Life in a Crazy-Small 8m2 Tokyo Apartment - YouTube

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