RECOMMENDED:Japanese Homes Explained: Minimalism, Craft, and Tradition / 2025 🇯🇵

From traditional wooden houses with exquisite joinery to modern urban apartments. Highlighting minimalism, craftsmanship, and thoughtful design, the documentary reveals how Japanese domestic spaces reflect a balance of functionality, aesthetics, and cultural values.

Japanese small apartments, often referred to as micro-apartments or kyosho jutaku (狭小住宅), are ultra-compact, self-contained living spaces designed to maximize efficiency in space-constrained urban areas like Tokyo and Osaka. They are typically defined as 1R (One Room) or 1K (One Kitchen) units, often ranging from 10 to 30 square meters (approx. 100 to 320 square feet).

Key Definitions & Layouts

• 1R (One Room / ワンルーム): A true studio where the living, sleeping, and kitchen areas are all in one undivided space, often ranging from 12–20 m².
• 1K (One Kitchen / ワンケー): Slightly larger (13–25 m²) with a 1-burner stove kitchen that is separated from the main living area by a door or wall.
• 1DK (One Dining Kitchen): Similar to 1K, but includes a separate, small dining area.
• Micro-Apartments (10m² - 15m²): Often referred to in Tokyo as "3-piece unit bath" apartments, these are designed to be, in extreme cases, under 10 m² (roughly 95–100 sq ft).

Japanese Homes Explained: Minimalism, Craft, and Tradition (2025)