Danchi

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Danchi (団地, Danchi^?) is the Japanese word (literally 'group land') for a large cluster of apartment buildings. The Japan Housing Corporation, now called UR or Urban Renaissance Agency, was founded in 1955. During the 50's, 60's, and 70's, the UR built many such low-rent apartment complexes in the outskirts of urban areas to offset the housing demand of the then-increasing Japanese population. ^[1] Fewer and fewer Japanese live in the gradually aging danchi, generally desiring individual housing left over from the Japanese bubble -- new and exclusive private apartments, called mansion. Many danchi are owned by large corporations, who encourage employees to live alongside their colleagues, sometimes rent-free, in order to foster a corporate 'family' atmosphere.

The rent payment for a danchi is much cheaper than the lease of a mansion or mortgage of a used or new house, but usually the prospective tenant must participate in a lottery in order to be assigned an open apartment. The Japanese housing authority then assigns the tenant. Some danchi are extremely new and modern, but since there is a lottery for assignment and many open apartments in the older danchi, it is a risk to enter public housing.

[edit] References

1. ^ Showa 30s Movie Revives Interest in Danchi, p. 15

• Yamashita, Tsutomu. "Showa 30s Movie Revives Interest in Danchi", column, Asahi Shimbun, 2007-12-09, p. 15. 

Exploration + Photo Essay of Abandoned Danchis, Nagasaki, Japan