Japan apartment 'most expensive in the world'
House Minami-Azabu is in west Tokyo and is being sold by Japan Sotheby's International Realty.
An apartment that is believed to be the most expensive one-bedroom property in the world is on sale in Tokyo with a price tag of a cool Y1.8 billion ( 14.72 million).
The House Minami-Azabu is spread over more than 4,430 square feet of a condominium building in the Minami-Azabu district of west Tokyo and is being sold by Japan Sotheby's International Realty. The price means that 1 square foot of the property costs 3,320.33.
The owner of the penthouse apartment whom Sotheby's would only identify as a successful and married businessman spent 18 months completely refurbishing the property from a four-bedroom family home.
Stone and wood imported from Italy has been used for the walls, flooring and doors, a Japanese "ryotei"-style dining room is designed specifically for dinner parties where the chef can serve guests directly from the kitchen.
A separate "casual" dining room has a Parisian-style terrace overlooking the neighbouring park. The bedroom includes an expansive walk-in closet, while the bathroom incorporates a hot-tub and a 60-inch television.
The storage for shoes in the entrance has space to accommodate 200 pairs of shoes, but the focal point of the property is the courtyard with a surrounding lounge area where guests can "enjoy the charming seasonal garden".
"We have been quite surprised at the interest that has been shown in the property so far," Mika Takemura, of Sotheby's, told the reporters.
"We did not think we would get many inquiries at that price or with only one bedroom, but there have been several couples who have inquired about it," she said, adding that international businessmen who have to spend a couple of months in Tokyo every year have also expressed interest.
The company will not name the interested parties but Takemura said that they include "famous people in the business world".
The owner of the property is also selling off two more exclusive properties. A three-bedroom family home on the beach at Hayama, 90 minutes south of Tokyo and the summer residence of the Imperial Family, is on sale for Y1.3 billion ( 10.63 million), while a vacation home in the mountain resort of Karuizawa is on the market for Y550 million ( 4.5 million).
位于日本东京的一栋公寓以18亿日元（约合1472万英镑）的价格出售，成为世界上最昂贵的单卧室公寓。
这套豪华公寓坐落于东京都港区南麻布，占地约4430平方英尺，相当于每平方英尺售价3320.33英镑，目前正由日本苏富比国际地产公司挂牌出售。
这栋豪华公寓的主人 苏富比公司只透露他是一名已婚成功商人 花了18个月时间把原先的家庭四居室翻新为现在的单卧室公寓。
公寓内的墙壁、地板和门用的是意大利进口石材和木材；居室内专门为晚宴聚会设计了日式“料亭”风格餐厅，厨师可以直接从厨房给客人上菜。
另一个独立的休闲餐厅还带有一个巴黎风格的露台，可以俯瞰邻近的公园。卧室里有一个宽敞的走入式衣帽间，浴室里有热浴缸，还装有一台60英寸电视。
玄关处的鞋柜可容纳200双鞋。但该公寓的画龙点睛之笔还在于配有休息区的后花园，客人可以在那里“观赏四季迷人的花园”。
苏富比员工米卡 竹村告诉记者说：“到目前为止，已经有很多人表示对这套公寓有兴趣，十分出乎我们的意料。”
她说：“我们起初认为人们会因这所公寓的昂贵价格或只有一间卧室而少有问津，但目前已经有好几对夫妇前来咨询了。”她还补充道每年都要在东京待几个月的跨国商人们也表示对这所公寓感兴趣。
该公司并未透露有意向客户的身份，但竹村说其中不乏“商界名人”。
这栋公寓的主人与此同时还在出售另外两套高级豪宅。一所三卧室住宅位于东京以南90分钟车程的叶山海滩，售价13亿日元（约合1063万英镑），该房屋是皇家的夏季住宅。另一栋是位于轻井泽山区的一处度假屋，市场价5.5亿日元（约合450万英镑）。
Vocabulary:
condominium: 各户有独立产权的公寓
penthouse: 高楼上（尤指顶层）的豪华公寓
ryotei: 料亭，日本的一种价格高昂、地点隐秘的高级餐厅，专门供应日本高级传统菜式。最高档的料亭只接待熟客，头一次光临的客人必须由老主顾引见才能入内。
