ASAHIRINKEN
ASAHIRINKEN ARCHITECTS · TOKYO
Space and design
that create greater asset value.
Architectural design, build & renovation in Tokyo.
Design, filing, build, supervision,
one team all the way.
Founder Lin Bai · PhD in Architecture, Tokyo Tech
Previously Daiwa House, Mitsubishi Estate Group, Google
We design it, build it, own it, and run it
Because all four stay with us, the costs and the schedule are the real ones — and when something goes wrong there is no one else to hand it to.
Principal Architect
Principal architect
Lin BaiFounder / Chief Architect
- PhD in Architecture, Tokyo Institute of Technology · Researcher, Waseda University
- At Daiwa House (Fortune 500): worked with a European design team on planning and design of new-build projects nationwide
- Project manager at Hmlet Japan (Mitsubishi Estate Group): led premium co-living rentals in Shibuya and Roppongi, directing 5+ overseas designers
- Former office-space designer at Google
- Ongoing architectural research, with papers published every year
From the first draft to every check on site, I am there in person.
Our portfolio
Our portfolioAsahirinken is its own client. We hold the entire chain from design and construction to ownership and operation, and the portfolio keeps growing.
What we do
What we doArchitecture & supervision
New builds and renovations for homes, shops, offices and hotels. Concept, sun and code studies, approval, working drawings and site supervision are all handled by one team, so the scheme never drifts through subcontracting.
View works → 02 / INVESTMENTInvestment sourcing & renovation
We cost the renovation before purchase, then judge whether the target return is reachable. With design and construction in-house, the estimate is not theory.
See the logic → 03 / OPERATIONHotel & lodging operation
Two hotels designed, built and operated by us. We bear and verify the change in returns before and after renovation.
View works →Why us
Why usOne team, start to finish
Drawings, filing and site are the same people. Cost and schedule are fixed before work starts and handover is checked against the drawings — no “designer says ask the builder, builder says read the drawings”.
We are owners too
We do more than design — we hold and operate a portfolio we designed and built ourselves: hotels, long-term rentals, investment properties and projects under construction. We have tested with our own money which savings turn into trouble three years later.
Bilingual, fluent in Japanese approvals
Building approval, change of use, seismic standards, fire code and the hotel business act — we explain them clearly in Chinese and handle the counters in Japanese.
Selected works
Selected works
Shinjuku, Tokyo · Hotel guest room · designed, built & operated in-house
Tsukishima, Tokyo · Whole-building hotel · designed, built & operated in-house
Tsukishima, Tokyo · Our own office · designed and built by us
In operation · Japanese-style guest room · designed, built and run in-house
In operation · whole detached house · seven bedrooms · hot spring within walking distance
In operation · private garden · for guests only
Onsen-side lodging, whole house
Onsen-side lodgingIn operationA detached three-storey house with seven bedrooms, two bathrooms and three toilets, a lift and a private garden, let to one group at a time. Acquisition, design, construction and day-to-day operation are all ours.
Exterior · detached, three storeys
Japanese-style room · tatami and futon
Open kitchen · appliances and tableware provided
On site
On siteConstruction is our own team, never subcontracted — we show you exactly how the site is done. The same team goes from drawing to site, so we know where budget or schedule will slip while still drawing.
Down to the frame · structure and new windows
Replacing exterior windows · on site
Lodging under construction — timber frame, two new buildings at once
Lodging under construction — two sites running at the same time
Under consideration
Under considerationUnder reviewA pre-owned house two minutes from Tsukishima Station, a former dormitory. We are assessing acquisition — weighing renovation against a rebuild. The as-is photos are shown unedited: the costliest calls are made before construction.
Tsukishima, Tokyo · former dormitory, 8DK · as-is (exterior)
Tsukishima, Tokyo · former dormitory · as-is (interior)
Tsukishima, Tokyo · former dormitory · as-is (kitchen)
The rules we have run into
NotesWhen buying, renovating and licensing property in Japan, the most expensive mistakes happen before the contract is signed. These are the questions we keep running into on real projects.
改造预算里最容易超支的三项改修予算で超過しやすい三項目Three items that blow the renovation budget
给排水、电容量、隔音与消防，是改造预算里最常超支的三项。給排水、電気容量、遮音と消防。改修予算で最も超過しやすい三項目です。Plumbing, electrical capacity, and sound insulation with fire safety — the three items that most often overrun.
取得费用：除了房价还要准备多少取得費用：物件価格のほかに必要なものAcquisition costs beyond the purchase price
房价之外的取得费用会实实在在拉低实质利回率。物件価格以外の取得費用は、実質利回りを確実に押し下げます。The costs on top of the purchase price pull the real yield down, and they are easy to forget.
把住宅改成民宿或旅馆，要过哪几关住宅を民泊・旅館にするための関門Turning a home into lodging: the four gates
用途地域、用途变更、许可路线、消防，四关的顺序不能颠倒。用途地域、用途変更、許可のルート、消防。この4つの関門は順番を入れ替えられません。Zoning, change of use, which licence you pursue, and fire safety — four gates that must be taken in order.
检查済証没有，会有什么后果検査済証がない場合の影響What happens without a completion certificate
缺少检查済証不等于违法，但增改建、用途变更与融资都会受阻。検査済証がないこと自体は違法ではありませんが、増改築・用途変更・融資のいずれもが難しくなります。Missing the completion certificate is not itself illegal, but it obstructs extensions, change of use and financing alike.
The costliest mistakes happen before you break ground.
Send us the area, use and location; we reply first with a cost range and schedule.