Originally published at: Inside a Japanese micro apartment — could you live in 90 Sq Ft? | Boing Boing
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Seems ok but i do think having the toilet next to the kitchen is… not great. It should be inside the shower area and it could free up a little bit of space by the kitchen. As far as would i want to live in such a space? I would’ve seriously considered it when i was in my 20s if it was seriously affordable, but where i’m at in life now i need more space.
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Live, yes. Like? Fuck, no.
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What I always see in these is that in the US a lot of people think they need well over a thousand square feet to live in. But take this basic apartment and expand it even 5 times and you’ve got quite a lot of space. In less than 500 square feet.
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I have a 133 sq. ft. and I love it. I live there for almost a decade now. As for the one on the video, such toilet would be unacceptable for me.
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I don’t know what that is in the opening shot, but the toilet is in with the shower.
It is cleverly designed. Also designed for a smaller person
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That does look like a toilet in the header image, but in the video the trash/recycling bin is between the kitchen and TV. There is a toilet in the bathroom, so there is no real need for a second one.
Earlier this summer I stayed with my family in two different apartment/hotels a short distance from there. Each more like 300 sq ft with one full and a sofa or twin bed. They cost roughly 5 times the amount per night. Of the two, we highly recommend the Fraser Residence on the far side of Nankai station. We’ve stayed there three times in the past decade. It’s the standard by which we judge all other such places.
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My brother has lived in the Umeda district of Osaka for going on 25 years in the same ~300 sq ft apartment. Roughly the size of a typical American hotel room (actually it’s probably smaller than that).
I’m made to understand that changing apartments is not typical in Japan because of the substantial upfront rental costs and logistical challenges with moving.
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When I lived in Tokyo, my apartment (which I shared with another adult human) was about 150 sqft. It was manageable. We didn’t have a lot of extra stuff, that’s for sure. It would be a little easier today with so much media being intangible—my CD collection took up space, my books took up space, etc.
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I could survive. I wouldn’t call it living.
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I couldn’t listen to the cringey-douchey babble for more than about 15 seconds. I’m sure the locals loved this guy.
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People could.
Nobody should have to.
These pictures pretty much make the case for minimum floorspace standards and the provision of public housing. Living in such confined spaces is surely not good for mental health, and even attempting to would necessitate reliance on other space outside the home in order to live even vaguely comfortably there.
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I could absolutely live in that space permanently, so long as I could make a few furnishing changes. I truly love and feel most comfortable in small spaces. The location would be a bit noisy for me, though.
Maybe one day I’ll fulfil my tiny house dream!
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a three-storey brick Edwardian Queen Anne (1910) has entered the chat
There is no way either me nor my BF - a bassist and electronic musician - could survive in 90 sq ft. I haven’t asked the three cats, but I have my suspicions.
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Obgilatory:
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(after learning that isn’t a toilet in the middle)
I’d replace the TV with a small computer desk and live there with absolute glee!
Oh, and probably a floor-to-ceiling stack of storage bins.
edit: it even has a freaking tub! I’d sign a lease right this moment if I had a job/visa lined up. (oh, also it needs decent internet)
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This is as big as the RVs that thousands of North Americans live in. I dunno why people are surprised by this. RVs are very cleverly designed to save space too. Many better than this apartment.
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I don’t understand why he says he’ll have to sit on the floor to eat. What about sitting on the blue-upholstered settee; just slide the table over to it.
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This tiny place is obviously a kind of Air BnB for short term stays. There are some very small units for longer term living in Japan, and they’re larger. You can see them reviewed on YouTube.
No, thank you, very much. That’s about the size of a holding cell in Brooklyn criminal court.
