Japan is a land of contrast: ultra-modern, yet traditional; quiet and peaceful during tea ceremony, but too much for most visitors once they step onto Shibuya’s infamous scramble crossing. The same contrast clearly applies to Japanese ideas of living arrangements. While tiny houses of minimalistic modern architecture with exposed concrete walls or traditional houses with rooms dominated by a single hanging wall scroll might dominate coffee table books on Japanese design, the reality for most Japanese people looks very different.
 
Most Japanese houses are crammed to say the least. And to the surprise of many, this does not only apply to the tiny apartments of the Japanese capital. Even in the countryside where space comes at less of a premium, home floor plans are often designed to a measure that still feels a bit tight for a Westerner. Why is that? While in Tokyo money talks, in the country there are no such restrictions on space. Why is that?

The most likely answer: the purpose of a home in Japan is different. The home, or uchi, is in stark contrast to soto, the outside, the rest of the world, the unfamiliar. As such, the home is a place for only the family and not necessarily designed with the idea to entertain guests in mind. The home does not fulfill a purpose of "representing", and thus a smaller space will suffice. In Japan, representing in the form of gatherings, business, or meeting friends takes place outside the home.
 
Further, smaller room sizes in general might also resonate in the aesthetics of wabi-sabi which are rooted in Zen Buddhism. Its characteristics include simplicity, economy, austerity, modesty and intimacy. Richard Powell, author of Wabi Sabi Simple, states that wabi-sabi "nurtures all that is authentic by acknowledging three simple realities: nothing lasts, nothing is finished, and nothing is perfect." It is not hard to see that few Japanese will aspire to the ideal of a Zen monk who is traditionally assigned a space no larger than a single tatami mat to sleep on. But the notion of mottainai, which can be translated as "not being wasteful", has seeped into the wider society to a measure that can practiced in daily life.
 
However, at some point in history, possibly with Japan’s modernisation after WWII and surge to become one of the world’s most successful economies, these principles started to clash with the side effects of a capitalist lifestyle. Shopping, conspicuous consumption and amassing belongings don’t match a minimalistic tatami room. Nowadays, a typical Japanese home is more likely to consist of a genkan, or entrance area, overflowing with pairs of footwear that don't all fit into the small shoe box installed there. The living room is crowded with furniture holding the housewares  ranging from cups, glasses, souvenirs to complete series of manga. Every inch of surface area in the kitchen is most likely taken up by appliances, making you wonder what concept the residents have worked out to still be able to prepare food here.
 
It is possibly that dilemma that inspired Marie Kondo to develop a whole philosophy around the mundane activity of tidying up. It is fuelled by the same cultural notions that are behind the traditionally simplistic living arrangements in Japan. Kondo applies these principles to her clients’ every day homes by reducing and reducing until the ideal, not perfect, state for the home is reached.
 
While you might have already started to KonMari your home, most Westerners do not want to do without some of the creature comforts they are used to from back home that spark joy in them. This could be the luxury of having an oven, which is missing in traditional Japanese homes or a spare room for guests that might be visiting from overseas. While expat homes are traditionally located in the 3As, there are also some suitable properties with larger floor plans that can be remodelled into your dream home in the outer wards of Tokyo. Working closely with a real estate agent that knows where to find properties designed for a Western lifestyle would be a first step.

By Mareike Dornhege

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