Today I'm in Tokyo!!! Where I'm about to meet a fellow Youtuber, Emma Who lives in a crazy cool, but crazy small apartment. This one; I can't wait to check out! Hey Emma
Emma: Hi, hey Hey, I'm Bryce Emma: Hi, nice to meet you
Bryce: Nice to meet you Emma: Emma: Yeah, come on in!
Bryce: Thank you. I'm so excited to be here. Yeah, I'm excited to show you my tiny little home. Emma: Welcome.
Bryce: It's very small isn't it? Yeah. It's a bit tight, you can touch both the walls. How big is this place actually? Uh, it says eight square meters, so... Bryce: Eight square meters?
Emma: Eight square meters, yeah! Bryce: Wow.
Emma: It's pretty pretty pretty tight! So as a city apartment, this is actually a lot smaller than a lot of the tiny houses I've visited. Yeah. How did you actually come here to be in this place? Well, I spent ages like looking for apartments and everything, but this place just caught my eye because it's got two separate levels. A lot of places are just like, the bed is right next to the bathroom and the kitchen and you like eat next to your bed and it just felt a bit wrong. So I finally found somewhere that has two levels which kind of separates my living and my sleeping area. But yeah. I just- I always wanted to be in Japan and I found a way to get here. Being an apartment in downtown Tokyo this is really small. But is this actually kind of typical of the apartments in this area? I mean Japanese apartments are typically really small but this, it's at least more narrow than anything else I've ever seen before. Like you can touch both walls.
Bryce: Yeah! Um, but yeah. This is definitely a bit smaller. It's strange in a way because even though it is so narrow, and as you say, I mean. I don't even have to stretch out my arms to touch both walls. But even though it's so narrow, it doesn't feel super confined. And I think that's because you've got all the height here as well don't you? Emma: Yeah I actually think there's some- this height is super useful, because I can actually finally stretch in at least one direction. I think without this extra space it would feel a bit- maybe a bit too cramped, but it feels good. Can you show me around? Yeah! So when you enter a Japanese home, you go take your shoes off in the gankon. Because even when they gave me this place they were like you must take your shoes off. Like even if it's part of your culture with shoes inside, you have to respect Japanese standards and take your shoes off inside. Bryce: Fair enough! So there's like a little shoe cupboard here which I keep all my shoes in, and then this is my closet, which has coats and stuff. I don't know if I should show you because it's really full. It may be a full cupboard, there's no shame in the number of clothes that you have in that closet. I think girls back home in Australia or New Zealand ..would.. ah.. would struggle to be that spartan I do really selected with my fashion choices here because I don't, I don't have room to be luxurious...just keeps life simple Bryce: And the entrance-way microwave and toaster oven?
Emma: Yea, yeah. Emma: Yeah, you have your toaster oven, your microwave...this stuff actually moved it used to be over there which made the space feel really, really like claustrophobic because there was no where, like no where to move around but I moved all the stuff over here, and...yeah This toaster oven is kind of...I had to get these sticky pads because when there's an earthquake it moves. Right! And so I usually like sit right there, and if these sticky pads weren't there it would, like, just keep moving towards my head and it's like "One day this is gonna suck" Yeah, so now it doesn't move in an earthquake, which is cool Bryce: And then, more storage in here, for cutlery- Emma: Yeah just cutlery, everything.
Bryce: Pots, pans Any cupboard thing just has bits and bobs of everything, really There's like a general theme but, If I just have something, I'm like, "I need to put this somewhere!" I just like, chuck it in. It's not the best method, but Whatever gets stuff out of the open space Bryce: You've even got a yoga mat here Emma: Yeah! So ah- (laughter) Sometimes I like to like workout or do yoga and trying- Okay, it doesn't fit Like, it just- like the corner (laughter) It's like in that, so do you want me to show you? Bryce: Yea, go on
Emma: Yea, alright so I try to like go through here So this is like the biggest space in my house So I'm just like try to lay down like this -but in like the tables just in the way So i can usualy go to about there and like doing exercises is really frustrating because some days it'll be like "okay now stretch your arms to the side" And I'm like (laughter) And all like you're lying on the ground and -ahh It just it never quite works out but it It's enough like I can do stuff this way But yeah, that's where I do my exercises Emma: A for effort right? Bryce: Absolutely! Emma: You're just gonna try everything and if it doesn't work, you try something else I think that's good about small spaces like it makes you think a bit more "keeps you creative" Bryce: And then you have your office area here? Yeah this is like pretty much were I- I spend most of my time I just get like a chair, my computer and yeah it's it's just where I edit, like it's where I edit all my videos, it's where I answer all my mail, where I do pretty much all of my work but It's nice cause I can at least like look out the window at the back yeah I know that my- my neighbor he's got his desk facing the wall and I couldn't deal with that. (laughs) Bryce: No.
