Residents of Japan do not often invite guests to their homes, and they have reasons for this: the Japanese are embarrassed to show where and how they live, because many houses are not so nice. And secondly, this is not accepted in their mentality.
But the family I know from Osaka don’t have any special complexes about this, and barmoska decided to visit their apartment and make a detailed photo report.
Ordinary pictures that show how the Japanese live.
1. Let's introduce ourselves, on the left is Kimura-san and on the right is his wife, Eri-chan. They invited me to enter their house.
2. Their entrance. Their car, a Daihatsu, is parked outside.
3. They still have an internal parking space under the house, but if they leave the house for a short time, they leave the car at the emergency exit.
4. This is what the emergency entrance looks like. The video intercom is also here. 
5. There are not many floors, but in this city all the apartments are multi-size.
6. Mailboxes and a drinks vending machine are installed at the emergency entrance.
7. Hanging white boxes are places for storing undelivered parcels and parcels. Now they are in all new houses. How does this system work? Let's say I'm a resident of apartment number 402, I'm waiting for a parcel with the Black Cat courier service. When I left the house, the courier arrived.
He called the intercom, but when he realized that I was not at home, he left the parcel in one of the white boxes and wrote down my apartment number, and then wrote this notice: “So, they say, and so, I arrived and didn’t find you at home, I put the parcel in box number 1.”
After reading the notice, I go up to this machine, apply my computer key to the entrance - the computer sees that the key to apartment number 402, and opens the box in which my parcel lies.
8. After the main entrance, the interior of the main entrance appears before us. You can sit here while waiting for friends.
9. Video intercom of the main entrance in a close-up.
10. Interesting decorations.
11. For safety, on the first floors of buildings, there is a display near the elevator showing a picture from the cabin.
12. The picture quality is excellent.
13. The elevator is comfortable and the signs are in English.
14. In many apartments, the windows open onto a common balcony. Everything is closed with iron shutters.
15. This is what the entrance to the apartment looks like - a lamp with a number, a lamp that illuminates the floor at night, an intercom. A handle to hang an umbrella or bag while opening the door.
16. And here is the apartment itself. On the right is the white threshold where everyone leaves their shoes - this is the entrance. Then from the corridor you go into the rest of the apartment. There is a closet in the hallway.
17. If you turn half a turn, you can see - On the left is the entrance to a small room, straight ahead is the entrance to the toilet.
18. The apartment has a small living room, in which there is a desk, a TV, a futon (they sleep on the floor), and a large closet. The lamps are all LED, large in diameter. There are even sockets on the ceiling.
19. The door that was straight. Here, as you can see, there is a toilet. The bathroom and toilet are always separate in Japan. Now new homes are installing toilets with remote controls.
20. After photo number 17, the corridor turned to the right. There are three doors here. The door on the left is the door to the bathroom (the first part of it). The door leads directly into the living room and kitchen. The door on the right is another small room. Let's see what's there?
21. Another living room, but it serves as a storage place for all sorts of junk.
22. Now let's go straight through the door from photo 20, which leads into the living room and kitchen. On the left there are light switches in all rooms, in the middle there is a control panel for gas and hot water in the bathroom, on the right there is an intercom.
23. Next is the kitchen, where the hostess prepares a simple lunch. From the kitchen you can access a small balcony. A large side-by-side refrigerator, a hood above the stove, cabinets for storing utensils, and a large saucepan in plain sight. Behind the refrigerator is a door leading to the bathroom. There are two entrances to the bathroom - one from the corridor (photo number 20), and the second from the kitchen.
24. Door to the kitchen balcony.
25. What is in the bathroom. Large sink, mirrored cabinets for storing cosmetic products. On the left on the wall is an auxiliary control panel for the bathroom - the functions of the dryer, sauna or air conditioner can be controlled from here. The door is reflected in the mirror into the bathroom itself.
26. There is a washing machine on the left, a little to the right you can see the door to the hall.
27. And this is the bathroom. What a beauty. Pay attention to the shower head and floor. In Japan, it is customary to take a shower not in the bathroom itself, but while standing (or sitting) here, on this rough plastic. There is a drain for water (a small hatch under the bathtub). The mirror reflects two control panels - one for the bathroom, the second for other functions (sauna, etc.).
28. Let's go back to the living room. Directly behind you, if you look at photo 23, is the entrance to the main bedroom. This is the master bedroom. The room is large, spacious, with a European bed, computer desk, wardrobes, and access to the loggia.
29. There is a small sofa in the living room.
30. Nightstands with the owner’s “treasures” are located to the left of the sofa. Comics, tea book, family photos.
31. A young couple got married quite recently; they had been dating for a year and a half before that. They work in the same company in the same position - managers. We met at work. You can see a small wedding photo, the bride in a red dress.
