*WOULD YOU LIVE HERE?* Let me know in the comments down below!! ||||||||||||| CHECK THIS OUT BELOW!!! ||||||||||||| ----- **OFFICIALLY FOUND JAPAN'S WORST TINY APARTMENT:** ua-cam.com/video/R4oQDnHlrR0/v-deo.html ----- For a bit of juxtaposition ---- Take another trip to Japan's Magical Forest: ua-cam.com/video/sZ4nCiJAw20/v-deo.html
I would consider living there, but I need more information, Norm. Maybe your next video could be you living there for a month and seeing how well you manage? 😂
Its not unliveable, All I'd need is a single bed, a microwave, rice cooker and an AC or fan unit, maybe a small table for my laptop. Most of the time I could get away with using a gym shower or visiting a public bathhouse. Having the fresh air and somewhere to smoke would be cool. The bit besides the entryway could be good for a dryer too.
As someone who was homeless before, places like these would have kept me from sleeping in tents, outside, and being really cold. I'm glad these places exist for those who can't afford much.
Totally agree. I think more socialism/society based places (soviet union, some asian and european countries) have made more of an effort to offer extensive housing. Like yeah the Soviet Union had a lot of shitty housing and you had to get on a long application list to get your own place, but they made a lot of effort to build housing and make sure people were housed. Japan also has a lot less zoning laws/barriers compared to the U.S, which means that you can find shitty housing for less than $500.
@@Ishidres Not every city has places like these, and not everyone who is homeless lives in the city. Additionally, even where they might be available, the homeless population has less access to the internet or other educational resources which could inform them of these types of options, making it that much more difficult for many of them.
As someone who has lived homeless for over 8 months in the past, no walls, no roof, no dedicated shower or toilet. 100% on the street, that kind of humble sandwich make me grateful this sort of accommodation exists for those who really and desperately need it. SO many comments condemning the place and clearly don't know what it means to be completely destitute.
Lack of these sorts of places is what keeps many homeless in that condition. Back in the day there used to be flop houses, places people could stay on at least the bottom rung of the housing ladder but the urban redevelopment boom wiped them out decades ago.
Not true, my husband and I were homeless forv9 mths in Canada, in winter. This was about 15 yrs ago, dark times. We moved into a rooming house at first and it felt like heaven, a bed, heat, water etc. But this should not be permanent living, it depresses you after awhile. We should all want our fellow man to be safe, secure and have dignity.
@@DamnedSilly When I first moved to Manhattan back in 1990, I was told it was bed bugs that did in most of the flop houses. There were still a couple in NYC, but apparently there were a lot more in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and earlier. I can tell you that in 1990, I had no idea bed bugs were a real thing, as they had pretty much been wiped out back then.
@@le_th_ Whoever told you that has a rosy view of history. Particularly since bed bugs have been a growing problem since the '90s. It was a fringe benefit of some of the slum clearance programs but certainly not the cause.
As someone who lived homeless for many years I will say having this place for $100 a month would have been a godsend to me. Just seeing that sink and knowing I would have water to drink and a bathroom within 10mins of walking would be glorious. You can make $100 busting you butt doing yard work and misc jobs or something and now you covered rent. Good stuff.
@@robinlillian9471 they said used to. Also, there are some programs that give cell phones to homeless people, which would explain surfing the net. As some one else said, don't be a judgemental ass
The bathroom situation is scary BC we all saw how the world closed it's doors on public things for so long. How did anyone live without a toilet during that time? Plus, even when the world is up and running, people get stomach bugs, etc. The shared bathroom thing is dorm room enough, I can't imagine needing to leave the building and hope a bathroom is free!
@@cindy1568 seriously that's the easiest problem to solve. Have a bottle? Solved. Have a glass cup? Also solved. You can even go Bear Grylls style and enjoy all the juice.
@@cindy1568 pee in the sink or in a jug and dump it outside I guess. Edit: Actually I found out that amazon has portable toilets that can colapse and be carried by hand. Some of them are only like 100 bucks or so. Also they're odor sealed and the waste can be disposed of by pouring it into a regular toilet later. It's not ideal, but it works in an emergency, and it beats the alternative. And actually would even be a good idea to have for camping. Just get one of those foldable zip up tents that can fit in a backpack for privacy.
@@akkystreams it's really the bathroom situation that's killing it. Not saying it's a great place by any means but if it's that or end up on the street, I'd take that. Maybe make the bathroom a share bathroom and increase the price by something like $50 per unit.
@@XSemperIdem5 most likely either the building is only rated for one family (so they can legally only offer the shitter to one room) or the person in the Room above is just a jackass artificially taking over the toilet and the owner doesn't know or doesn't care
In the USA there has to be a bathroom available in the building. I've never seen an apartment or room for rent where you have NO bathroom and have to use a public restroom.
My first thought was everyone who lived there (who wasn’t in the luxurious 203 apartment) must have rediscovered the historic chamber pot. Which begs the question … where do they empty them? Um … how did that back alley really smell?
You remind me of the story of a place in china that was hit with an earthquake. The newer luxury places all got flattened. The older poor neighborhood though, with wildly inconsistent construction standards, surprisingly had a lot of buildings left standing. What made the big difference was that nobody in the poor area could afford much space, so the units were much smaller. When all your passage ways and rooms are very small, it means that your building has a lot of wall, which means there is a lot more structure than modern open concept places.
When I was a kid we were so poor we had 3 generations living in a "house" smaller than the bedroom I have right now. It was pretty much just a glorified hut. We had no running water or electricity. I can remember the first time I ever seen a refrigerator. So as far as a place to live, this isn't the worst. Especially if it's just yourself, and you have a whole city just right there.
How does 3 generations of people fail to secure an income large enough to pay for more than 1 room? I live on minimum wage myself working full time at some pizza joint and the money I make alone can afford a decent small apartment. Chicago btw. What country and area may I ask? That also has a big factor.
Honestly, the only true "deal breaker" is the lack of a bathroom. If there was one, shared or not, I could actually live there long-term. All I truly ever *use* of my apartment is the bed, the computer desk, one cooking plate, and storing my clothes. I could easily fit a small desk in there for the computer, along with a bed and some wardrobes. Put a cooking plate by the sink and that only leaves a toilet to fulfill all my daily needs.
@@blaackberry i don't know much about gyms in Japan, but I know some people who have gym memberships so they can use the restrooms and showers. They workout too, but that's the main reason for the membership. Said people live out of a van and travel for work.
The thing with the bathroom is I would just get a compost toilet and one of those portable bathtubs and a camp shower. Those things are pretty cheap and would be super easy to store under the floor. As someone who did the vanlife for a bit this place is 💯 workable and worth the price.
@@doubtful_seercompost toilets work similar to cat litter. I presume that where you dispose of cat litter, that's where you would dispose of, well, human litter. And you wouldn't need running water nor the toilet to be connected to the sewage system. There are also chemical WCs, but I don't know where you dispose of their... contents
I've had friends that experienced homelessness, and this is such a workable space for so cheap. This is luxury compared to living in tunnels or tents, especially in winter. You could definitely have a bed pan for emergencies, so no bathroom isn't the worst thing. A sink for cleaning up, space for a small futon. This has a lot of potential.
I mean it's only me but.... there'd be a pipe right outside your window.... If push comes to shove just hook up a hose and you have yourself a shower 🤷🏾♂️ and maybe a deal could be worked out with the guy upstairs to share the toilet.... This place however small is far better than sleeping outside
it's not as much of a luxury as you think. A lot of japan and by a lot I mean most is literally concrete with no central heating. Indoors gets very cold.
I have honestly seen way worse for way more. If they just had a attached toilet, this would have been quite livable for a student looking for cheap places.
Yep. Not much bigger or better (but yea with a toilet) would go around 300-400€ around here. And you will always have 40-50 ppl the next day sb moves out.
As someone who lives part time in a campervan, I think this is a great apartment for the price and location. You can get a composting toilet and a USB shower head, a bucket and a baby bath. Heat your water up in the kettle, put it in the bucket and away you go! Put up a shower curtain across the entrance storage area. Tada! An easy bathroom!
*Me wondering where the bathroom is * "you've definitely probably already noticed... that there's no air conditioner.." ...buddy we have different needs hahaha
ah yes I too prefer nyc with its "central park" ehem 'Construction sites' views , and the eerie quiet surrounding , ehem 'bustling fucks who doesnt know how to drive' , for x10 the price of this one
@@MrXevier In the U.S we don’t have any options for as little as $100 a month. Being homeless you’re always at risk for being robbed, hurt, raped, freezing in the winter. Here at least you can sleep in your own space and you wouldn’t have to carry all your worldly possessions everywhere with you.
This is the first tiny apartment you showed that I was like, "Nope, couldn't do it." I was feeling the layout of the apartment, but when you pointed out there was no restroom I had to pass.
With the amount of money you can save for the price just shit before you go home somewhere else and pee in Gatorade bottles to save space when you have to pee at night, or middle of the night or the morning, that’s what I would do lol
I'm always amazed by people who talk about planning when to actually go #2. Like, if I have to go, I have to go. I can't wait and plan my bowel movements. @@robertvega3078
$100 a month! Honestly if I found a space that cheap I would absolutely take it! Imagine the money saved lol and the motivation to leave your apartment and explore!
