Tokyo's micro-apartments: Justin McCurry spends a night in a tiny home

Each micro-apartment measures just nine square metres, which is under half the size of a typical studio apartment in Tokyo.

On the plus side there is zero deposit and no 'key money', a nonrefundable gift to the landlord. Rents range from 50,000 to 80,000 yen a month. The Guardian's Justin McCurry spends a night in a model apartments to see if value can trump space.

The Guardian on YouTube: 

#Japan #TinyApartment #RealEstate #Shinjuku #Tokyo

[xrq]

$400 a month? Build this in NYC and people will wait in line for this😢

[ginalolli]

That's luxurious compared to bedsits in London, and he has his own bathroom.

[grmpEqweer]

I don't know if the US needs efficiencies THAT efficient, but we do need a lot more affordable housing. I lived in a 23-foot travel trailer for a year, it was nice. Probably close to the same amount of space.
You just can't accumulate much stuff.

[November]

i mean if you have single & hav a job and stay outside most of the time its enough to meet the requirements

[myoldvhstapes]

I live in a 220 sq. ft. microflat in downtown L.A. which feels like a roomy single-family home in contrast to the crowded box seen here! 10-foot high ceilings so it never feels claustrophobic, two 6-foot tall windows. More than half of the square footage is open floor space.

[yayo]

Lap of luxury, living the dream and so on.

[hasankeser]

A strong ventilation is a must, it looks like

[scholarlyreader]

Much better than living in a tent in los Angeles.

[rachelsill]

I would definitely live in a place like that if I were single.

[ljtinney]

For $376 in a major city I could totally do that. I'm all about living in small spaces.

[autumnortiz]

Hope the rent is very very cheap. Kinda unfair to charge a lot for such meager comforts

[dambrooks]

50, 000 Japanese Yen equals
309.97 Pound sterling a month sounds great, but not for enough space 😢

[jorgegonzalez-larramendi]

congrats and Thanks. love it.
will they be ok w a cat? or two ?

[kimberlyclearwater]

Seems efficient and sufficient for someone young and agile. (That ladder would be killer for my middle aged gotta go 2x/night bladder)😅

[Khadar]

I was expecting it to be a lot worse but if you’re in your early 20s/30s single, slim, it’s not bad at all, and if it’s cheap then it’s great 🤔

[Pendragon]

No we don't want pods in UK, or your 15 minute cities

[russellschaeffler]

But just one hour from Tokyo by train pay about the same price for a three bedroom two storey house with a small yard and deck ( and room for a pony!).
But, would very much enjoy one of those apartments as a work studio beyond the noise of children and pets.

[captinpriceentarozeratul]

아 .... 영국 사람들에게는 질식할 것 같은 느낌을 주겠군요

정원이 없잖아요 !!

[JJONNYREPP]

Tokyo's micro-apartments: Justin McCurry spends a night in a tiny home 0103am 20.3.23

[biwang]

much better than conditions in big city of China