32. There is an armchair and a chest of drawers with festive dishes against the wall opposite.
33. To the right of the sofa is a TV and PlayStation 3.
34. Well, what about without toys?
35. Behind the TV on the wall there are hatches for supply and forced ventilation. The air in the apartment is very clean and fresh.
36. There are air conditioners in every room.
37. Here is the entrance to the second loggia (shared with the master bedroom). All doors are sliding. In cold weather it can be chilly.
38. All balconies and houses have washbasins with running water - to make it easier to care for flowers.
39. Japanese houses are all with bells and whistles. For example, a wireless robot vacuum cleaner, which is very popular in Russia.
40. For lunch they had a large assortment of sushi, cold water with ice and rolls.
41. Not everything can be eaten
42. And he ate everything
43. The Japanese prefer to put whatever they want on their phone.
The author writes: Many people interested in Japan often ask – how do the Japanese live? In the sense that how is everything arranged in their everyday life? The inhabitants of the land of the rising sun themselves do not often invite people to visit them (when compared with Russia, for example) and there may be several reasons for this. Personally, it seems to me that the main reason is probably embarrassment - they don’t want to show their everyday life, the living conditions are not the same, and in general this is unusual for most...
Some of my friends from Osaka (a young married couple) do not have any special complexes about this, and I was able to visit their apartment and take a few photographs. I’ll warn you right away - you shouldn’t expect any artistic value from the pictures, these are just ordinary home interiors, from which you can get more or less some idea of the house.
1. So, meet me - on the left is Kimura-san and on the right is his wife, Eri-chan, inviting you to come into their home2. But let's start from the entrance itself. Their car is parked outside - a tiny Daihatsu. 
3. Of course, they have an internal parking space under the house, but when they go into the city for a short time, they leave the car at the emergency exit. 
4. There are not many floors in the building, but, unlike many other new buildings in Osaka, most of the apartments are multi-size apartments. 
5. This is an emergency exit. The video intercom is also here. 
6. There are mailboxes near the emergency exit, and there is even a drinks vending machine. 
7. And these white boxes are a kind of safes for storing undelivered parcels and parcels. They are installed in all new houses. How does this system work? For example, I am a resident of apartment number 601 and I should receive a package via Black Cat courier service. I left the house to go to the store and at that moment the courier arrived. He called the intercom a couple of times, realized that I was not there and from the outside of the house he could put the parcel in one of the free compartments of this safe. When he puts the parcel in the box, he dials my apartment number, 601, and then writes me a notice: “So and so, I arrived and didn’t find you at home, I put the parcel in box number 1.” I return home, read the notice, go up to this machine, attach my computer key to the entrance - the computer sees that the key is for apartment number 601 and opens for me a box in which there is a package intended for apartment 601. 
8. Let's move on... This is the interior of the main hall, where the main entrance to the building is. Here you can sit in the cool (or warm, depending on the season) air conditioning while waiting for friends 
9. Simple decorations. 
10. Video intercom of the main entrance, larger. 
11. On the first floors of buildings near the elevator there is a display showing a picture from the cabin. Well, for safety's sake. 
12. By the way, the picture is of good quality 
13. The elevator itself is comfortable, there are even signs in English)) Indicates the next stop 
14. Some windows of many apartments overlook a common balcony. Of course, they are closed with special iron shutters, but this does not add comfort..... My friends were lucky - all their windows face the external walls of the house. 
15. This is what the entrance to the apartment looks like - a lamp with a number, a lamp below to illuminate the floor in the dark, an intercom. On the left there is a special handle for hanging an umbrella or bag while you open the door. The door itself is made of metal, although not as heavy and durable as we have in Russia. 
16. We finally got to the apartment itself))) I’ll try to explain the layout, how it will turn out. On the right you can see the white threshold where everyone leaves their shoes - this is the entrance. I'm standing in the corridor leading to the rest of the apartment. There is also a closet in the hallway just ahead. 
17. Now I have turned 180 degrees and the hallway is behind me. To the left is the entrance to a small room, straight ahead is the entrance to the toilet. 
18. Open the door on the left and look inside. A small living room, a desk, a TV, a futon (they sleep on the floor)... On the left (not visible) there is a large closet. The lamps are all LED, large in diameter. Pay attention to the socket under the ceiling - the builders provided electrical and TV sockets even there. 
19. Now we look into the door that was directly ahead. Here, as you can see, there is a toilet. I have never seen combined bathrooms with toilets anywhere in Japan (except hotels). Everything is always separate and sometimes it’s not even next door. One more point - by default, all new houses are equipped with controlled toilets - a remote control with buttons on the left. 
20. After photo number 17, the corridor turns right. There are three doors here. The door on the left is the door to the bathroom (its first part). The door leads directly into the living room and kitchen. The door on the right is another small room. Let's take a look at it first. 