Even in rural Georgia here, you cannot find anywhere to live cheaper than $600 a month. I don't know a single person my age who rents that does it alone. You have to have room mates.
i live in a $100 studio apartment in the philippines and its bigger than one of the videos still living pay check to pay check. but mychild is studying in a private school thats all i need tbh
Same. I heard that there exist buildings in Japan, mostly rented by university students, who are like you rent a 15 squarmeter room with either just a kitchen in your room and you have a bathroom on the hallway or you have a bathroom to your room but no kitchen or a kitchen you need to share on the same floor and that sounds allready better (even tho I heared that some of those places can be a bit pricy). IDK how small living works if you arn't in Japan since I'm from Germany where the most people rent apartments between 40-70 squarmeters (Average) and some people even live in bigger apartments here, but I know (and saw) a few apartments around 20-30 squarmeter in Germany and they allready tend to look better than what a tiny apartment looks like in Japan so hm... (But I heard a few years ago that there exist companys in Germany who will try to do the same as in Japan: A full decorated 10 suqarmeter apartment since mainly cities like Berlin are too expensive and so people need cheaper apartments, not sure if the idea is allready made into places since the videos I saw were a few years ago tho) and yeah Japan is a way other number than trying to find a small apartment in Europe since many places (not all) are still kinda afordable and so even a single person can live big if they are not too broke
Okay, how much is the room 203 guy paying to horde the one bathroom for himself? Plot twist: what if he just put that sign on the door himself and convinced other tenants they're supposed to go use the library washrooms?
Well, if the person who rents this room out plays his cards right... he can strongly persuade Room 203 to allow use of their bathroom since the bathroom pipes run through this apartment.... Just one twist of the pipe and no more potty for #203.
@@WaxingPhilosophical Uh... he would still be able to use the toilet though. It would just make this room awful. These are only outflow/drainage pipes.
I agree with you for the washroom situation. I have bipolar disorder and I take a high amount of lithium for it. One side effects of the lithium is that it make me thirsty all the time because it's a salt. Because of the water I need to drink, I go to the washroom between 3 to 6 time each night. Imagine that in this apartment?! I guess I would need a bucket 😅
I think the fact that your upper neighbour's "business" slides down through the pipe in your room, while you have to walk to the library to do yours, really gets grating after a while.
get a toilet, a pump, some pvc pipe, hook up to the water spigot outside and pump your waste into that gray water pipe in your room. Obviously not a serious suggestion but that's what I would do if I really wanted to live in the heart of tokyo AND spend $100 USD on rent even though all the equipment I just listed probably costs 3 or 4 months worth of rent lmao...
Actually the green pipe is fresh water, and the red one is usually the fire prevention water for sprinklers and stuff. The sewer pipes are usually plastic, white, black or grey. *insert the more you know meme here*
@@alexandrelambrou6625 the pipe at 3:35 looks grey to me so i think it might actually be literal grey water (waste) from your upstairs neighbors. It looks like it's leading directly outside and down into the ground.
@@tubeuser2222 yeah you're right, at some point looked slightly green to me dunno why. Then it needs like 0.5% to 1% inclination, else it might clog with the turds, and the diameter is rather small xD that house should be 50$
Without like a compost toilet or at least like a pee jug or something, I would end up peeing myself. I always need to pee when I wake up. Always. It doesn't matter what time it is.
thats rlly not so bad. the entrance creeps me out but the room isnt the worst ive seen. you could get a composting toilet for emergencies, shower at the gym and be set.
What is it with composting toilets? They cost $1,000+ and can still smell, especially if you leave them to "compost". Get a camping toilet for under $100, line it with garbage bags, and change them daily. Either way, you would still have to dispose of the contents.
I’m actually really happy that there are places out there that are this cheap. It’s really good for people who are really struggling and need a roof over their heads while they sort things out. Sure, the washroom situation is really horrible and the place is far from luxurious, but it’s way better than living on the streets.
At first I thought there could be a fire hazard but when you mentioned there is no bathroom, I think you are pretty safe by calling all tenants out to pee on the fire.
There's so many worse living situations. For $100/month this is amazing! Most of my friends previous apartments had less "backyard" space. We need some of these in the states for people trying to get on their feet.
It is amazing how cheap some of these places in Japan are. Makes me want to go visit for like half a year or something, have a cheap tiny apartment like this so I could affordably explore the area.
The issue is that there are effectively no codes there. In the U.S., you have to have a huge checklist for each place, but in Japan you can convert a large closet into an "Apartment". So prices go up as every place has to have hot and cold water, a toilet, and on and on to be legally rented. In Japan, you take a normal 3 or 4 story office or home and convert it into 10 small spaces - profit!
@@plektosgamingthat isn't an issue when you have a population facing increasing homelessness and unaffordable rents. If there were cheap places like this in the US it wouldve changed my life.
@@jprec5174 There are currently somewhere between 15 and 20 million homes in the U.S. held off market or vacant (the last data I could find was 2022, BEFORE hedge funds started buying homes in massive numbers). There is no actual shortage, just greed. Plus zero government controls on any of it. Resulting in a situation where greed is rewarded and prices are determined by large hedge funds and out of state landlords.
@@Oberkommando They now have 8k camera pods they can mount in a series and hide the in the walls. No need for a cameraman since everything is captured, just a good editor.
First thing I thought was - hey, it's kinda high for Japan. They could lower the corridor and space above adapt for another room or storage area. Or horizontal bath...
The landlord must be a nice person to even hassle with renting it out and exposing himself to potential legal hassles associated with having renters. Because $100 is chump change especially in Tokyo. Most people would just use it for storage for themselves or for the other renters. But the landlord decided to make it available for a needy person.
landlord likely owns the building and it seems to be old enough to no longer actually be taxed(pretty much anything over 30 years old isn't taxed, just the land it's on). It's clearly a space that was put together quickly and cheaply to make a little bit of side cash(along with the other apartments in that building) instead of shelling out the big bucks to renovate and risk having to get it up to code.
@@projecttwentytwentyfiveisgreat True, bc it lacks basic amenities, but to me a slum lord would be charging 5x more for exactly the same. In that case, it's not a stepping stone anymore (temporary situation that you can save up & move out of) it's a permanent trap.
Honestly. A bed a computer setup. A couple of fans. Some small fencing and a garden in the back. Box up a bit of that crawlspace to keep..undesirable guests out. And a hotplate with a cord guard and a microwave and you'd have something pretty decent for 100 a month
This apartment isn’t actually as bad as I thought it was going to be. But it definitely makes me grateful for my apartment with my living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom ♥️
As someone who lived in shitty boarding rooms since 15 years old, that room looks fairly cozy. The pros would probably be having your own sink and "backyard" (never had any of those in my previous boarding rooms) and being near a library, and a coin laundry. However, not having a nearby toilet that is accessible anytime is a big deal breaker for me. If the owner added a communal bathroom/washroom, then that would be more enticing to prospect renters. The room also does not have any windows which would be a big problem during summer but can be partially solved by spending the hot days reading or lazing inside the nearby library or cafe.
It's kind of surprising that the owners of the apartments didn't just settle on sharing the bathroom since it's in the hall that connects them. My uncle have lived in some rather spartan apartments, but even he managed to make agreements with his neighbors to use their bathrooms.
@@brownhard ,In that case, the tenant with the right to use it will lock it. Respect other people. I have no problem with that, I can use dry toilet if I live there.
There are a lot of cons (safety!) to a place like this, but for someone looking to escape an even more unsafe living situation and save up some money to start a new life, it would be a useful stepping stone. I know that there have been times in my life when I would have gladly lived here.
One time I saw a video about a program for homeless people that built tiny sheds as homes. Everyone had to go to the communal building in the middle for the toilet, shower, kitchen, but at least they had their own bedroom that didn't share walls with a door that locked. The locking front door was a big deal to the people that lived there, because safety. It looked nice, there was space around each home and such. I don't remember the price, but I remember wishing it was a common housing arrangement because I wanted one. The space was really limited in the program though, they could only take people who truly needed it because they only had so many of the tiny homes.
for someone interested in van life Im glad I came across this video I feel like I could definitely live comfortably in that size apartment and only $100! love it especially where its located amazing!!
@@SindyJ37 hell, just get one of those cassette camp toilets and dump it in the library. Of course, a 24 hr access gym would be the best, because membership is pretty cheap, but covid showed us that can end up getting shut down despite rarely having anyone actually show up to them.
Honestly I was not expecting such a large window for that amount of rent. At least you can air out the space avoiding mold and get natural light unlike some gloomy places in densely populated towns. As for the toilet, use a composting or camping toilet they can be stored away or ask the landlord if instead of using the space in front of the window for a washing maschine, you could instead put up one of these toilet/shower camping tents. You have running water outside, too. you heat up water in a kettle and mix it with in these 20 l solar hanging shower bags for quick showers. For cooking get a small fridge with a toaster oven or microwave on top. If you have a small income or rely like that student I guess on parents, I guess you just have to try and makes things work -especially in such mega cities.
You dont need to cook at all. Convivence stores in Japan are open 24/7 and offer great food at cheap prices. You could totally live off that no problem
I've had a few of your vids like this recommended to me while UA-cam binging. Seeing so many living spaces compacted together combined with Japan's frequent earthquakes just makes the word "deathtrap" repeat endlessly in my head.
This is just a guess, but I would bet there's not much of a homelessness problem in Tokyo because of the availability of places like this. In places like Los Angeles where there's a lot of homelessness, it's very difficult to build inexpensive housing because regulations require such and such amenities that essentially make them luxury condos.
@@JSLing-vv5go You've never been to Tokyo, I see. There are homeless in Tokyo. Ueno Park is where you can see them, and there may other places I don't know about (in fact, I'm almost certain there are).
@@le_th_ Yes, if you give them $100 they won't rent a storage place and live there for a month. They will spend it on drugs and food. It's a vicious cycle of mental illness and abuse which often gets them there in the first place or at least keeps them there.
This.....with a toilet. just a basic one with the over toilet sink in that "closet" would be fine for extreme budget situations. for washing you always have public baths in japan.
Aside from the bathroom situation, I lived in worse rooms. I mean you have a window, you can clear and decorate the backyard and put a stove somewhere in the room. Or you can just eat out with all the money you save. Also, some people work all day and only come home really late so they just need a place to sleep in.
Idk, its also pretty depressing spending 1200 dollars a month on rent to live in the shitty section of some new england town thats not even boston or providence. I live about an hour away from boston now and its still insanely expensive. this is also for just a 1 bedroom appt.
@@maxb306 Been homeless in the US can confirm. My First day in a new city i finaly got to 2 people got shot and i used to get rides from my friends h dealer. i can not understate how happy i woulda been in this place, probably woulda cried myself to sleep every night form joy alone.
