Life in a Crazy-Small 8m2 Tokyo Apartment

Today I am in Tokyo!!! Where I'm about to meet a fellow Youtuber, Emma, ​​who lives in a

small

, cool but

crazy

apartment

. This; I can't wait to take a look! Hi, Emma Emma: Hi, hi. Hi, I'm Bryce. Emma: Hello, nice to meet you. Bryce: Nice to meet you. Emma: Emma: Yes, come in! Bryce: Thank you. I'm very excited to be here. Yes, I'm excited to show you my little house. Emma: Welcome. Bryce: It's very

small

, isn't it? Yes. It's a little tight, you can touch both walls. How big is this place really? Uh, it says eight square meters, so...

Bryce: Eight square meters? Emma: Eight square meters, yes! Bryce: Wow. Emma: It's quite, very, very tight! So as a city

apartment

, it's actually much smaller than many of the tiny houses I've visited. Yes. How did you get here to be in this place? Well, I spent a lot of time looking for apartments and everything, but this place caught my attention because it has two separate levels. In many places the bed is right next to the bathroom and the kitchen and you like to eat next to the bed and you feel a little bad. So I finally found a place that has two levels separating my living room and my sleeping area.

But if. I just... I always wanted to be in Japan and I found a way to get here. Being an apartment in the center of Tokyo, it is really small. But is this something typical of apartments in this area? I mean, Japanese apartments are usually very small, but this one is at least narrower than anything else I've seen before. Like you can touch both walls. Bryce: Yes! Mmm, but yes. It's definitely a little bit smaller. It's strange in a way because even though it's very tight, and like you say, I mean. I don't even have to stretch my arms to touch both walls.

But even though it's so tight, it doesn't feel very confining. And I think that's because you have full height here too, right? Emma: Yes, I actually think there is something. This height is very useful, because I can finally stretch in at least one direction. I think without this extra space it would feel a little... maybe a little cramped, but it feels good. Can you show me around? Yeah! So when you enter a Japanese house, you take off your shoes in the gankon. Because even when they gave me this place they told me you had to take off your shoes.

Even if it is part of your culture to have shoes indoors, you should respect Japanese standards and take off your shoes indoors. Bryce: That's fair! Here's like a little shoe closet where I keep all my shoes, and then this is my closet, which has coats and stuff. I don't know if I should show it to you because it's so full. It may be a full closet, there is no need to be ashamed of the amount of clothes you have in that closet. I think girls in Australia or New Zealand...would...ah...would have a hard time being so spartan which I really selected with my fashion choices here because I don't have room to be fancy...it just makes

life

easier.

Bryce: What about the microwave and toaster oven in the entryway? Emma: Yes, yes. Emma: Yeah, you've got your toaster oven, your microwave... these things actually moved, they used to be there, which made the space feel really claustrophobic because there was nowhere, nowhere to move, but I moved. all the stuff in here, and... yeah, this toaster oven is like... I had to get these sticky pads because when there's an earthquake it moves. Good! I usually like to sit there, and if these sticky pads weren't there, it would keep moving towards my head and it's like "One day this is going to suck." Yes, it's not moving now. an earthquake, which is great Bryce: And then, more storage here, for the cutlery...

Emma: Yeah, just cutlery, everything. Bryce: Pots, pans. Any cupboard object has fragments of everything, really. There's a general theme, but if I have something, I'm like, "I need to put this somewhere!" I just like to throw it away. It's not the best method, but whatever gets things out of the open space Bryce: You even have a yoga mat here Emma: Yes! So ah- (laughs) Sometimes I like to work out or do yoga and try- Okay, it doesn't fit. It's just like the corner (laughs) It's like that, so do you want me to show you? Bryce: Yeah, continue Emma: Yeah, okay, so I'm trying to stop by.

This is like the largest space in my house. So I try to lay down like that, but on the tables right in the So I can usually go around and do exercises, it's really frustrating because some days it's like "okay, now stretch your arms out to the sides" and I'm like (laughs) and everything as if you were lying down. the floor and -ahh It's just that it never quite works but it's enough that I can do things this way But yeah, that's where I do my exercises Emma: Go for the effort, right? Bryce: Absolutely! Emma: You're going to try everything and if it doesn't work, you try something else.

I think that's good for small spaces because it makes you think a little more "keeps you creative" Bryce: And then you have your office area. here? Yeah, this is like I spend most of my time like a chair, my computer and yeah, it's where I edit, it's where I edit all my videos, it's where I answer all my emails. where I do most of my work, but it's nice because at least I can look out the back window, yeah, I know my... my neighbor has his desk facing the wall and I couldn't stand that. (laughs) Bryce: No.

Emma: If I'm working and I look up and all I see is a wall, I'm like "let me out," so yeah, I can always see outside. Yes, I always need something alive like something happening in space Emma: That's why I have so many potted plants everywhere. Bryce: Yes. I want even more, but yes, if there are no living things, if I can't see the outside world, things feel really stale. And that's when this space can seem a little small. I found it a challenge when I got here because This is like all the furniture is not mine, like this is a fully furnished apartment as is.

And trying to find different ways to make the space my own was challenging, but it feels really rewarding, Bryce. : Yes. Emma: Because it is... it's a challenge, especially when you can't choose your own furniture and I can't drill holes in the walls or anything. So I have to leave it like that but influence it. (laughs) Bryce: Yeah, with all my stuff and because you have to be so selective with your possessions, it's like I only choose things that mean a lot to me. Bryce: Yes, Emma: And it really helps the space. Bryce: And then it's the kitchen space down here?

Emma: Yes, yes! So, actually, this is a bit typical of Japan, so you don't have room in the bank when you get an apartment in Japan. Even if you have a large apartment, for some reason they value sink space more than cutting corners. Bryce: Right! I have no idea why (laughs) But it's very typical of Japan, so what I did was... I managed to find a cutting board that fits right over the space. So I can cut on the cutting board and have somewhere to do things Bryce: Your seat down here, your little chair down here is so cute Emma: Well, I'm very lucky to be in Japan because no one sits at a table here, everyone usually sits on the floor Bryce: Yeah Emma: Like all the dining tables and everything is usually on the floor so you sit on the chairs on the floor or just on your knees or cross legged like no one has room for the dining tables here (laughs).

So it's actually pretty easy to find little ones - a little chair. I'm just giving you a demonstration so... the funny thing is, my feet don't... (laughs) Emma: Yeah, there's just not enough room to put my feet on the ground completely, but I mean, it's enough. space. and sometimes I edit here as if I did... Just zoom in here. I have this little table I found (Sorry, snake plant), so I can take it out sometimes. I would like to edit here if it is raining. I would just like to have my computer here to do my thing and be able to look out the window.

Have a good time Bryce: Yeah, it's great, I love it. It's like a little paradise. Emma: Yes Bryce: And you have a little balcony here too. Emma: Yes, yes, I do. Emma: It's a little bit, it's not the smallest I've seen in Japan, because sometimes they have balconies that are like you can open the door a little bit, but Bryce: Yes. Emma: But any space you have in Japan you take advantage of. to the max, so here I'll show you This is my clothesline Bryce: Oh right Emma: So, every time I do the laundry.