21. Another living room. True, it serves as a dump for all sorts of junk. 
22. Now let's go straight through the door from photo 20, leading to the living room and kitchen. Immediately on the left wall behind the door there is a kind of control panel for almost everything in the apartment) Just kidding)) On the left are light switches in all rooms, in the middle is a control panel for gas and hot water in the bathroom, on the right is an intercom. 
23. Let's move on. On the left hand is the kitchen, where the hostess prepares a simple lunch)) The kitchen has access to a small balcony. A large side-by-side refrigerator, a hood above the stove... not a lot of cabinets for storing utensils - that’s why there’s a healthy saucepan in plain sight. Behind the refrigerator there is another door that leads to the bathroom. That is, there are actually two doors in the bathroom - one from the corridor (photo number 20) and the second from the kitchen. 
24. Door to the kitchen balcony. 
25. Now let's look into the bathroom (taken from the kitchen door). Large sink, mirrored cabinets for storing cosmetic products. On the left on the wall is an auxiliary control panel for the bathroom - the functions of the dryer, sauna or air conditioner can be controlled from here. The door directly to the bathroom itself is reflected in the mirror. 
26. We look to the left - there is a washing machine installed here (on a special pallet, of course) and a little to the right you can see the door to the hall. 
27. And this is the bathroom. With a window, beauty. Pay attention to the shower head and the floor - in Japan, people usually take a shower not in the bathroom itself, but standing (or sitting) here, on this rough plastic. Of course, there is a water drain (a small hatch under the bathtub). In the mirror you can see the reflection of two more control panels - one for the bathroom, the second for other functions (sauna, etc.) 
28. We return back to the living room. If you look again at photo number 23, with the kitchen, then right behind me I found another door - this was the entrance to the main bedroom. I didn’t go inside, the owners were too shy, so I rented it from the door)) The room is large, spacious…. European bed, computer desk, wardrobes, and there is also access to the loggia. 
29. There is a small sofa in the living room. 
30. To the left of the sofa is something like a bedside table with the owner’s “treasures”: Comics, a tea book, family photographs…. 
31. They got married relatively recently, in August before last, and before that they dated for a year and a half. By the way, they work together in the same company as managers. We met at work)) A small wedding photo can be seen in the lower right part of the photo - it shows Eri-chan in a red dress 
32. There is an armchair and a chest of drawers with festive dishes against the wall opposite. 
33. To the right of the sofa is a TV and Playstation3. 
34. Well, what about without toys? 
35. On the wall behind the TV there are hatches for supply and forced ventilation. The air in the apartment is very clean, by the way. 
36. There are air conditioners in every room. 
37. Here is the second exit to the large loggia (shared with the master bedroom). The doors are sliding everywhere - which of course is not very good due to poor airtightness in the cold season. Eh, it’s a pity you can’t glaze, otherwise you could create another room 
38. Again, in all new houses there are washbasins with running water on the balconies or loggias - to make it more convenient to care for flowers. 
39. Well, what about a Japanese house without all the bells and whistles!?))) For example, this wireless robot vacuum cleaner. In Russia, by the way, it is sold with all its might. 
40. It’s time for lunch. The owners treated them to what God had sent... On this day, he sent them a large assortment of sushi, cold water with ice and some rolls. 
41. I didn’t eat this. 
42. But this cracked everything 
43. A small digression to the question that the Japanese like to hang things on their phones - this is one of the owners’ phones. 
44. Kimura-san was fooling around all the time and making faces. But seriously and on the topic of the post, I will immediately answer some possible questions. The apartment is new and they bought it the year before last on credit. In fact, almost the vast majority of Japanese new buildings are sold on credit for a period of 30 years. The interest is not very high, about 3 percent per year, probably even less, somewhere around 2-2.5%. The square footage of the apartment is about 90, the cost at the time of purchase was about 35 million yen, now it’s even less. Yes, yes, don’t be surprised, Japanese real estate has an interesting property of falling in price after purchase, so this option does not work as a tool for financial investment 
45. With that, let’s say thank you to Kimura-san and Eri-chan and see you again! 
Since my long-ago blog post about visiting a Japanese family's apartment, I have been asked several times about apartment-related topics - how much do they cost in Japan, what kind of houses are there, etc. With today's material I will answer some of these questions :-)