@@maxb306 I don't know what depression have to do with this. But no one should be satisfied living here. This can only be a very temporary arrangement...for the experience. Staying in this place and being homeless is about the same.
Get a compost toilet (easy to manage and it doesn't smell) and as someone said you can connect the shower with the faucet outside or use gyms/public bathrooms/etc.
"Sink", "WC", "Hot water"? Hehehe... I rented a place in Santiago in a pension where I had one of the good rooms with windows and proper space. Others were basically just little more than 6 sqm with a single bulb and no outdoor windows. Dark and really badly ventilated. THAT was dingy.
Actually $100 a month is cheap for ANYWHERE, let alone in Tokyo. I was thinking $100 meant per week so I was quite surprised. As for toilet facilities, one could use one of those camping toilets with a removable cartridge for emptying into a toilet somewhere as needed. Probably a lot more RV type of things could be used to make it more livable.
this applies only for the big cities and well-off countries, 100$ a month where I live get u a 65m2 (700sq ft) apartment that is basically in the city centre
My best friend once lived in this room in the Fort Lauderdale area (which really isn’t that expensive of an area IMO). I believe it was 100 a WEEK, it was just a bed and a crt tv attached to a dilapidated house. Also no toilet but I believe the owner would allow you to use his bathroom. I’d say it was worse than this place except bathroom situation. Insane that it was still 400 a month when downtown Tokyo has a 100 dollar apartment that’s arguably better.
@@andream9470 could be but the whole premise and feature of this room was that there was no toilet so if what you say is true then the landlord purposefully lied to Tokyo lens. Because they obviously had contact before this and Tokyo lens got told that there was no bathroom. Nobody in their right mind would just lie that there is no bathroom because it obviously sounds very bad. I just don’t find that very believable and I think 203 just pays a lot more for the right to the bathroom.
Honestly, for $100/month, it's a decent little space. And with the sliding door leading to outside, that mostly takes care of any fire hazard in terms of escaping.
One thing baffles me: Aren't there laws and codes in Japan for livable apartments, and overall buildings where people can enter? Merely walking through the entrance corridor and entering the apartment I could spot a half dozen fire hazards and fire safety problems. Not to talk about exposed electric cables being just a hazards on all themselves. There are probably tons of other problems for living quarters that someone who knows about these things could probably easily spot, and which would be against construction codes and regulations. In most European countries this would never get the approval to allow people to live there.
It's so nice to give people affordable options for people with lower budget availability. I wish the U.S. and Canada would give options for more affordable rentals.
I could honestly see this being used as an office space for a start-up with maybe three employees. Everyone has laptops they bring home with them at night and all thats left in the apartment are a couple desks and maybe a small bar fridge, nothing you'd be too bothered by if it happened to go missing.
Make the most of it... maybe try making new and interesting ways of using all the space? I’m in a tiny place but not nearly as small as that. I’m glad you and your mom have a place to live, I know so many people don’t. Are you on your way to get a better place or do you have to make due for now? I hope that you and your mom stay healthy and happy. 😊👍🏼❤️
open area can be easily transformed into shower, garden, chill out space as well as the toilet. I am in love with this tiny space, I do believe for a mindful person who is able to plan and organise smartly this would be a dream place for under 100 bucks
This room is actually good for storing some sundries or a small lightweight studio (secret base). The monthly rent of $100 may not be able to pay for a container warehouse. There is also water and electricity
some people in these cases tend to go to onsens to wash themselfves and use the public bathrooms found in some roads but yeah no bathroom and toilet no go (rarely these cheap apartaments will have a shared bathroom lol)
Would be good for somebody who works in Tokyo but lives farther away. Sometimes you need to work late and can't get home. Cheaper then a hotel a few times a month. No toilet or bath would be a hard sell though.
@@Emma-ex8gx Ya but a capsule hotel is what they provide you with. In a cheap apt like this, you can have a bed you like, your own jammies, fridge of food and drink, and it's 4 times the size of a capsule. The toilet would be only huge issue. But you can buy a porta potty. Rather have this apt then a capsule.
@@Emma-ex8gx capsule hotels cost somewhere between $20 and $50 per night. If you work in Tokyo, or commonly have business trips to Tokyo, renting something like this out just for a place to stay and keep some stuff isn't a bad deal. $1200 a year is less than what many people pay for rent in a month.
@@Emma-ex8gx Capsule hotel can go up to 50$ per night. In other word if you crashed more than thrice in Tokyo you'll be paying more than renting this room. I said thrice because with amenities, electricity and stuff you'll probably be paying up to 150$ for the upkeep per months. Considering that you'll be using it purely for sleeping the night it's worth the cost... The only deal breaker is that it's probably cold as fuck in winter.
@@JeSt4m If you live for a month (3 weeks - 1050 4 weeks - 1400) on a capsule hotel then its basically a trash now, theres many apt in japan ranging 600-900$ only with a small bathroom, a small kitchen with mini fridge and a hot plate provided with sometimes a small balcony and a one bedroom place but a small living space all for yourself. While on capsule hotels, 3 bathroom is mostly shared by 30 capsules of people in it without proper privacy, if you go to expensive capsule hotel in japan with better privacy meaning lockable and not curtain and not just a pocket slide slim door as the privacy with most of the time no locks will be a 75$ a night. So you cant really compare the great apt to the capsules anymore since it'll be a trash by then
“Progressives” will not allow it because of building codes and regulations they love. So naturally they want people to sleep on the streets and shoot up. Which is exactly what happens.
The lack of toilet seems like a weird choice. Assuming the other rooms aside from 203 don't have toilets either and go for a comparable price, I'd just convert one apartment into a toilet and raise the other rents by >$100 each. I guess the investment cost doesn't seem worth it for such an old building, but I feel like the toilet would pay for itself in short order.
@@XSemperIdem5 I'm not a plumber or a builder (so I might be way off base), but I feel like the raised floor would make it a little easier to run pipes through the apartment shown here and convert it into a two-toilet bathroom. The faucet out back and sink show that there is water around, while the ceiling pipe suggests that waste removal is also nearby. It might look a bit scuffed and take a minute for the toilets' tanks to fill, but I still feel that toilet access would elevate the building from "apartments with a caveat" to "regular apartments (for Japan)."
@@pitohi11 Yes, they already have a black water waste pipe from that one toilet, to convert one room into a bathroom so long as it is on the same floor or you can get through the crawlspace to run the waste pipes where you need to would be absolutely doable.
I believe that house is so old and bad and dangerous that any form of investment on it is a waste. This is just an easy way for them to milk the poorest people
I actually really like this one! Since I'm on the small side I wouldn't have much trouble maneuvering around and you can buy small appliances to help with the other issues. The back could use a little TLC but the lack of a toilet...I can't imagine having to go on an adventure just to poop I'm sorry 🥲
@@bookcrazy001 yup! The right plastic bagS in the right bucket, there’s your toilet! Tie it up and throw it away in the local dumpster? I mean, I would imagine that if you had a fan you could air the place out after you use the bucket…as long the place ventilates ok it shouldn’t be tooooo bad.
Feature packed? What features does this place have, exactly? A light? The sink? The under-floor storage that really is an access to the underfloor for maintenance/pest control reasons? xD I can't imagine you didn't at least have public toilets/ showers in your college dorm, but I could be wrong :/
Were you in a closet? Theres no other way to find a more cramped area. He showed you that the cameras wide lens mafde it look bigger. He put himself in to show scale. Anything smaller would suffocate you…Literally.
@@MaryArts Then what do you do if you get diarrhea after 7 p.m.? There's going to be "stench" one way or another. It has to either be an outhouse or a port-a-potty inside.
That "backyard" / gardening area by itself is also a selling point for me. That door makes the place so much better and brighter than it seems from the other direction. And 15m2 sounds big (let's imaging 3m x 5m) with a lot of underground storage. Like the idea of peeing in the bushes haha....
A composting toilet and portable shower would be my first suggestions. Portable induction hot plate and microwave/mini convection oven for cooking in the apartment. Dorm refrigerator for cooling food items. Those are often used in mobile homes or tiny houses. Offer to pay tenant 203 to rent their toilet when they are not using it. Build an outhouse and outdoor shower using the water from the outside water tap. Is the outside for the single apartment to use or is it a shared common space for all apartments? Use the outdoor backyard as a leach field covered by a garden. If someone complains about the odiferous stench explain that odor is the garden fertilizer. Get an inexpensive gym membership for hot showers or an onsen for hot baths. Use a coin laundromat to wash your clothes and have an outdoor clothes hanger to dry in the sun.
Onsen (penny bath) houses started because people in Japan did not have indoor plumbing or hot water. Onsen was an affordable method for everyone in town to bathe and practice clean hygiene. In modern culture, an onsen is seen as a traditional spa instead of a daily necessity.
Shared bathrooms outside the apartment weren't that uncommon back in the days. Seems like a kinda fair apartment if you could share the bathroom. (though I would be afraid of mold, but other than that it might be fine for Japanese Tokyo standards)
I lived in a bldg. awhile back that was like that and it wasn't a problem. Not ideal, but not that bad. I also stayed at a homeless shelter that was much, much worse.
If I lived there I think I would need to have an RV / camping cassette toilet for emergencies and no#1's after 7pm & find a place to legitimately empty it regularly. If I couldn't then I'd hide the cassette in a wheelie granny shopping bag or something and empty it in the library toilets.
This could be amazing as an additional space for someone as well. Like someone working "from home" who just doesn't have space in their apartment with family etc, or e.g. if you live outside the city and rent this just for during the week while you're working (and have a washroom etc at work perhaps). I think this could be used in many ways.
The only way I'd take this place is if I was trying to fight my way out of homelessness, that's it. Even if you're a commuter you'd probably prefer staying in a 24/7 manga cafe.
I think you underestimate manga cafe's if you think they come at around 100dollars a month. As hotel replacements they're fine, but not for permanent housing, and nowhere near this price.