Emma: Like, if I'm like working an I look up and all I see is a wall I get so like like "let me out" so yeah I can always see outside Yea, I always need something living just like something happening in the space Emma: Like that's why I have so many potted plants everywhere.
Bryce: Yeah. I want even more but yea If there's no living things, if I can't see the outside world things just feel really stale And that's when this space can feel a bit small I did find that a bit of a challenge when I got here because this is Like, all the furniture isn't mine like this is a fully furnished, come-as-it-is apartment And trying trying to find different ways to make the space my own was like challenging but it feels really like- rewarding Bryce: Yea.
Emma: Because it is- it is a challenge Especially when you can't pick your own furniture and I can't drill into the walls or anything So I just have to let it be but influence it. (laughs)
Bryce: Yea With all my stuff and because you have to be so selective with your possessions it's like I choose only things that mean a lot to me Bryce: Yea
Emma: And- and really help the space Bryce: And then is the kitchen space down over here?
Emma: Yeah, yeah! So pretty much this is actually kinda typical of Japan -um so you get no bench space when you get an apartment in Japan really Even if you get like a big apartment for some reason they value sink-space more than cutting space.
Bryce: Right! I've no idea why (laughs) But it's just really typical of Japan so what I did is um- I managed to find a chopping board that manages to fit just over the space So I can cut on the chopping board and actually have somewhere to do things Bryce: Your seat down here- your little chair down here is so cute Emma: Well I'm quite lucky to be in Japan because like no one sits at a table here like everyone sits on the floor usually Bryce: Yea
Emma: Like all dining tables and everything are usually like on the floor so you sit either on the floor chairs or just on your knees or sit crossed legged like no one has space for dining tables here (laughs) So it's actually quite easy to find little- a little chair Just give you a demonstration so that- the funny thing is like my feet don't- (laughs) Emma: Yea, there's just like just not enough space to like put my feet down fully but I mean it's enough space and sometimes I'll edit here like I have um- Just reach over here. I have this little table I found (Sorry snake plant) so I can pull that out sometimes I'll like edit here if it's raining I'll just like have my computer here do my thing and just be able to look out the window, have a good time
Bryce: Yea It's great, I love it. It's like, little paradise. Emma: Yea Bryce: And so you've even actually got a little balcony here as well.
Emma: Yea, yea I do Emma: It's a little- it's not the smallest one I've ever seen in Japan like sometimes they'll have balconies which are just like you can kinda open the door a little bit but
Bryce: Yea. Emma: But whatever space you get in Japan you make the most of it so and out here I'll just show you This is my clothesline Bryce: Oh, right
Emma: So whenever I do my washing
I wonder if you can touch both walls.
I used to live a similarly small place, but it was square shaped rather than a long corridor like that.
Reminds me of Korben Dallas' apartment in The Fifth Element.
I really dont know what these people are doing wrong. I worked and lived in Tokyo, Japan. I was living in an Ikkodate (4 bedrooms, 2 toilets, 1 full-size car parking lot) about 10 min away from a major JR line station. The rent was 1200 USD including bills. I shared it with my gf.
There are also plenty of really cheap places for shopping, groceries and restaurants (especially family restaurants). Barbers are completely for free (including washing, color, cut and set) if you use this one app and volunteer as "hair model" (I just went to top locations and barbers that usually would take 200USD+ for that service - only good experience).
And I don't speak Japanese at all.
How are these people managing to get such apartments for such high prices? I am confused.
Was I the only one picking up on the reciprocal flirting???? I hope they went for drinks!