1. So, let's start in order.... 
2. A residential mansion in the center of Osaka was chosen as the home for this photo report. It has not yet been built, but like all Japanese showrooms of residential buildings, it has already been partially “embodied” inside this small building. Actually, any new residential building in Japan is sold in the following offices: 
3. First, I was shown a movie in a small cozy room, more like a private cinema in the house of an American rich man. The movie talked about what a wonderful new building it was, what kind of environment it was in, etc., etc. I didn’t take pictures in the cinema hall, so this photo is from the next room. It shows a model of the house itself in great detail: 
4. The model shows the location of the cardinal directions so that people can roughly imagine where north and south are. The entrance to the house itself is connected to the city metro line passing below: 
5. There will be a small garden in the open area near the house. The surrounding area for such large houses in Japan is rarely fenced: 
6. The light board shows the schematic location of the house: 
7. Since Japan has problems with earthquakes, underground parking lots are not often dug. This happens either only in very expensive houses or in shopping centers. In new buildings of this type, automatic parking lots are located in the house itself and, as can be seen on the back side of the house, they rise to the level of the 24th floor: 
8. After the general information, the manager moves on to the most interesting part and takes me to the second floor of the office. Two apartments of different sizes have been created there, completely copying those that will be in the new house. At the entrance to the second floor, shoes must be taken off; slippers are prepared for this case :-) For children - small ones: 
9. Everything is done exactly as it will be in a new building. Carpeting, panels on the walls - all this will be in the house. Entrance to a two-room apartment with a total area of 64 sq. m. meters: 
10. Unfortunately, I don’t have a wide lens, so I’ll try to explain what and how with sketchy photos :-) The picture shows a large room. Of course, all the equipment and furniture are not included with the apartment, but are simply placed here for furnishings: 
11. There is a small kitchen behind me. Well, it’s small - about 5 square meters. It is implied that they will only cook here, not eat: 
12. Video intercom, control of heated floors and alarm on the wall at the entrance to the large room: 
13. Another angle of the large room. I don’t know why, but in this sample apartment the designer created a glass wall between the bedroom and the large room: 
14. By the way, the view outside the windows is reproduced exactly as it will be after the house is built: 
15. Balcony. Wide and spacious. The truth is separated from the neighbor's by a small partition: 
16. Bedroom: 
17. From the bedroom you can go through a small dressing room to the bathroom: 
18. Bathroom. On the left is space for a washing machine. All storage boxes are already included in the price of the apartment: 
19.
20. And this is what the shower itself looks like: 
21. A place for reflection:-)))) Toilet control panel on the wall on the left: 
22. Mini washbasin: 
23. Hallway. Little things like lighting under the cabinet are also included in the price: 
24. Now let’s look at the interiors of a three-room apartment with a larger area, 97 square meters: 
25. I didn’t photograph the entire apartment, but only some parts of it, but you can get a rough idea :-) The picture shows a small room adjacent to the bedroom: 
26. Bedroom: 
27.
28. And this is a large living room-kitchen with a total area of 40 square meters: 
29.
30. Open kitchen: 
31. Immediately behind the kitchen there is a small mini-office - pantry: 
32. Large panoramic windows: 
33. Two washbasins: 
34. If desired, you can install a TV in the bathroom: 
35. The toilet control panel is a little different. Unfortunately, even in a large apartment there is still only one bathroom: 
36. One of the most important questions is how are these buildings protected from earthquakes? There are two options. The first is that the shock-absorbing system is built in the center of the house in the form of a rod to which shock absorbers are attached. The second is that shock absorbers are made on a concrete base in the foundation of the house. This new building implements the second option (right). This model clearly shows on the water how everything will shake during a magnitude 6-7 earthquake: 
37. Schematic representation of an earthquake damping system: 
38. Also in the photo you can see public areas. The building on the ground floors will house a cafe for apartment owners, a lounge, guest rooms, and a gym: 
39. The guest room is another distinctive feature of such Japanese new buildings. For a small fee of $30-$60 (depending on room type), your guests can stay overnight. It's cheaper than hotels in the area, and the rooms are much more spacious: 
40. Each floor has a special storage room with water, supplies and all sorts of necessary items in case of any unforeseen situations: 
41. Security of the entire perimeter of the house and inside it is carried out 24 hours a day: 
42. Helipad at the top in case of unforeseen situations, again. The doors to the apartments are made in such a way that they will not warp and will not become an obstacle during evacuation: 
43. You can choose the interior colors of your apartment in a special hall. The color of parquet, doors, finishing panels and surfaces can be chosen to suit your taste. Finishing is included in the price of the apartment: 
44. A small stand demonstrating the multi-layer structure of the apartment floor. Sound transmission is very low: 
45. At the virtual stand you can see what different finishing options for different rooms will look like in reality. Compare this photo with the next one: 
46.
47. Or for example a large kitchen-living room with decoration.... 
48. And without: 
In short, these are all the photos from this trip :-) What was left behind the scenes....
On the virtual stand you can see all the details about the house, starting from the view from the window of each (!) apartment on each (!) floor, ending with the shadow that neighboring buildings cast on the house at different times of the day.
At the prices of apartments - in this building there are apartments from 40 meters to 150 meters. The most average one-room apartment of 50 square meters will cost about 350 thousand dollars, while penthouses cost about 1.5-1.8 million dollars.