@@neonmaulerr yeah I thought it would always be expensive but seeing this I'd have enough passive income to just live in Tokyo and spend time exploring and eating places because I'd save so much money on where I'd just be crashing at the end of the day
I don't mind small living space, but the "no bathroom" thing I couldn't live with for any amount of time. Where I'm living now, there is a Dominos right next to my apartment.
Fun trivia: waste waterlines are called "grey water". Anyway, for $100 per month, I would hire a plumber to tap into the grey water pipe and install my own bathroom facilities. That apartment could be made into something special for very little money.
@jeffrydiamond Actually, Grey Water is water that comes from your sink or shower and can be reused (but not for drinking). Black water is waste water from your toilet and can not be reused or reclaimed. Besides, you’re only renting that apartment, not buying it. Pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to make changes and, with the old wiring/pipes/construction, it would be a bad idea to go messing with it.
The lack of toilet is the dealbreaker really, but there's ways to get around most of it I think. Pop a rail off the wall, get a shower curtain, water from that tap and a heater, boom - outdoor shower. Then in that 'storage space' beside the sink you could store a composting toilet and you'd be fine. Could even use the output to help make the garden area outside a little nicer!
Bath is honestly not the issue, Japan has a lot of bath houses you can easily get a membership in and that take care of your daily bath need. The toilet is the real issue, if one can get installed it would be really nice place for that price honestly.
Just a regular camping toilet and go down to empty at the library. Given you only use after the library are closed, or having stomach bug, it doesn't need to be big. a composting toilet is going to smell of human faeces pretty fast and empty in the wash is just disgusting.
There’s times I wish we had more tiny apartments widespread in America. In my area most students can’t afford and don’t need an 800 sq ft apartment for +$1000 😅 having a smaller apartment for a few hundred would be preferred (even roommate rentals are 600$)
There are studios but usually they're mixed in with other apartments. I lived in a studio for 17 years. I could do it again if it was nice. I never use my living room where I am now.
I was expecting a literal box shaped room, so when I saw the real thing, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined! Although I agree with the others that it might be cheap, but feels unsafe to live there in general, especially having no bathroom. Makes me appreciate having my bathroom a few steps away.
Precisely. I complain my kitchen is small but it's of comparable size to this dark, coffin-like room. I should be grateful I can rent that I watch YT movies movies about apartments of Tokyo if ever start complaining. All of us who have bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom are living like kings when compare to people in similar job situation in Tokyo or Hongkong.
The outside space is fairly secluded, you could get a camping shower tent/shower. The toilet situation could be mitigated by using a camping toilet too. I think I could make this work.
You would have to keep the camping toilet indoors or your neighbors would complain. Then line it with garbage bags & dispose of every day. Commodes were once commonplace.
this is actually incredible for that cost. to be able to have a safe space to be protected from elements, store belongings + have consistent access to electricity + running water + be able to stand up fully + lay down fully.
Put a "Dump-n-cover" Bucket Toilet in that little storage area right by the door. Use the Sink to Hobo Shower (in between proper Showers). That place would be just fine if you needed to live cheap.
@@crashed4313 Don't get me wrong, it'd be a challenge. But coming from a person who has lived in a Prius & 3 different smallish Vans (all built into Campers) it's 100% doable. You just have to view a Domicile with different eyes.
no, it is not fine at all. Maybe if this was after the fall of society. That space is not even fit for storage. That space should be absorbed by one of the other spaces.
I know most would look down on places like this but these are great apartments and can be used as a stepping stone in the right direction for homeless people. The prices help them stay out of the streets and maybe provide a little bit of hope to strive/motivate themselves. You be surpised what a mental game changer that is for someone who can just lay down and rest their head on a real bed.
This apartment can be a nice setting for a horror. Also I was not expecting to see so many people in the comments who were homeless or were living in the places much worse. Hope all of them are fine now
Am I the only American watching this and thinking how insanely grateful I would be to live in something like that? And that would be in a small town. I can't even comprehend the idea of this being in NYC or even a mid size city. People are commenting "this apartment is depression" but for someone who hates roommates and just wants to be independent, this place (even without a bathroom) would probably make me so much happier. And if this was legal in the US it would definitely rent for $1k per month in Manhattan.
Yeah, I think I could make this work (just need to find a public bath or gym nearby). Having been to Tokyo myself, it's a pretty cool city to live. This apartment is cheaper than many campgrounds in the US. I'm personally against many regulations in the US that would prevent affordable apartments like this from existing. It's certainly a better alternative to the "tent cities" in California.
I actually have a friend who lived in an extremely cheap apartment in Tokyo for a year after she left uni in the USA and was waiting to get approved to immigrate back on a green card. She had found a job but still had to live cheap and knew before she left that to save rent money she would be living without a bathroom and some other conveniences. We were a group of friends that had spent several summers in a van we made over traveling the US and Canada and she actually asked for parts of the van we were stripping out as we planned to sell it as we were all heading different places. She actually shipped the composing toilet, the outdoor shower and the cook top back to Japan just to solve the problem of living without facilities.
I feel like someone who’s really good at using space could probably do something cool with that long narrow room. It would be interesting to see what people could come up with!
As a six months pregnant 18 year old teen, I was homeless and found myself living in an attic. Not a converted attic but just up the ladder and into the space which had no window. There was a huge hole (which someone could easily fall out of) with tarpaulin covering the view to the street. But I had a lightbulb and the use of a toilet downstairs so not all bad...
Know what though? I've seen more depressing in London. Smaller, for x6 times that amount. This is only $100. It's better than being homeless. It can work. Like, you have a sink. You can set up a bed, small fridge, TV, 2 burner electric hob. Sink can be used to wash in. I'd also get a bucket with a lid or a chemical toilet so I can use the toilet, something I can transport to empty that's not obvious and airtight. If I I can wash and use the toilet, that's ok then. Shower at the library when its open. At a pinch, full body wash in sink, and wash hair in sink. You have a little outside area that you could out a washing machine there and make it nice if you tidy it up and put some plants out. When your desperate and poor, you get resourceful. Like I say, better this than the streets, and it's affordable for the poor
Agreed👍 All one needs is optimism and some creativity. basically what you pay is what you get and if you’re required to do so to survive when you couldn’t afford much, they’re merely efforts.
Honestly, with the prices of rentals in BC right now, I'm just shocked more landlords haven't been attempting that, especially after I saw someone charging $900/month for a camper trailer in their backyard (utilities not included).
In the Los Angeles area I've seen a single room in a shared house advertised for over $1,000. Or you could pay cheaper to sleep in the living, which is also technically a shared space. People are taking advantage with insane rent prices. And by shared house I don't mean a share house like the ones in Japan; just a normal sized house, roommate situation.
I am fairly sure none of that building conforms to the legal minimum standards in terms of evacuation and fire regulation. The biggest problem in an earthquake isn't that the building may suffer structural damage. The problem is if being a weaker building the evacuation is difficult to impossible. Also I honestly cannot understand such an inefficient design. There is so much space wasted on tunnels and stair cases. I'd love to see one of the tiny house designers give the whole structure an overhaul since their focus is on maximising the use of space and distribution. But for someone with little money and a desperate need even that miserable space can make a decent home, and much can be done by simply being creative with the space.
My aunt lived in japan during the 2011 earthquakes and she had a rent in these kinds of apartments but slightly bigger when the earthquake hit she immediately ran out with her passport and bankcard and the entire thing just collapsed like cardboard she returned to korea and lived with us for like 5 years
@@leekyungmin-t6u precisely. The point is that if it is old you need to be able to leave very fast ideally straight from room to garden. None of that american "duck and cover" nonsense. Earthquakes are mainly a problem if you can't leave quickly. This room has a window straight to the outside. Enough to get out.
Haha, walk around Japan and you will see all sorts of earthquake hazards, fire hazards, and every other kind of hazard. Tons of things that would get you sued or put in prison in the US is totally fine in Japan. Tokyo is the wild west of architecture lol
@@Dre2Dee2 A lot of it is old enough to not have to worry with the newer regulations. That can a big problem when those regulations are essential, though. For example, not updating to modern regulations is why the Fukushima disaster happened in the first place. Any one of a half-dozen improvements could've prevented that.
In some of my lowest times, I’d kill for a place like that. I’m glad that the city has these options available for those who need it (even though the building is dangerous)
@@Jess_2025 I too have worked with the homeless (for many years) and you're absolutely correct. However...there are those VERY few and if the landlords would actually do their jobs and keep the undesirables, out (I don't care what people say, I've worked with homeless drug addicts long enough to say that you CAN spot them just by talking to them) this might be an answer for those genuinely (I can't stress that word enough) in need.
We already have more than enough empty homes and apartment to house every homeless person. They deserve more than these stupid “tiny home” projects that make people feel good about giving homeless people a little playhouse that is missing basic functions people need, like a toilet
@@possiblyanowl Everyone knows that every city has more than enough housing for the homeless, but the powers that be won't allow it to be used. At least in Japan they're trying to do something. Throwing blame around and assuming people's motives for coming up with ideas solves nothing. We already have enough people in power who do that.
It will never happen, because Americans like feeling superior. Even the poorest blue collar worker with a (relatively) cheap apartment or trailer home can feel superior to someone literally sleeping on the street. There’s also the issue that cheap properties like this have almost no profit margin, and as we all know everything in the USA ultimately comes back to profit for the rich.
*WOULD YOU LIVE HERE?* Let me know in the comments down below!!
||||||||||||| CHECK THIS OUT BELOW!!! |||||||||||||
----- **OFFICIALLY FOUND JAPAN'S WORST TINY APARTMENT:** ua-cam.com/video/R4oQDnHlrR0/v-deo.html -----
For a bit of juxtaposition ---- Take another trip to Japan's Magical Forest: ua-cam.com/video/sZ4nCiJAw20/v-deo.html
One word: Claustrophobia
I would consider living there, but I need more information, Norm. Maybe your next video could be you living there for a month and seeing how well you manage? 😂
I suppose it's better than living in the streets!🤓
I've lived in tiny spaces in NYC but nothing compare to this one, no way i'd choose to live or use it for other purposes!
