These tiny buildings are 100% legal in Japan
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- เผยแพร่เมื่อ 6 มี.ค. 2024
- There are some crazy, weird, tiny buildings in Japan. Let’s check them out and learn why and how they exist.
Special thanks to Alex from Tokyo Portfolio for getting us inside the tiny apartment / @tokyoportfolio
- Old school cafe in Taito goo.gl/maps/9PQeqiqWk2QuLyPv8
- Building in the middle of intersection in Edogawa goo.gl/maps/99ngxRjpV7stcoHu6
- Museca times hamburger shop in Yanaka Ginza goo.gl/maps/vSLc2nxaUPWJXWvz7
- Listing for tiny apartment building in Nerima suumo.jp/library/tf_13/sc_131...
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- Zoning map for Nerima www.city.nerima.tokyo.jp/kuse...
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We had fun checking out these tiny buildings around Tokyo. The biggest surprise for me was how normal they felt.
- Old school cafe in Taito goo.gl/maps/9PQeqiqWk2QuLyPv8
- Building in the middle of intersection in Edogawa goo.gl/maps/99ngxRjpV7stcoHu6
- Museca times hamburger shop in Yanaka Ginza goo.gl/maps/vSLc2nxaUPWJXWvz7
- Listing for tiny apartment building in Nerima suumo.jp/library/tf_13/sc_13120/to_1001964099/?bs=040
I would be afraid of 5mph winds all the time but I'd still love to live in one. haha
Tokyo Lens also did a tour of the yellow building with the orange accents and he narrowly avoided hitting his head on the staircase on the way up.
his was fosho quirkier. lol@@d0lph1n63
How does one say claustrophobic in Japanese?
I think its pronounced parsimonious scrimp or frugal. lol@@2sday538
I was thinking there was no way I could live in that apartment until you said $250/mo. Maybe I could make it work after all, lol.
Exactly! Fibre internet? Clean facilities? Safe area? That goes for *at least* 1.2k/mo here! :|
Yeah sure until you start to wonder how is the furnitures going to come in...hell delivering packages to the room is a pain too.
futon, small chair and small folding table easy@@cordeliacentauri1737
@@cordeliacentauri1737I guess you can’t fit that much furniture in the first place lol probably a futon, a table for 2 with one chair and a mini fridge 🤔
how wasy is it to get there by the train?
That cafe with the vines just looks like a wall next to that other building 😊
At first glance looks like a leftover wall isn't it?
yea its such a beauty, but I believe they would have some bugs or insect issues.
Alex knows where all the most interesting residential buildings are!
BTW, the expression on the older gentleman's face watching Akko take her measuring steps at the end was priceless!
I'm glad you caught that one!
Honestly I could totally live in that apartment. It looks like a great single / bachlors flat. Only thing that is concerning is that narrow stairway. I could not even fit my suitcase up there.....
You’d be better off buying a wash basin and washing in it in your closet.
And considering how cheap prepared food is at Japanese grocery stores and konbini, it's very doable.
Honestly a lot of people rent small flats like that as extra storage space
I am a firm believer in quality over quantity. I would rather live in a small space in a nice area than a large place in a bad area. Japan is SO nice to live in, that living in a small space is perfectly fine, and honestly living in a small space might be SUPERIOR because it forces you to go out and explore, as well as keeping material possessions to a minimum. Housing depreciates, houses fall apart.... So my mentality is why invest more into housing than necessary? An apartment, home, factory, workshop, store is JUST a means to an end, by staying small and spending less resources I have MORE resources to spend on things that actually matter.
That apartment is PUSHING what I think is acceptable, but it is still acceptable.
Many people don't actually need a lot of space so why pay for it? Japan is truly remarkable.
Here in the USA we simply aren't building cheap housing, we have NO diversity when it comes to housing. Many people might not want to live like this, and that's fine, but at least Japan has the OPTION for the people who do like living like this. That's what's so important.
Many people not share my views, and many people might not like small spaces, but I DO like small spaces so I would at least like the option.
@@brycemcewen6146 " Honestly a lot of people rent small flats like that as extra storage space"
Could also work as a commuter home, rented for being close to the office, then go to your home further out on the weekend. Or for some high schooler sent off to a private school far from home, bonus of being smaller so they fit better.
I like realtor Alex. You should use him more in videos cause you guy's give off the same good energy vibes!
I felt claustrophobic watching this.
Was so happy to see a new video from you so soon. Always a pleasure.
Thank you for bringing this to us.
Yes, that made my latent claustrophobia come out. I'm not sure I could make it up that staircase. But for $250/month maybe...
I felt the opposite…I kinda like tiny spaces.
As long as there is a window and I can climb down, I'm in.
What happens if there is an earthquake?
