.