Its not unliveable, All I'd need is a single bed, a microwave, rice cooker and an AC or fan unit, maybe a small table for my laptop.
Most of the time I could get away with using a gym shower or visiting a public bathhouse. Having the fresh air and somewhere to smoke would be cool.
The bit besides the entryway could be good for a dryer too.
As someone who was homeless before, places like these would have kept me from sleeping in tents, outside, and being really cold. I'm glad these places exist for those who can't afford much.
I agree. Same here
If you don't get electrocuted from the switch. But I agree that this is a heaven compared of being homeless.
Totally agree. I think more socialism/society based places (soviet union, some asian and european countries) have made more of an effort to offer extensive housing. Like yeah the Soviet Union had a lot of shitty housing and you had to get on a long application list to get your own place, but they made a lot of effort to build housing and make sure people were housed. Japan also has a lot less zoning laws/barriers compared to the U.S, which means that you can find shitty housing for less than $500.
@@Ishidres Not every city has places like these, and not everyone who is homeless lives in the city. Additionally, even where they might be available, the homeless population has less access to the internet or other educational resources which could inform them of these types of options, making it that much more difficult for many of them.
ditto.
As someone who has lived homeless for over 8 months in the past, no walls, no roof, no dedicated shower or toilet. 100% on the street, that kind of humble sandwich make me grateful this sort of accommodation exists for those who really and desperately need it. SO many comments condemning the place and clearly don't know what it means to be completely destitute.
Totally agree. Something like this is better than being homeless.
Lack of these sorts of places is what keeps many homeless in that condition. Back in the day there used to be flop houses, places people could stay on at least the bottom rung of the housing ladder but the urban redevelopment boom wiped them out decades ago.
Not true, my husband and I were homeless forv9 mths in Canada, in winter. This was about 15 yrs ago, dark times. We moved into a rooming house at first and it felt like heaven, a bed, heat, water etc. But this should not be permanent living, it depresses you after awhile. We should all want our fellow man to be safe, secure and have dignity.
@@DamnedSilly When I first moved to Manhattan back in 1990, I was told it was bed bugs that did in most of the flop houses. There were still a couple in NYC, but apparently there were a lot more in the 50s, 60s, 70s, and earlier.
I can tell you that in 1990, I had no idea bed bugs were a real thing, as they had pretty much been wiped out back then.
@@le_th_ Whoever told you that has a rosy view of history. Particularly since bed bugs have been a growing problem since the '90s. It was a fringe benefit of some of the slum clearance programs but certainly not the cause.
As someone who lived homeless for many years I will say having this place for $100 a month would have been a godsend to me.
Just seeing that sink and knowing I would have water to drink and a bathroom within 10mins of walking would be glorious.
You can make $100 busting you butt doing yard work and misc jobs or something and now you covered rent.
Good stuff.
Yet you can afford a computer and have time to surf the internet.
@@robinlillian9471 I was homeless years ago I am not currently now. Alot has changed in those 6 yrs.
@@robinlillian9471 They said used to. And libraries have computers. You judgemental ass.
@@robinlillian9471 they said used to. Also, there are some programs that give cell phones to homeless people, which would explain surfing the net. As some one else said, don't be a judgemental ass
@@brucewayne6293 Congrats 🥳
The bathroom situation is scary BC we all saw how the world closed it's doors on public things for so long. How did anyone live without a toilet during that time? Plus, even when the world is up and running, people get stomach bugs, etc. The shared bathroom thing is dorm room enough, I can't imagine needing to leave the building and hope a bathroom is free!
if its bad enough just poop outside
I'd just share the one bathroom.
Haha just internally digest it into nothing like some lunatics claim. No problem haha
Uh, I guess just get a camping toilet for emergencies when the upstairs bathroom is occupied lol
@@7ElevenTrutherthe upstair bathroom is private
The fact they even have 100 dollar options is game changing
@@cindy1568 Do it in the sink.
@@cindy1568 pee out the window
@@cindy1568 seriously that's the easiest problem to solve. Have a bottle? Solved. Have a glass cup? Also solved. You can even go Bear Grylls style and enjoy all the juice.
Getting something this liveable for 100$ is a steal
@@cindy1568 pee in the sink or in a jug and dump it outside I guess. Edit: Actually I found out that amazon has portable toilets that can colapse and be carried by hand. Some of them are only like 100 bucks or so. Also they're odor sealed and the waste can be disposed of by pouring it into a regular toilet later. It's not ideal, but it works in an emergency, and it beats the alternative. And actually would even be a good idea to have for camping. Just get one of those foldable zip up tents that can fit in a backpack for privacy.
Tiny, no bathroom, no kitchen.
Real Estate Agents be like: ONE-OF-A-KIND, COZY CITY HOME WITH MUCH POTENTIAL. PERFECT FOR MINIMALIST LIVING.
And don’t forget the private garden
they would slap it on the market as a tiny house indeed
A company who rents rooms in Cambridge would call it boutique 😂
@@akkystreams it's really the bathroom situation that's killing it. Not saying it's a great place by any means but if it's that or end up on the street, I'd take that. Maybe make the bathroom a share bathroom and increase the price by something like $50 per unit.
@@XSemperIdem5 most likely either the building is only rated for one family (so they can legally only offer the shitter to one room) or the person in the Room above is just a jackass artificially taking over the toilet and the owner doesn't know or doesn't care
Never thought that "has bathroom" would be on a requirement list for renting...the things you learn
Yep I've seen some rooms and stuidos for sale like that even in the US!
I heard of apartments with no bathrooms. But no toilets?!? Not at all?!?! Not even for sharing inside of the building?! Geez! I couldn‘t live there.
In the USA there has to be a bathroom available in the building. I've never seen an apartment or room for rent where you have NO bathroom and have to use a public restroom.
@@aikohikari6587 not sure this room 203 thing is legal/official ?
My first thought was everyone who lived there (who wasn’t in the luxurious 203 apartment) must have rediscovered the historic chamber pot. Which begs the question … where do they empty them? Um … how did that back alley really smell?
You remind me of the story of a place in china that was hit with an earthquake. The newer luxury places all got flattened. The older poor neighborhood though, with wildly inconsistent construction standards, surprisingly had a lot of buildings left standing. What made the big difference was that nobody in the poor area could afford much space, so the units were much smaller. When all your passage ways and rooms are very small, it means that your building has a lot of wall, which means there is a lot more structure than modern open concept places.
The 2008 earthquake in Wenchuan county, Sichuan?
Also new stuff is literally foam
When I was a kid we were so poor we had 3 generations living in a "house" smaller than the bedroom I have right now. It was pretty much just a glorified hut. We had no running water or electricity. I can remember the first time I ever seen a refrigerator. So as far as a place to live, this isn't the worst. Especially if it's just yourself, and you have a whole city just right there.
How does 3 generations of people fail to secure an income large enough to pay for more than 1 room? I live on minimum wage myself working full time at some pizza joint and the money I make alone can afford a decent small apartment. Chicago btw.
What country and area may I ask? That also has a big factor.
Wow.. im guessing.. hongkong?
Bruh moment
@@Fishbro Generational poverty?
@@Fishbro third world country
Honestly, the only true "deal breaker" is the lack of a bathroom. If there was one, shared or not, I could actually live there long-term. All I truly ever *use* of my apartment is the bed, the computer desk, one cooking plate, and storing my clothes. I could easily fit a small desk in there for the computer, along with a bed and some wardrobes. Put a cooking plate by the sink and that only leaves a toilet to fulfill all my daily needs.
the fact that the building might collapse in an earthquake might be important, maybe? oh well can't be picky
and honestly, if you don't tell anyone, you could probably get away with a chamber pot or composting toilet set up lol
@@blaackberry Could buy a camping toilet with the container that goes into campers. Just bring it to empty at the library every day or two I guess.
@@blaackberry i don't know much about gyms in Japan, but I know some people who have gym memberships so they can use the restrooms and showers. They workout too, but that's the main reason for the membership.
Said people live out of a van and travel for work.
being humble is key in life
That under the floor storage: nightmares. All the nightmares.
That hatch would make a great toilet...at least until the crawl space fills up.
I suppose the backyard is the toilet...
Just put the sofa over it. No monsters getting past my fat western ass.
That looks like a space from breaking bad
hell, you could just rent that out too!
The thing with the bathroom is I would just get a compost toilet and one of those portable bathtubs and a camp shower. Those things are pretty cheap and would be super easy to store under the floor. As someone who did the vanlife for a bit this place is 💯 workable and worth the price.
Did you see how slow the pressure was from the sink with only cold water? Good luck with a portable bathtub.
That's uninhabitable IMO 😔
Where would you dispose of the waste though? Iirc, japan has pretty strict rules on trash.
@@doubtful_seercompost toilets work similar to cat litter. I presume that where you dispose of cat litter, that's where you would dispose of, well, human litter. And you wouldn't need running water nor the toilet to be connected to the sewage system. There are also chemical WCs, but I don't know where you dispose of their... contents
@@annahgibbus8you could hook it up to a pump and atomizer to increase pressure and then use less water.
@@doubtful_seercomposting toilet wouldn’t be too hard.
Find the cheapest with a toilet then I'm interested. I would rather live in just a bathroom for $100/ mo
I rent just a bedroom in houston texas and it’s a steal of a deal at 350
Same.
Come to Argentina, you can rent a huge apartment with 2 rooms for $100, the only downside is that you can get stabbed in the streets
@@gonmtl seems worth it
@@gonmtl What are the salaries like in Argentina. I'm guessing not too high ...
I've had friends that experienced homelessness, and this is such a workable space for so cheap. This is luxury compared to living in tunnels or tents, especially in winter. You could definitely have a bed pan for emergencies, so no bathroom isn't the worst thing. A sink for cleaning up, space for a small futon. This has a lot of potential.