I actually live in a trailer with both of my parents, (I'm not always home though) and I felt uneasy watching it myself lol
The architect of this one had a fun challenge for sure.
I don't mind small spaces but it's the noise you hear from neighbors keep you up at night as I'm a very light sleeper.
And the traffic, but it seemed like a low traffic area.
@@gunnar6674 Japanese walls are so thin it can hear every footsteps and neighbor talking
In that yellow building, you don't have neighbors to your sides. You have the floor all to yourself.
$250 a month. We need about 50,000 of those apartments spread throughout the US.
Alex from Tokyo Profile and Life Where I'm From!!! This is the crossover we didn't know we needed.
Tokyo Portfolio. Not profile. But absolutely agree, this was a great video!!!!
Next, Chris Broad.
@@jtho8937 Maybe Sharla because her and Greg are Canadian and then Chris.
Don't forget Norm from Tokyo Lens is also Canadian! It would be awesome to see a collaboration between all of them.
Still can't wrap my head around that side-mounted toilet
Here in Vancouver, BC, "Van Life" is a real alternative to overpriced, tiny apartments, and vans are smaller than these apartments. I lived in a van for 2 1/2 years and my current apartment is just under 28 sq m (about the size of 3 regulation parking spaces). Tiny home life has many advantages; fast to clean and maintain, minimalist lifestyle, creative decorating, use less resources (esp heating/cooling), save money, gets you outside and into public spaces more often. Also, most studies of the way people actually use the space in their homes shows that some entire rooms/areas are seldom used, like closets, dining rooms, etc., whilst eat-in kitchens are used extensively so much less space is required to live than what we currently use.
Plus these apartments are far more stackable than vans (6 stories in this case!) and have full utilities.
But isn't the real luxury to have that space available? Sure, when money is tight because you don't have it or are saving it up for other goals, living small and efficiently is a good thing. But ultimately it sucks having to repurpose the same space multiple times per day. People like having spots they can underuse and then leave just as they are.
@@Volkbrecht As a person who's 60 years old now - I can honestly say that I have discovered 'how much is enough' and the answer is 'One actually doesn't need much at all'. Even in my van I did not repurpose space as I set up the bed permanently (easier for napping too!)
Backpacking, for years at a time, taught me all that I truly need I can carry in one bag on my back. The feeling of freedom and self-direction is much more satisfying to many of us rather than under-use of stuff or space.
Attics, basements, guest rooms, garages (and vehicles themselves), etc., are repositories for things one doesn't really need at the same time enabling excess consumption
You (rhetorically) ask, '...isn't the real luxury to have that space available?' and I respond, 'No. The real luxury is experiencing a life unencumbered by excess and filled with new scenery, people, places, foods, languages, nature, etc., etc.'
@@drunkvegangal8089True, but I do feel like some people would have to swallow a very difficult pill to accept that kind of life when most are used to much bigger spaces.
@@theorangeoof926 I do understand your point of view about space. I was born and raised in Canada - land of tons of space - and exactly this shared mentality :D
Truth is that the majority, the huge majority, of people never had much space in their dwelling for most of human history. When a child even my grandmother (b. 1903) shared one bed with all her female siblings and the further back one goes the less space most people had.
Loneliness and isolation are just two of the mental health concerns we face today which just didn't exist in our past (except for the very wealthy and extremely atheistic/religious practitioners).
Image a childhood where you were seldom alone; where whenever you woke up you could hear your loved ones breathing and they kept you warm.
Many slept with the whole family in the same room - most of the world still lives like this. Where if you woke from a nightmare you were instantly comforted and, when bereaved, injured, or just sad, the entire family was in close proximity.
Makes me wonder what damage our obsession with space (and things) has wrought.
My husband and I live in Korea and our first studio apartment was similar in size to the yellow building apartment but it was a rectangular shape. We lived there quite comfortably actually and it worked well for us. The only reason we moved was because I got pregnant and once our son was a toddler that place wouldn't have worked. But for singles or newly weds saving up for a larger place these tiny homes are great. Ours was $500 a month though with a $2,000 deposit so I am a bit jealous.
Did yours come with its own private bathroom?
Great tour, as always! Thank-you from BC!
Alex has such a fun personality.
First tim i saw him was in one of Chriss's Abroad In Japan videos,
and now he is making an apperance here too! This is great
You have an uncanny knack for finding very interesting topics to feature in your videos about Japan/Japanese culture. Well done!
Who else saw this tiny apartment featured on Tokyo Lens???
Funny thing is that I filmed this in June 2023. I just had a bunch of other projects I was working on.
That's why this is so familiar to me!
I was gonna ask about this...
Life where im from > tokyo lens
@@ika32no need to make it a competition, theyre both great
Always quality content 👍. Thk u very much.
All the videos where is Tokyo Portfolio are great. Keep that collaboration going.