So that you don’t think that these are exorbitant prices, I can say 350 thousand dollars in Osaka is the average price of a one-room apartment of 50-60 meters in a new house. Moreover, it is clear that a large apartment in this case will be located far from the city center.
Banks give loans for these apartments for different terms, but mostly 30 years. Rates are about 1.5-2% per annum! This is even lower than in many American banks.
The average rent in a house is $150-200 per month. Electricity, water and internet are paid separately. The cost of parking depends on what kind of vehicle you will park. For example, a bicycle costs 3 dollars a month. Motorcycle $20 per month. A car is about 200-300 dollars a month depending on the size of the car.
Our man from Japan Ekaterina Kobzar calls himself a “Japanese scholar with 100 years of experience” and goes by the nickname @katrin_japan runs a popular blog on Instagram “about their morals.” We at the site decided to find out whether everything in the real estate industry is as amazing as the Japanese culture of everyday life in general, and we talked with Katya about housing, realtors, neighbors and mortgages. Today in the issue - about the No. 1 dream of any Japanese, the premature aging of typical housing and the coveted noise of trains outside the window.
About the beginning
I lived in Japan twice: first for six months in Osaka, then for a year in Tokyo. On my first trip, accommodationthe institute provided me withand the second time I looked for him myself. At the time, I was finishing my graduate studies and conducting research on ancient Japanese ceramics. The University of Tokyo also found this topic interesting. So I got a contract job for a year. I’ll say right away that I was lucky in finding housing. But I only appreciated it later.
About sizes
Even before the search began, I understood that the conditions would be modest - large apartments in Japan cost separate, absolutely insane amounts of money, which I couldn’t count on. And in general, my past experience of living in Japan showed that everything there is very compact - whether I lived in a hotel or came to visit someone. In Russia, we are accustomed to a larger scale, although most of us come from the Soviet Union with its Khrushchev-era apartment buildings and tiny kitchens. It would seem that nothing can surprise a Russian person. But no, Japan is breaking records. Everything there is so miniature that even the Khrushchev building seems like a palace.
Catherine's apartment in Tokyo. Photo from personal archive
About the Japanese dream and the value of the land
Having your own home is the No. 1 dream of every Japanese person. And not an apartment, but a house. There is very little habitable land in Japan; 70% of the territory consists of mountains. Therefore, every Japanese dreams of buying a piece of land that costs absolutely ridiculous money, and building a house on it.
What is important is that it is the land that matters, not the house. Ordinary standard housing is designed to last only 25-30 years. Then it is demolished. Any house, even those built taking into account the frequency of earthquakes, at some point becomes dangerous. And, most likely, everything will become dilapidated during your lifetime. Of course, not all houses are demolished. Some can last 40-50 years. But, as a rule, such housing is already in very poor condition, and few people would want to live there. So when you are looking for an apartment for rent, one of the main selection criteria is the year of construction or renovation.
About finding housing
At first I wanted to find housing remotely, from Russia, but this turned out to be unrealistic. This is the peculiarity of Japan - no one will decide anything at a distance: neither show the apartment, nor conclude an agreement, nor talk. Then I decided that I would stay at a hotel and start searching locally, but my future colleagues advised me to first rent housing near the university, and only then, if necessary, look for a new option. I did so.
View of the Roppongi area from the Tokyo Tower. Photo: Chris73 / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
Let me point out right away that university housing is not a dormitory, but a full-fledged apartment. Universities in Japan tend to be very wealthy organizations and have their own houses. They own the entire buildings and, above all, rent out premises. Many universities rent apartments only to their employees, and there may be a waiting list for housing, but my application was approved. Conveniently, with this rental option there is no contract. You can live for a month and then say: “Sorry guys, I’m leaving.” No one limits the tenant on terms and does not charge fines for violating them.
When I moved into this apartment, I decided that over time I would find a cheaper option. My university was located in the center of Tokyo and owned a building also in the center, and there square meters cost as much as an airplane. The building was not new, but renovated about ten years ago. But there were still a lot of downsides. For example, the profile in panoramic windows, which the Japanese love so much, was not plastic, but metal. They rattled a lot during typhoons and created drafts, but in a Japanese apartment good thermal insulation and south-facing windows are important, otherwise mold will appear in the house.
About rental options
In Japan, there are two options for renting: either you rent an apartment or a house, or a sherhouse. In fact, sherhouse is in Soviet times. Only your room is for your personal use, and the bathroom, toilet and kitchen are shared. There are several toilets and showers, they are divided into men's and women's, and there is one kitchen. A cleaning schedule is established for common areas.