I mean it's only me but.... there'd be a pipe right outside your window.... If push comes to shove just hook up a hose and you have yourself a shower 🤷🏾♂️ and maybe a deal could be worked out with the guy upstairs to share the toilet.... This place however small is far better than sleeping outside
Know what they say right ?
If its too good to be true than its false.
The bed pan is called the alley outside.
it's not as much of a luxury as you think. A lot of japan and by a lot I mean most is literally concrete with no central heating. Indoors gets very cold.
@@escapetherace1943 That's what the plug in the middle of the wall was for: your kotatsu lol
I have honestly seen way worse for way more. If they just had a attached toilet, this would have been quite livable for a student looking for cheap places.
Right?
Ikr, in Greece you see places like this for 200-300€. They usually have bathrooms though.
I'd offer to pay the other guy to use his toilet and promise to keep it spotless.
if it had a toilet I would def live there
Yep. Not much bigger or better (but yea with a toilet) would go around 300-400€ around here. And you will always have 40-50 ppl the next day sb moves out.
As someone who lives part time in a campervan, I think this is a great apartment for the price and location. You can get a composting toilet and a USB shower head, a bucket and a baby bath. Heat your water up in the kettle, put it in the bucket and away you go! Put up a shower curtain across the entrance storage area. Tada! An easy bathroom!
And you have an address, so can apply for jobs.
@@onecupof_teadid you seriously like your own comment…?
*Me wondering where the bathroom is * "you've definitely probably already noticed... that there's no air conditioner.." ...buddy we have different needs hahaha
lol..😂
LOL Facts...I was like soooo we aren't going to talk about a toilet/shower? Okay. 🤣
More of a culture thing really. You're not expected to stay at home if you live in Tokyo.
Home is a just a storage space.
I was like "Damn, is it that normal to have air conditioning on your home?"
Congratulations Tokyo. You have outdone NYC for miserable excuses for “apartments”
ah yes I too prefer nyc with its "central park" ehem 'Construction sites' views , and the eerie quiet surrounding , ehem 'bustling fucks who doesnt know how to drive' , for x10 the price of this one
This same apartment would be 1400 a month if it was in central New York
@@MrJustapersn And yet people live there 😂 thats around 14 times more stupid.
@@MrJustapersn Would be cheaper than that for that size.
@@MrJustapersn 1400 is a steal, this min 1800 in new york
Honestly, it’s still better than being homeless.
Slightly, just slightly
I agree 100%.
Homeless is free though.
But yeah its better than homeless... or having your arm cut off or your dog dying.
@@MrXevier In the U.S we don’t have any options for as little as $100 a month. Being homeless you’re always at risk for being robbed, hurt, raped, freezing in the winter. Here at least you can sleep in your own space and you wouldn’t have to carry all your worldly possessions everywhere with you.
100%
This is the first tiny apartment you showed that I was like, "Nope, couldn't do it." I was feeling the layout of the apartment, but when you pointed out there was no restroom I had to pass.
That's what the mystery pipe is for.
With the amount of money you can save for the price just shit before you go home somewhere else and pee in Gatorade bottles to save space when you have to pee at night, or middle of the night or the morning, that’s what I would do lol
@@robertvega3078 see, women can't easily pee in Gatorade bottles lol
I'm always amazed by people who talk about planning when to actually go #2. Like, if I have to go, I have to go. I can't wait and plan my bowel movements. @@robertvega3078
@@Inspieosjust get a funnel
$100 a month! Honestly if I found a space that cheap I would absolutely take it! Imagine the money saved lol and the motivation to leave your apartment and explore!
I kind of like it. I only need a small space. I own very little now.
@@Adrastia A laptop is all you need for communication, listening to music, watching movies, connecting with resources and playing games.
Even in rural Georgia here, you cannot find anywhere to live cheaper than $600 a month. I don't know a single person my age who rents that does it alone. You have to have room mates.
@@Adrastia explore in search of a toilet and a shower
i live in a $100 studio apartment in the philippines and its bigger than one of the videos still living pay check to pay check. but mychild is studying in a private school thats all i need tbh
I don't mind the size, but not having a proper bathroom is such a turned off for me for a living place
ogey
@@keiclicks rrat
@@keiclicks 케い
What happens when you wake up at 2 am needing to go to the bathroom? That happens to me almost every night. Where would I be able to go?
Same. I heard that there exist buildings in Japan, mostly rented by university students, who are like you rent a 15 squarmeter room with either just a kitchen in your room and you have a bathroom on the hallway or you have a bathroom to your room but no kitchen or a kitchen you need to share on the same floor and that sounds allready better (even tho I heared that some of those places can be a bit pricy). IDK how small living works if you arn't in Japan since I'm from Germany where the most people rent apartments between 40-70 squarmeters (Average) and some people even live in bigger apartments here, but I know (and saw) a few apartments around 20-30 squarmeter in Germany and they allready tend to look better than what a tiny apartment looks like in Japan so hm... (But I heard a few years ago that there exist companys in Germany who will try to do the same as in Japan: A full decorated 10 suqarmeter apartment since mainly cities like Berlin are too expensive and so people need cheaper apartments, not sure if the idea is allready made into places since the videos I saw were a few years ago tho) and yeah Japan is a way other number than trying to find a small apartment in Europe since many places (not all) are still kinda afordable and so even a single person can live big if they are not too broke
Okay, how much is the room 203 guy paying to horde the one bathroom for himself?
Plot twist: what if he just put that sign on the door himself and convinced other tenants they're supposed to go use the library washrooms?
Well, if the person who rents this room out plays his cards right... he can strongly persuade Room 203 to allow use of their bathroom since the bathroom pipes run through this apartment.... Just one twist of the pipe and no more potty for #203.
Fuck the room 203 guy ...I'm shitting up there no worries.
It does seem like Room 203 put that sign up there himself... it's written in crayon!!!
@@WaxingPhilosophical Uh... he would still be able to use the toilet though. It would just make this room awful. These are only outflow/drainage pipes.
@@dystrophic not if he just capped the pipe lol
I agree with you for the washroom situation.
I have bipolar disorder and I take a high amount of lithium for it. One side effects of the lithium is that it make me thirsty all the time because it's a salt. Because of the water I need to drink, I go to the washroom between 3 to 6 time each night.
Imagine that in this apartment?! I guess I would need a bucket 😅
I don't see a problem, there's a sink with a drain right there!
I think the fact that your upper neighbour's "business" slides down through the pipe in your room, while you have to walk to the library to do yours, really gets grating after a while.
get a toilet, a pump, some pvc pipe, hook up to the water spigot outside and pump your waste into that gray water pipe in your room. Obviously not a serious suggestion but that's what I would do if I really wanted to live in the heart of tokyo AND spend $100 USD on rent even though all the equipment I just listed probably costs 3 or 4 months worth of rent lmao...
Actually the green pipe is fresh water, and the red one is usually the fire prevention water for sprinklers and stuff. The sewer pipes are usually plastic, white, black or grey. *insert the more you know meme here*
@@alexandrelambrou6625 the pipe at 3:35 looks grey to me so i think it might actually be literal grey water (waste) from your upstairs neighbors. It looks like it's leading directly outside and down into the ground.
@@tubeuser2222 yeah you're right, at some point looked slightly green to me dunno why. Then it needs like 0.5% to 1% inclination, else it might clog with the turds, and the diameter is rather small xD that house should be 50$
@@alexandrelambrou6625 hey those steaming hot turds keep your studio warm in those cold Tokyo winters! It doubles as a heat pipe.
Honestly, that is totally doable. It looks spacious enough for a bed and probably a very small seating area, for the price I'm kind of impressed!
YEAHHHH MAXIMUM MINIMALISM
Add a small compost toilet.. it's really do able
Right i would just shit in a bucket piss in a bottle after 7.
Just no toilet!! Otherwise, cute!
Without like a compost toilet or at least like a pee jug or something, I would end up peeing myself. I always need to pee when I wake up. Always. It doesn't matter what time it is.
thats rlly not so bad. the entrance creeps me out but the room isnt the worst ive seen. you could get a composting toilet for emergencies, shower at the gym and be set.
What is it with composting toilets? They cost $1,000+ and can still smell, especially if you leave them to "compost". Get a camping toilet for under $100, line it with garbage bags, and change them daily. Either way, you would still have to dispose of the contents.
I would try to make the backdoor (patio door) a front door if I could :)
A bucket with kitty litter would work. A hot plate, a mini fridge. I'd be ok if there's heat and ac or a fan?
@@melissahood2960 no ac, was stated. You CVS to get your own fan
Seemed to be no heat either, but it's so small a space heater would likely do.
Absolute class act, keeping the place open for those who truly need it.
there are worse apartments in japan. there's cubes people rent and live in. the cube is literally like 2ft x 5ft. and your door is a drape rag.
I’m actually really happy that there are places out there that are this cheap. It’s really good for people who are really struggling and need a roof over their heads while they sort things out. Sure, the washroom situation is really horrible and the place is far from luxurious, but it’s way better than living on the streets.
At first I thought there could be a fire hazard but when you mentioned there is no bathroom, I think you are pretty safe by calling all tenants out to pee on the fire.
Imagine what would happen if that pipe broke in an earthquake.
lol Riiiight, people are holding all their pee....and not peeing in that sink.
@@thuranz2773 Poopapalooza
There's so many worse living situations. For $100/month this is amazing! Most of my friends previous apartments had less "backyard" space. We need some of these in the states for people trying to get on their feet.
Would immediately start out at 400 a month guarantee it
It is amazing how cheap some of these places in Japan are. Makes me want to go visit for like half a year or something, have a cheap tiny apartment like this so I could affordably explore the area.
The issue is that there are effectively no codes there. In the U.S., you have to have a huge checklist for each place, but in Japan you can convert a large closet into an "Apartment". So prices go up as every place has to have hot and cold water, a toilet, and on and on to be legally rented. In Japan, you take a normal 3 or 4 story office or home and convert it into 10 small spaces - profit!
