The small size of Japanese living space is legendary - but Tokyo architecture proves to be a marvel of miniaturization

“Don’t expect too much from my apartment…it’s a glorified portapotty, basically”. So Lindy warned me in an email just before I arrived in Tokyo to visit her. This I could cope with - whether Lindy could stand being cooped up with me in her small but private space away from the madness of the city was another matter.

There’s no getting around it. Tokyo apartments are small, as befits one of the most expensive cities on earth where land is at an absolute premium. But what impressed me with Lindy’s apartment was the thought that had gone into using the space that it had.

[A Very Short Walk Around A Tokyo Apartment]

A cool walk through. They have always talked about the tight living spaces in Tokyo and most of Japan. But its hard to believe traveler hotel rooms that look like coffins, and you can imagine that residences are like this. Until you see this walk through. It makes the tiny homes they planned for San Francisco seem spacious.