Sherehouse is a very common option. It is often used by foreigners, because renting a house in Japan as a foreigner is difficult - the owners do not agree. They can be understood: not everyone knows and wants to follow Japanese rules. For example, you can’t make noise; it’s basically unacceptable. And if the Russians can behave quietly, then the Egyptians or Chinese are unlikely to do so. You can't cook food that will smell throughout the whole house. You cannot have animals or smoke. Each house in its own way limits freedom and protects the comfort of other residents.
About the first payment
Renting an apartment in Japan is expensive. The tenant immediately pays the first and last month of residence, a deposit equal to the cost of the monthly rate, the same amount of agency commission and the so-called"reikin" . Reikin is gratitude to the owner for condescending to you and renting out his home to you, in the amount of a monthly payment. This is a gift, and, of course, it is not returned. If you count everything together, the end result is a round sum. Let’s say, if an apartment costs 80 thousand rubles a month, you need to pay 5 times 80 - not everyone has almost half a million rubles to invest in rented housing. Even by Japanese standards and salaries, this is very expensive. They are trying to gradually move away from this scheme in Japan - the Japanese understand that the current system is extremely expensive. Now, for example, they can refuse reikin, but all other payments still remain.
About the contract term and penalties
A favorite Japanese feature is a lease agreement for at least two years. If you plan to live here less, they will not enter into an agreement with you, period. Do what you want, live where you want - no one cares. And if you move out early, they may require a fine of one or two rental rates. The deposit, of course, will not be returned either. This is why many foreigners try to live in sherhouses. Of course, it is not clear which neighbor will be behind the wall, but at least you are freed from bondage under the contract and payment of cosmic sums.
About the railway connection
As a result, I did not change housing. I calculated my expenses, assessed the situation with the contract (I wasn’t sure that I would renew it for the next year), and also a foreigner in addition - in general, I decided that all this did not make sense and remained in the same place.
About the rental price
The rental price is influenced by many factors: the year of construction or renovation, proximity to the center and station, infrastructure development, area of the apartment. As a result, there is a wide range of prices. I lived in a fairly large area by Japanese standards - 25 square meters. It was located in the very heart of Tokyo, near the Shibuya area - one of the largest transfer stations. In general, the location is simply ace. And for everything I paid almost 50 thousand rubles a month. Approximately the same apartment in the suburbs, about two hours’ drive from the center, could cost 35-40 thousand. If we consider normal apartments with separate bedrooms and a kitchen, the price easily starts from 70 thousand rubles for a one-room apartment.
About real estate agents
In such places everyone knows each other. This is probably how it happened historically: Japan is a small country; in order to survive, you need to be friends with your neighbors. Well, add modern realities: typhoons, earthquakes, mass evacuations - to understand that no one remained in the house. What if someone couldn't get out because their door was jammed? Communication is very important, but this does not mean that neighbors will poke their nose into your affairs and give unsolicited advice.
About mortgage
In Japan, almost all housing is purchased with a mortgage. It is almost impossible to save money and buy a house or apartment even in your entire life. But the mortgage rate here is very good. For a long time it was 1%, then - 1.5%, now - 2% per year.
But there is a peculiarity: if a person can no longer pay the mortgage, if a collapse has occurred and the insurance no longer covers anything (and everything, of course, is insured), the bank takes the apartment for itself - without any concessions. If you have been paying for 29 years, you have one year left and you cannot pay any more, the apartment will be taken away.
About high-rise buildings and the private sector
This is what surprises me: despite the fact that land is very expensive, there are few high-rise buildings in Japan, mostly in the private sector. Maybe this also affects the high cost of land. The house I lived in was seven floors, it is considered very tall; usually they don’t build more than five floors. There were two more such houses near me, everything else was private development, and this was almost in the center of Tokyo.
Of course, low-rise buildings are primarily driven by seismic activity. No tall buildings were built there for a long time. Now technology makes it possible to build high-rise buildings - yes, it’s expensive, but the skyscrapers are standing in the center of Tokyo, nothing has fallen. I think it’s also a matter of national consciousness: every Japanese wants a . And let them stand wall to wall, and there are no courtyards. And if there is a square meter of land next to it, it’s already happiness, just a big garden. You can hardly count on more.
View of the Shinjuku area from above. Photo: Kronks / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY-SA 3.0)
As for Tokyo skyscrapers, these are not residential buildings, these are business centers. If you look at Tokyo from above, you will see that these buildings are few and far between and are concentrated in business and shopping districts (Shinjuku, Ginza). Technology makes it possible to build such tall buildings, but they are very, very expensive. For the residential segment they are unjustified, but for commercial activities - yes, since, again, the land is very expensive and in a business district the only option is to build a building upwards. But these high-rise buildings, of course, are not being demolished as residential buildings. Nobody will demolish billion-dollar buildings built 20 years ago.