@@plektosgamingthat isn't an issue when you have a population facing increasing homelessness and unaffordable rents. If there were cheap places like this in the US it wouldve changed my life.
@@jprec5174 There are currently somewhere between 15 and 20 million homes in the U.S. held off market or vacant (the last data I could find was 2022, BEFORE hedge funds started buying homes in massive numbers). There is no actual shortage, just greed. Plus zero government controls on any of it. Resulting in a situation where greed is rewarded and prices are determined by large hedge funds and out of state landlords.
This is like a Jason Bourne safe house that would come with just a first aid kit above the sink. That door to roof is the quick-exit route. Awesome!
Honestly, this would be absolutely perfect as a filming location for Jason Bourne or some other CIA, MI6, Mossad, movie.
@@Oberkommando True!
also, good for adventurous crazy youtuber :D
@@Oberkommando imagine the fight scene in that apartment.
@@Oberkommando They now have 8k camera pods they can mount in a series and hide the in the walls. No need for a cameraman since everything is captured, just a good editor.
It would be funny if the whole apartment was just that corridor
Would be bigger lol
Oh like Emma
That's exactly what I was expecting lol
@@spritepunk at least Emma had a bathroom and separate sink for washing her hands so she wasn't using the kitchen sink for that 😅 oh and hot water.
First thing I thought was - hey, it's kinda high for Japan. They could lower the corridor and space above adapt for another room or storage area. Or horizontal bath...
The landlord must be a nice person to even hassle with renting it out and exposing himself to potential legal hassles associated with having renters. Because $100 is chump change especially in Tokyo. Most people would just use it for storage for themselves or for the other renters. But the landlord decided to make it available for a needy person.
Japan has less issues with these kinds of things I feel like, bad renters and the likes
landlord likely owns the building and it seems to be old enough to no longer actually be taxed(pretty much anything over 30 years old isn't taxed, just the land it's on). It's clearly a space that was put together quickly and cheaply to make a little bit of side cash(along with the other apartments in that building) instead of shelling out the big bucks to renovate and risk having to get it up to code.
In the states we call them slum lords.
@@projecttwentytwentyfiveisgreat True, bc it lacks basic amenities, but to me a slum lord would be charging 5x more for exactly the same. In that case, it's not a stepping stone anymore (temporary situation that you can save up & move out of) it's a permanent trap.
No, it is called greed and being a slum lord.
Honestly. A bed a computer setup. A couple of fans. Some small fencing and a garden in the back. Box up a bit of that crawlspace to keep..undesirable guests out. And a hotplate with a cord guard and a microwave and you'd have something pretty decent for 100 a month
Everyone talking about the lack of bathroom, but they clearly missed the shovel in the backyard, so there, sold!
you'll quickly run out of space to shit on 🤣🤣
Right? No bathroom doesn't mean no windows. You are golden.
Yup
you have the sewer under your window, just open it up and make a chair with a hole
🤣🤣🤣🤣🤣
This apartment isn’t actually as bad as I thought it was going to be. But it definitely makes me grateful for my apartment with my living room, kitchen, bedroom, and bathroom ♥️
❤
As someone who lived in shitty boarding rooms since 15 years old, that room looks fairly cozy. The pros would probably be having your own sink and "backyard" (never had any of those in my previous boarding rooms) and being near a library, and a coin laundry. However, not having a nearby toilet that is accessible anytime is a big deal breaker for me. If the owner added a communal bathroom/washroom, then that would be more enticing to prospect renters. The room also does not have any windows which would be a big problem during summer but can be partially solved by spending the hot days reading or lazing inside the nearby library or cafe.
Completely agree. For such a low rent it does seem mostly reasonable. I think a backyard seems even luxurious compared to my previous crib.
It does have windows, that's what the see through door is.
just open that floor door and shit right there!
I mean, in an emergency, I'm sure you could get away with using the other persons toilet.
Or by bringing some huge fan outside and spend time in the backyard reading books or something.
It's kind of surprising that the owners of the apartments didn't just settle on sharing the bathroom since it's in the hall that connects them.
My uncle have lived in some rather spartan apartments, but even he managed to make agreements with his neighbors to use their bathrooms.
I wonder how much extra 203 is paying
In my opinion , it is better to use the bathroom in nearby library.
I would just use it, they wont be able to stop me from using it
@@brownhard ,In that case, the tenant with the right to use it will lock it. Respect other people. I have no problem with that, I can use dry toilet if I live there.
Eh, I'll still find a way to get inside
There are a lot of cons (safety!) to a place like this, but for someone looking to escape an even more unsafe living situation and save up some money to start a new life, it would be a useful stepping stone. I know that there have been times in my life when I would have gladly lived here.
One time I saw a video about a program for homeless people that built tiny sheds as homes. Everyone had to go to the communal building in the middle for the toilet, shower, kitchen, but at least they had their own bedroom that didn't share walls with a door that locked. The locking front door was a big deal to the people that lived there, because safety.
It looked nice, there was space around each home and such. I don't remember the price, but I remember wishing it was a common housing arrangement because I wanted one. The space was really limited in the program though, they could only take people who truly needed it because they only had so many of the tiny homes.
for someone interested in van life Im glad I came across this video I feel like I could definitely live comfortably in that size apartment and only $100! love it especially where its located amazing!!
I absolutely agree there are alternatives to restroom needs as long as you have a sliver of privacy
have you seen his van video? its a micro van.
There’s no bathroom.
@@SindyJ37 hell, just get one of those cassette camp toilets and dump it in the library. Of course, a 24 hr access gym would be the best, because membership is pretty cheap, but covid showed us that can end up getting shut down despite rarely having anyone actually show up to them.
@@InfernosReaper Swicth the word covid with tyranny and it will make sense.
Honestly I was not expecting such a large window for that amount of rent. At least you can air out the space avoiding mold and get natural light unlike some gloomy places in densely populated towns. As for the toilet, use a composting or camping toilet they can be stored away or ask the landlord if instead of using the space in front of the window for a washing maschine, you could instead put up one of these toilet/shower camping tents. You have running water outside, too. you heat up water in a kettle and mix it with in these 20 l solar hanging shower bags for quick showers. For cooking get a small fridge with a toaster oven or microwave on top.
If you have a small income or rely like that student I guess on parents, I guess you just have to try and makes things work -especially in such mega cities.
Those are really cool ideas to make this place a great opportunity.
You dont need to cook at all. Convivence stores in Japan are open 24/7 and offer great food at cheap prices. You could totally live off that no problem
Problem with the camping toilet is where the heck would you dump it? You can't just dump it on the grass or in a garbage bag.
@@SohiHien Sneak the waste into the library wc 😂
There is also the possibility of installing a sanibroyeur/grinder toilet and hooking it up to the waste pipe from that 203 bathroom.
I've had a few of your vids like this recommended to me while UA-cam binging. Seeing so many living spaces compacted together combined with Japan's frequent earthquakes just makes the word "deathtrap" repeat endlessly in my head.
I guess this is what a step up from literally being homeless looks like. Wow!
This is just a guess, but I would bet there's not much of a homelessness problem in Tokyo because of the availability of places like this. In places like Los Angeles where there's a lot of homelessness, it's very difficult to build inexpensive housing because regulations require such and such amenities that essentially make them luxury condos.
I think a homeless guy who begs for coins in the street could swing 100$ a month. Would be a huge step up.
@@JSLing-vv5go You've never been to Tokyo, I see. There are homeless in Tokyo. Ueno Park is where you can see them, and there may other places I don't know about (in fact, I'm almost certain there are).
@@Dominian1 Yet Ueno Park has a considerable number of homeless people living in tents...even in February.
@@le_th_ Yes, if you give them $100 they won't rent a storage place and live there for a month. They will spend it on drugs and food. It's a vicious cycle of mental illness and abuse which often gets them there in the first place or at least keeps them there.
As much as people complain, i feel like we need more of this around the world.
This.....with a toilet. just a basic one with the over toilet sink in that "closet" would be fine for extreme budget situations. for washing you always have public baths in japan.
Crime and tweakers are usually the problem
add a bathroom then yes lol
Yeah, enough room for a small bed or matt, small desk, mini fridge and a hot plate, hundred bucks month I'd jump on that.
Gotta fight against the NIMBY's of the world in order to have affordable housing like this.
Living in a place like that would just amplify a person's depression.
Aside from the bathroom situation, I lived in worse rooms. I mean you have a window, you can clear and decorate the backyard and put a stove somewhere in the room. Or you can just eat out with all the money you save. Also, some people work all day and only come home really late so they just need a place to sleep in.
Idk, its also pretty depressing spending 1200 dollars a month on rent to live in the shitty section of some new england town thats not even boston or providence. I live about an hour away from boston now and its still insanely expensive. this is also for just a 1 bedroom appt.
Being homeless would amplify your depression much more
@@maxb306 Been homeless in the US can confirm. My First day in a new city i finaly got to 2 people got shot and i used to get rides from my friends h dealer. i can not understate how happy i woulda been in this place, probably woulda cried myself to sleep every night form joy alone.
@@maxb306 I don't know what depression have to do with this. But no one should be satisfied living here. This can only be a very temporary arrangement...for the experience. Staying in this place and being homeless is about the same.
Get a compost toilet (easy to manage and it doesn't smell) and as someone said you can connect the shower with the faucet outside or use gyms/public bathrooms/etc.
You know how people think you should make a list of 3 things you are grateful for every day? This video instantly gave me all 3 of mine for today!!😆
"Sink", "WC", "Hot water"? Hehehe... I rented a place in Santiago in a pension where I had one of the good rooms with windows and proper space. Others were basically just little more than 6 sqm with a single bulb and no outdoor windows. Dark and really badly ventilated. THAT was dingy.
