TOKYO – At the end of a long day spent in the offices of the Japanese professional baseball league, Asumi Fujiwara returned to her apartment and put on her pajamas.
She wanted to do a light workout before bed, so she placed her vinyl yoga mat on the floor in front of the toilet, rolled it out over the single burner and single slice toaster, and went to the bathroom. writing desk.
After stretching a little, he rose to assume the warrior stance.
Although, instead of fully extending her arms, she put her elbows into her hips.
Fujiwara, a 29-year-old woman, said:
“Necessary change my positions or I’ll hit something. “
This is life in an almost 9 square meter apartment in Tokyo.
With high property prices and being the most populous metropolitan area in the world, Tokyo has long been known for its very limited real estate properties.
However, these new apartments (known as quarters) three tatamisDue to the number of standard Japanese carpets that would cover the space of the room) are breaking the mold of ordinary homes.
A real estate developer, Spilytus, spearheaded this move into even smaller spaces.
It has operated these compact apartments since 2015 and, with over 1,500 residents now in its 100 buildings, demand has remained intense.
Although the units are half the size of a studio in Tokyo, they have 13-foot ceilings and an attic for sleeping.
They are also elegant, with white floors and immaculate walls, as well as efficient organization.
It is possible to put a washing machine, a refrigerator, a sofa and a desk to work.
The apartments are not for those on a modest budget.
There are cheaper apartments, even if they are decades old.
However, micro-apartments, which range from $ 340 to $ 630 per month to rent, cost a couple of hundred dollars less than other studios in similar areas.
In addition, they are located near trendy locations in central Tokyo such as Harajuku, Nakameguro and Shibuya, which are generally very expensive, with luxury shops, cafes and restaurants.
Most of the buildings are close together subway stations (the priority for many young people).
More than two-thirds of the building’s residents are 20-year-olds, who earn an average of about $ 17,000 to $ 20,000 annually in Japan, according to government data.
Salaries in Toyio are among the highest.
Some are attracted by the minimal down payment and the absence of a “gift money” deposit (a non-refundable payment to the landlord that can go up to three months rental) for many rental places.
Small spaces fit the lifestyle of many young Japanese people.
In Japan it is not customary to receive people in homes, almost a third of young people say so they never hosted of their friendships, according to a survey by Growth From Knowledge, a data provider for the consumer goods industry.
Fujiwara hasn’t even invited his partner to stay in the nearly two years he has lived in his apartment.
He commented: “This space is for me”.
In addition, many Japanese, young and old, work long hours, leaving little time to spend at home.
An increasing number of people in Tokyo live alone, making smaller spaces more desirable.
These people are likely to eat at a restaurant or buy one of several meal options at a convenience store, then one full kitchen it is less necessary.
Yugo Kinoshita, 19, a college student who works part-time making bowls of beef at a restaurant chain, is among those for whom an apartment is little more than a place to sleep.
When his shift ends, there is an hour to midnight and he is exhausted.
He eats his free employee meal, goes to a public bathroom “sat” and falls asleep the instant he returns to his apartment in Spilito.
It also fills his days tasks for his nutrition studies and spends time with friends.
When at home, the box that doubles as a TV stand turns into a desk and kitchen counter.
To clean the floor, all you need is a lint remover roll.
Even after having to say a painful goodbye to his sneaker collection nike dunks since there was no room for her, Kinoshita said that at this point in her life “she would not live anywhere else”.
For some residents, the tiny apartments offer a portal to a expected independence long since.
Independence
Two years ago, 26-year-old Kana Komatsubara started looking for an apartment so she could finally move out of her parents’ home on the outskirts of Tokyo.
He wanted a newly built apartment, easy access to work, as well as separate toilets and showers (a common request in Japan) and all within his relatively tight budget.
She wasn’t necessarily looking for a microunit, but her search led her to her apartment in Spilytus.
Komatsubara expressed:
“Of course, the more the better. It never affects having a larger space. This was just the Best option for me at that moment “.
c.2022 The New York Times Company
Source: Clarin