I love those tiny places, they have such a cozy atmosphere.
This is so fascinating! I always learn so much watching this channel 😊😊
Eating at a place for a few minutes is one thing. But man alive, having to work in such a small space would make me both mentally and physically sick! But, hey, for $250 a month, if I worked full time and used the space mainly for sleeping/showering, I might take that triangle apartment. (For a while.) I can't find anything in Chicago for less than $1,000 a month. So there you go. It's better than being on the street.
Yeah, I'd assume a small place like that isn't a long term solution. Good for a student or some single person who is out most of the time. There's a lot of light from the windows, which I think would help out a lot. I've personally lived in smaller rooms / setups before, so I would have rented a place like this in my 20s.
@@LifeWhereImFrom Was the toilet room shared with other apartments, though? That would be a deal breaker for me.
@@Yesica1993 If my memory serves me correct, each apartment gets their own toilet.
@@LifeWhereImFrom Oh, okay!
@@LifeWhereImFrom
"Microapartments are inhumane" say many people who went through college in dorm rooms that were even smaller... drives me nuts.
Please make a video about Japanese train stations that double as malls and other businesses
Or even just a video about Shinjuku Station. It's a complete maze.
Aloha 🤙 from Honolulu!!! Thanks, Greg and company, for another great video.
I watched your videos for many years now. Thanks for your work. Akko is so lovely. Great your channel still is a family business.
in London UK you will be charged like £1,200 for that place
Watching a 164cm man visit these tiny spaces gives an interestingly different perspective compared to someone the size of Norm from Tokyo Lens! I've seen a lot of tiny Tokyo apartments on YT, but it was especially interesting to see some of the tiny business spaces.
Shops/cafes in tiny spaces are soo cute 🥰
the thing that I really like is that there are windows on both sides so you can get a nice cross breeze going and a good amount of sunlight.
That last bit with the 'measuring walk' and the gentleman walking out of the building, stopping and looking was too funny. 😂😆😄
The tatami mat size comparison really helped me on the last building. I live out in the countryside of Ibaraki so I get a MUCH bigger place for approximately the same price. But if I lived in Tokyo I see advantage of such a small place. I want to check out some of those cafes if I ever have enough time the next time I’m in Tokyo.
This was a fun one! And the price on the triangle building was incredibly reasonable.
Amazing use of space!!
Thanks. Quite interesting.
I actually think this is a great idea for mega cities. I live in a mega city, and rent prices are huge - even for a studio. I’d definitely be willing to live in a place like that yellow building for $250/month.
Great channel. I was so close to visiting Japan at one point myself. I had experience with modeling and in late 2015 I was in contact with Capcom about the facial likeness role of Leon for the Resident Evil 2 Remake. I failed to mention I also have a voice acting background, in the end I lost the part and I can't forgive myself for wasting such an opportunity. That would've been a real dream come true to visit Asia. All the best!
This video has made the space between the side of my house and the fence feel like a luxurious opportunity!
This is great!
You have got to do more of these, very interesting stuff, maybe a solution for Vancouver's real estate problems.
Ooh another collab with Tokyo Portolio!
I am weird, in that I love small spaces where I can really use up the little amount of room I have and maximize function. I don't mind a little cramp so I love lots of these!
6:25 Woah Japan better calm down with those excessive setback requirements
Very cool!
The only tiny building in my small California town is a drive-thru sushi stand in an old photo drop off booth.
I love the trend in the US of tiny homes. If for no other reason than it forces people to be introspective of their needs and what is really needed in a home.
Having grown up in what most people today would call a tiny space, seeing these videos of such small accommodations I feel that once again Japan has outdone America in the use of such miniscule spaces.
I'm not sure I could anymore.
Very interesting. Love that little burger shop and the apartment looks alright for someone living solo since there's good sunlight and decent ceiling height
that is the thing i luv about japan....if you are into architecture, buildings, smallbuildings, there is just so much to see.......eveyrhting is so unique
I mean, if I were a university student or just starting out in life, I think that renting a place like that could be worth the savings. Thanks for the excellent video (as always)! Glad to see Alex again on your channel!
Lol that narrow buiding at 2:00 is actually a sharehouse and I lived there.
4:50 the stairs kind of remind me of the stairs at some old Samurai castles I toured, which are practically ladders
Wow, Café Semorina.
My neighborhood!!!
Thanks for sharing.
That cafe is my favorite building for months. Do you know what is on the second floor of this building?
@@user-bg2oi4bz3p
Well, I'm not sure what's on the second floor. Maybe the first and the second belong to the same café Semorina.
Tiny living gets a new meaning! I could build some of these for a model railroad!
My dorm room in the UK was smaller than that apartment (with a shared kitchen though) and was way shittier and more expensive. For a year or so this would absolutely work!