About earthquakes
Earthquakes happen all the time, up to 10 thousand a year, but most of them are very small. People, as a rule, do not notice them. Earthquakes of magnitude 1-2 are not felt at all, although they occur every 4 hours. Larger earthquakes - 3-5 points - are, of course, more noticeable. And the higher the apartment, the stronger it is felt. It happened that dishes fell on my 7th floor, and the neighbors on the 1st did not even know that there was an earthquake.
There are also typhoons. They like to come in the summer, in the fall they often happen: gusty winds, heavy rain, all transport stops and people do not leave the house.
Whether it is possible to get used to this is a difficult question. On the one hand, over time a person gets used to everything. On the other hand, instincts kick in, some kind of primal fear, and you don’t know: will it stop now or will it get stronger? So what to do then? Where to run? Should I run? Will you survive? Will there be water? It's impossible to get used to this.
Fire in the Odaiba area after the 2011 earthquake in the Tohoku region. Photo: Hikosaemon / Wikimedia Commons (CC BY 2.0)
About readiness
Instructions on what to do during emergencies are required several times a year in all schools, universities, companies, and residential areas. Every home has a kit: a helmet, a flashlight and other essentials. Someone stores a supply of water, because during a strong earthquake the water supply stops, and the population is prepared for this. I went through this kind of instruction twice, but when the earthquake happened, the first thing I did was run in horror to look out the window. I don’t know what I lost there, but it is strictly forbidden to approach the window - the glass may burst. The brain simply switched off, all training was forgotten. Probably, in order not to give in to panic and keep your instincts in check, you need to get into such situations often.
About slippers in the toilet
Japanese homes have separate toilet slippers. You walk around the house wearing some, and before going to the toilet you take off and put on other “toilet” ones. At the same time, it is very important to turn them with your heels towards the exit, so that the person who goes to the toilet after you can put them on comfortably.
What surprises me, but does not confuse the Japanese at all, is that such slippers are always shared. And this culture is not only of the Japanese home (no matter how many people live in the family), but also of public places. I came to a gym where 200 people were working out. And when you go to the toilet, you take off your sneakers and get into slippers that a thousand people have already worn before you.
Special slippers in a public toilet. Photo: Jorge Láscar / Flickr (CC BY 2.0)
What is this connected with? Probably with “kami-sama” - the spirit of toilets. Apparently, he needs people to wear certain slippers to the toilet. Many Japanese believe that the toilet has its own atmosphere, so the color of the mat should match the color of the slippers. If you walk in green slippers onto a pink rug - that’s it, there’s a universal imbalance. The Japanese are very funny about this.
About the “communal apartment”
In Japan it is very expensive, if it is available, of course. In my apartment, for example, there was no gas; absolutely everything worked on electricity: air conditioning, stove, water heating.
For housing and communal services I had a fixed price - 15,000 yen (about 8,000 rubles) for everything, provided that I did not exceed certain parameters for the month. It must be said that how much this mysterious parameter amounts to and where to look for it was not specified in the contract. But I never exceeded the limit.
About payment of housing and communal services
Information from the meters is sent directly to the resource supply company, which then issues an invoice. For many Japanese, payment for housing and communal services is linked to bank cards, and the accrued amount is automatically debited from the bank account. Take readings, go to banks, pay for something - nothing is needed. I must say that for the Japanese, everything is tied to accounts. For example, you can’t get a SIM card without linking it to a bank account - it’s simply impossible that it won’t work. And the money is debited automatically, whether you want it or not.
Kitchen appliances in Catherine's apartment. Photo from personal archive.
About heating
Heating in Japan is a very sensitive topic for me. What I love about Russia is the heating, and one of the factors why I decided not to renew the contract and return to Russia late in the fall was this: I was very cold. In Japan, heating does not exist as a type, as a class. Houses are “heated” by air conditioners that provide heating. But first of all, it's expensive. The air conditioner consumes a crazy amount of energy, you won’t use it all the time, otherwise you’ll go broke. Secondly, the air conditioner only heats the air. It does not heat the walls, floors, or the bed with its deathly cold sheets. And as soon as you turn off the air conditioner, the air literally cools down in a matter of minutes. Therefore, the Japanese dress warmly at home (3-4 sweaters, faux fur), use water heating pads, electric sheets and blankets, which consume less electricity than air conditioning. Previously, coal-fired heaters called “kotatsu” were still used. It is placed under the table, the table is covered with a blanket, you put your feet under the blanket, and this way this small space is heated.
Air conditioning heating the apartment. Photo from Ekaterina’s personal archive
The problem is that air conditioners dry out the air too much. A cough immediately appears, the mucous membrane of the nose and eyes dry out - all this is very unpleasant, and you have to buy extra. But you also can’t overdo it, otherwise mold will develop - in Japan, in general, there is high humidity, and you need to constantly ventilate the room, and this does not help warm it up at all when it’s winter outside.
You go somewhere on a trip for two days, then return home to Tokyo - and it’s like being in a dungeon: it’s as cold as outside, maybe 1-2 degrees higher. In general, one very sad story.