Love this.
4:59
That's so neat. To put the sink on top of the toilet. I bet you even recycle the water that way!
Very cool! I would’ve lived here when I was younger and just me. It has a nice charming character to it. Would love to stay there a couple nights to experience it.
That last staircase is so scary! Where I live, tiny buildings are so rare I don't even know if there are any.
The kitchens in those narrow shops reminds me of a galley on a small yacht
Would've liked to see the floor plan of the ground and basement units. I'm presuming access to the basement one is in the back.
I got claustrophobia from some of those spaces.
I love these tiny quirky bu8ildings. Tons of character in every one. Wish they were more of a thing in the states
11:55 "One and a half Alex hands" That is definitely an American measurement if I ever heard it.
Great video. Loved it!
I love these small spaces, I would absolutely move into one if I were in Japan.
How cool !
No matter how big or, in this case minuscule, the bathtubs are, Alex will always sit in them.
This is peak Tokyo Portfolio, Mr. Portfolio 👏
I'm panicking looking at that claustrophobic space
It's funny that Alex now officially appeared as a cameo on all of the Japan-based TH-cam channels I subscribed to.
omg the Khan Academy insert. I havent heard that man's voice in like 10 years lmao
Alex is well on his way to show up in every Japan based, english speaking youtube channel
That yellow building would be a nightmare for me to live in.
I am so clumsy I will probably be falling down the stairs on a daily basis. At least it is so cramped there's no room to actually fall down :)
That hamburger cafe's upstairs dining area looks great.
I lived in a 26 foot sloop for two years. Those apartments are huge.
In those apartments you don't need a place for a bed. You have a futon and put it away in the morning before unfolding your table.
Lol 😂 The hilarious reaction of that Ojisan/salaryman at the end as Akko was step measuring the building.
So would in that apartment, is the toilet shared with other units like and SRO, or does it just happen to be outside the unit for space reasons?
2.50 , omg kuroge beef for burger , wow , just wow . i would definitely love to try that place out if i am living in japan
Honestly might be a waste. Ethan did a video (youtube ID E6w_W6GyHEs ) on Wagyu and burgers.
In Boston near North Station, there's a little apartment building standing alone on a small patch of land between streets. It's not a crazy thin cake slice building like in the video, but it's funny that it's all alone and the video reminds me of it
Very interesting and informative. Are the tiny building built to the appropriate earthquake standards?
I love that tiny apartment!!!
From experience I've found that all I need is enough space for a bed plus my own microkitchen and bathroom and I can live comfortably. Most homes are far bigger than you actually need.
Akko is so adorable
I have to do some geometry for your video?! Aw man! 📐 🤣
Kudos to yours measuring units !
But how many bananas does those means ?
8:22 I kinda hope somebody saved that keyboard
Also! 10:05 We’re the same height so this actually helped give me a real sense of scale, esp because most vloggers seem to be Alex-sized at minimum
That’s crazy. When I lived in Bangkok, I stayed in a condo that was 25 sq. meters. It was a far cry from anything I was used to in the USA but it was still comfortable. I think that would be the absolute limit for me. That apartment is smaller than my Tokyo hotel room and those are already fairly small.
What a great way to stay fit.
For once in my life I felt like a giant and I’m only 5ft7 😂
My first thought was there is no way I could live in such tiny space, like the kitchen is pretty much nonexistent lol but then I remembered that in Japan convenience store food is great and I think I could make it work 😅
I wish we could do stuff like this in New Zealand. Instead people have to team up and rent a giant house together, then end up with less personal space than this and having to share bathroom/toilet-which can have a lot of its own issues. I'd love to live in my own place and not have to share with people I hardly know.
Just binged a bunch of NYC apartment vids, its shocking to thee the diff
I actually dig the small/narrow buildings.
How would they get furniture up the narrow staircase into the home?
@14:35 A friend of mine looking for a studio a couple of years ago, found one in zone 4 of London, that had the shitter in the same room as the bed for only £800/month... a real bargain here in brexitland.
prison style
I will soon move into a very small house (about 20m2). The advantages are just enormous : - low taxes, - low maintenance - low energetic coast (heat, electricity...), - look more cosy than big houses (at least from my point of view) - less worry (about possible issues to fix on the house)...
My room in shitville, LA is like $1200. I would take this in a heartbeat
6:10 I think Tokyo Lens recorded a video of this building before.
Excelent
7:33 AWWWWWW MYYYYY KHAN ACADEMIA
The cafes/diners actually seem surprisingly functional.
Where I'm from, the tiny buildings are public toilets and electricity conversion stations and, every now and then, a garden shed (converted into housing)
these apartments do preserve the style of the neighborhood, somewhere like Toshima-ku or Edogawa-Ku, these are really the buildings that make it the part of Tokyo it is.