About the qualities of a typical Japanese
The first main quality is to always care about others more than about yourself. All of Japan is built on this: the main thing is to make others comfortable, not me.
The second quality is adherence to hierarchy, which manifests itself both in school and at work, usually based on age and status. In Russia, you can imagine an argument with your boss. If you know what would be better done differently, you have a say. But in Japan - no, this is completely impossible, even if the boss drives the car straight into a pole.
And the third is submission to the rules, complete adherence to them and the inability to act outside the framework. If an emergency occurs, the Japanese are lost and do not know what to do. They simply do not have such a function in the brain as to follow a non-standard scenario.
About mentality
A Japanese person will never understand creativity and freedom of thought in a Russian person. This is absolutely inaccessible to the Japanese. But we don’t get the thrill of having everything decided for you, laid out on shelves, and you don’t have to invent anything. Just do as they say, as it is written. This is an insurmountable gap between us.
Prepared by Yulia Isaeva
Observing the way of life and encountering the everyday life of the Japanese, the average European, in addition to a smile on his face, constantly has surprise and joy. Everything is unusual, everything is not like ours, everywhere is a deviation from the norm! You can endlessly discover something new, sophisticated, and exotic.
How and in what apartments do ordinary Japanese people live? Why do Japan have the best toilets in the world? What are the features of everyday life? Read about all this below.
The Land of the Rising Sun makes you fall in love with it from the first day. A colleague of mine quit his job at Lufthansa a few years ago to extend his three-week vacation in Japan. As a result, I traveled around the country for several months until the money ran out. Of the countries I have visited, Japan is now in first place in terms of interestingness. Let's talk about everything in order.
There is a misconception that it is the first city in the world in terms of population density. Actually this is not true. The population density, for example, is 3 times higher than Tokyo.
This is explained by the fact that Tokyo is located in a seismic zone, where on average 73 earthquakes occur per month, which is why it was built over a large area. If we continue the comparison with Paris, then the capital of Japan is 6-7 times larger in population, and 20 times larger in terms of city area.
Accommodation in Tokyo is absolute luxury.
The average Tokyo apartment occupies an area of 30 square meters.
This is what the room looked like in the apartment of a German-Japanese family, where I lived for several days.
Japanese intercom.
You could say it's a front door with a mini-library.
And this is a capsule in a capsule hotel. You can sit inside, there is a TV, radio, light bulb and ventilation.
If you're in Tokyo, be sure to try this type of accommodation, it's absolutely exotic for a European.
Accommodation is cheap. These capsules are located in such a hall.
By the way, in Tokyo people even live in Internet cafes. You can simply rent a room for 20 euros per day and live in a space of 2 square meters. In addition to a computer and the Internet, such places have showers, vending machines, washing machines - for some it is very convenient. There are about 5,500 such Internet cafe residents in Tokyo.
Comfortable capsules are also available at the airport. Approximately 30 euros for 9 hours.
This is what another Tokyo apartment where I stayed looked like.
Let's move on to the bathroom.
Combined bathroom.
The Japanese also have multifunctional bathroom cabins - miracle technology with dedicated climate control. In this cabin the water is turned on to the floor.
The same cabin serves as a clothes drying cabin. Temperature setting.
Cute koalas on the curtains.
When talking about Japan, it is simply impossible not to mention their toilets. They are simply the best in the world: the smartest, most comfortable and convenient.
Electronic Japanese toilet with remote control. Above the tank there is a small sink where the water automatically turns on, so you can wash your hands.
Here you have heating, music, a washer system, and airflow. When you press the corresponding button, a tube comes out, from which a stream of water begins to flow under pressure. Sometimes the pressure and temperature can be adjusted. Simply fantastic! Moreover, such toilets are also found in public places.
There are toilets with automatic cleaning after each client, and others with paper backings.
They can be placed in different ways. Everyone decides for themselves what is right.
In the shop.
Japanese "tee".
Garages.
Public transport certainly belongs to the everyday life and everyday life of Tokyo residents.
And also catering establishments with plastic food at the entrance. About food has also already been published.
And endless shopping opportunities.
The epicenter of electronics shopping in Tokyo is Akihabara. One of the largest shopping areas in the world. The Japanese are simply crazy about slot machine games.
If I'm not confusing anything, this is a lottery kiosk.
At the post office.
I send postcards to readers, which they can receive by simply subscribing to the email newsletter, where I talk about the behind-the-scenes of my trips.
Beautiful signs.
Water cans for stability.
Japanese traffic light.
Separate trash cans.
Crosswalk. You need to stand and move on the right side of the crossing, despite the fact that cars are driving on the left.
Police and fire department vehicles.
Bench with armrests.
Barbershop or hair salon with a corresponding traditional flask (see also