Yeah me too
Grateful for this comment 😊
Actually $100 a month is cheap for ANYWHERE, let alone in Tokyo. I was thinking $100 meant per week so I was quite surprised. As for toilet facilities, one could use one of those camping toilets with a removable cartridge for emptying into a toilet somewhere as needed. Probably a lot more RV type of things could be used to make it more livable.
this applies only for the big cities and well-off countries, 100$ a month where I live get u a 65m2 (700sq ft) apartment that is basically in the city centre
@@BIGFATMUDJA1337 where do you live, because if so that's not so bad for the price
My best friend once lived in this room in the Fort Lauderdale area (which really isn’t that expensive of an area IMO). I believe it was 100 a WEEK, it was just a bed and a crt tv attached to a dilapidated house. Also no toilet but I believe the owner would allow you to use his bathroom. I’d say it was worse than this place except bathroom situation. Insane that it was still 400 a month when downtown Tokyo has a 100 dollar apartment that’s arguably better.
You have no idea what 100$ means in other countries, so your ANYWHERE is not correct
@@The_Jazziest_Coffee Mongolia, probably
Feel like room 203 just claimed the toilet for themselves when it actually meant to be shared
I think the landlord would notice, seems to be hanging there a while that paper
@@alexven92 landlord probably doesn't care.
@@andream9470 could be but the whole premise and feature of this room was that there was no toilet so if what you say is true then the landlord purposefully lied to Tokyo lens. Because they obviously had contact before this and Tokyo lens got told that there was no bathroom. Nobody in their right mind would just lie that there is no bathroom because it obviously sounds very bad. I just don’t find that very believable and I think 203 just pays a lot more for the right to the bathroom.
It wasn't even locked.
Bet 203 is the landlord.
Incredible that people live in these conditions in such a wealthy country.
I bet that place has been the first step for a lot of people climbing out of holes. The landlord is a better person than they let on.
Honestly, for $100/month, it's a decent little space. And with the sliding door leading to outside, that mostly takes care of any fire hazard in terms of escaping.
One thing baffles me: Aren't there laws and codes in Japan for livable apartments, and overall buildings where people can enter? Merely walking through the entrance corridor and entering the apartment I could spot a half dozen fire hazards and fire safety problems. Not to talk about exposed electric cables being just a hazards on all themselves. There are probably tons of other problems for living quarters that someone who knows about these things could probably easily spot, and which would be against construction codes and regulations.
In most European countries this would never get the approval to allow people to live there.
he did mentioned about the building was built *before* the law for building code was in place
You can always escape fire from the window lol
He did say it was built in the 1970s before new building restrictions were put into place.
Right, which is why poor people get priced out of major cities.
@@pbd7168 the new building codes he was referring to was for earthquakes.
It's so nice to give people affordable options for people with lower budget availability. I wish the U.S. and Canada would give options for more affordable rentals.
I love how we all decided that apartment #203 guy is either a villain or a business partner with his aka 'luxury potty'
😂
😆
Why doesnt he lock it?
I imagine him being the kingpin of the slums because he who controls the loo controls the universe.
@@unseenufo I would like to think that he let people to actually use it?
I could honestly see this being used as an office space for a start-up with maybe three employees. Everyone has laptops they bring home with them at night and all thats left in the apartment are a couple desks and maybe a small bar fridge, nothing you'd be too bothered by if it happened to go missing.
@@blablup1214 maybe if the toilet were accessible to all units like an office bathroom 🤔
@@blablup1214 The nearby library toilets seem close enough for "inside" a work environment, assuming the job is 9 to 5ish...
@@jochenschrey2909 Japan and 9 to 5 job? keep on dreaming lol
@@jochenschrey2909 just work out a deal with the cafe next door.
This is actually cheaper, bigger, and better built than my current apartment in Peru (which I share with my mom lol)
I'm sorry to hear that.
Things will get better but in the meantime be happy! God bless you and your Mom.
Make the most of it... maybe try making new and interesting ways of using all the space? I’m in a tiny place but not nearly as small as that. I’m glad you and your mom have a place to live, I know so many people don’t.
Are you on your way to get a better place or do you have to make due for now?
I hope that you and your mom stay healthy and happy. 😊👍🏼❤️
Hey guys, I appreciate your words, but don’t worry. We are doing fine and, hopefully, we’ll be out of there sooner than expected :)
@@offlinegamer6756 so true I miss mine everyday
open area can be easily transformed into shower, garden, chill out space as well as the toilet. I am in love with this tiny space, I do believe for a mindful person who is able to plan and organise smartly this would be a dream place for under 100 bucks
This room is actually good for storing some sundries or a small lightweight studio (secret base). The monthly rent of $100 may not be able to pay for a container warehouse. There is also water and electricity
How cool would it be if you could say I have a secret base in Tokyo 😱😂
Gotta wonder how much better the 2nd cheapest apartment in Tokyo is compared to this one. No toilet is a no-go!
Right? I agree lol
Ugh, the no toilet thing is a no go for me either.
some people in these cases tend to go to onsens to wash themselfves and use the public bathrooms found in some roads but yeah no bathroom and toilet no go (rarely these cheap apartaments will have a shared bathroom lol)
I had totally forgotten that there were three places in the other video :D I still think Norm found a good one for the price.
Just knowing I didn't have a toilet would make me have to go more often. Definite no.
Would be good for somebody who works in Tokyo but lives farther away. Sometimes you need to work late and can't get home. Cheaper then a hotel a few times a month. No toilet or bath would be a hard sell though.
@@Emma-ex8gx Ya but a capsule hotel is what they provide you with. In a cheap apt like this, you can have a bed you like, your own jammies, fridge of food and drink, and it's 4 times the size of a capsule. The toilet would be only huge issue. But you can buy a porta potty. Rather have this apt then a capsule.
@@Emma-ex8gx capsule hotels cost somewhere between $20 and $50 per night. If you work in Tokyo, or commonly have business trips to Tokyo, renting something like this out just for a place to stay and keep some stuff isn't a bad deal. $1200 a year is less than what many people pay for rent in a month.
@@Emma-ex8gx Capsule hotel can go up to 50$ per night. In other word if you crashed more than thrice in Tokyo you'll be paying more than renting this room. I said thrice because with amenities, electricity and stuff you'll probably be paying up to 150$ for the upkeep per months.
Considering that you'll be using it purely for sleeping the night it's worth the cost... The only deal breaker is that it's probably cold as fuck in winter.
@@JeSt4m still better than the pavement but that’s pretty much it
@@JeSt4m If you live for a month (3 weeks - 1050 4 weeks - 1400) on a capsule hotel then its basically a trash now, theres many apt in japan ranging 600-900$ only with a small bathroom, a small kitchen with mini fridge and a hot plate provided with sometimes a small balcony and a one bedroom place but a small living space all for yourself. While on capsule hotels, 3 bathroom is mostly shared by 30 capsules of people in it without proper privacy, if you go to expensive capsule hotel in japan with better privacy meaning lockable and not curtain and not just a pocket slide slim door as the privacy with most of the time no locks will be a 75$ a night. So you cant really compare the great apt to the capsules anymore since it'll be a trash by then
Honestly the fact that there is housing available for prices like this is so cool, we need to see more of that in the states.
“Progressives” will not allow it because of building codes and regulations they love. So naturally they want people to sleep on the streets and shoot up. Which is exactly what happens.
The lack of toilet seems like a weird choice. Assuming the other rooms aside from 203 don't have toilets either and go for a comparable price, I'd just convert one apartment into a toilet and raise the other rents by >$100 each. I guess the investment cost doesn't seem worth it for such an old building, but I feel like the toilet would pay for itself in short order.
Imagine running new pipes through such an old and cramped space?
@@XSemperIdem5 I'm not a plumber or a builder (so I might be way off base), but I feel like the raised floor would make it a little easier to run pipes through the apartment shown here and convert it into a two-toilet bathroom. The faucet out back and sink show that there is water around, while the ceiling pipe suggests that waste removal is also nearby. It might look a bit scuffed and take a minute for the toilets' tanks to fill, but I still feel that toilet access would elevate the building from "apartments with a caveat" to "regular apartments (for Japan)."
Maybe they charge for usage each time!
@@pitohi11 Yes, they already have a black water waste pipe from that one toilet, to convert one room into a bathroom so long as it is on the same floor or you can get through the crawlspace to run the waste pipes where you need to would be absolutely doable.
I believe that house is so old and bad and dangerous that any form of investment on it is a waste. This is just an easy way for them to milk the poorest people
I actually really like this one! Since I'm on the small side I wouldn't have much trouble maneuvering around and you can buy small appliances to help with the other issues. The back could use a little TLC but the lack of a toilet...I can't imagine having to go on an adventure just to poop I'm sorry 🥲
It would be nice if all the apartments could share the toilet but one person probably pays more for the toliet/bathroom.
Emergency sink to the rescue!
@@arichalevas2298 I'm sure some people sneak and use it sometimes if there's no lock on it..lol
@@bookcrazy001 yup! The right plastic bagS in the right bucket, there’s your toilet! Tie it up and throw it away in the local dumpster? I mean, I would imagine that if you had a fan you could air the place out after you use the bucket…as long the place ventilates ok it shouldn’t be tooooo bad.
Bed pan
Honestly the place is way more comfortable and feature packed compared to my old college boarding house
Feature packed? What features does this place have, exactly? A light? The sink? The under-floor storage that really is an access to the underfloor for maintenance/pest control reasons? xD I can't imagine you didn't at least have public toilets/ showers in your college dorm, but I could be wrong :/
@@Empyrean_Enigma Truly, one of a kind feature, it's the apartment's centerpiece
Were you in a closet? Theres no other way to find a more cramped area. He showed you that the cameras wide lens mafde it look bigger. He put himself in to show scale. Anything smaller would suffocate you…Literally.
Imagine 3 collège aged men stuffed into that space. then you have what I lived in at the UCLA dorms.
honestly it is not so bad, the backyard could be use as a living space too , like a nice terrasse
You could pee in the bushes…just don’t get caught by the neighbors that are less than 100 feet from you lol
@@christincavanaugh2357 Good way to stench your apartment. I would avoid any trash or urine in that backyard.
@@MaryArts Then what do you do if you get diarrhea after 7 p.m.? There's going to be "stench" one way or another. It has to either be an outhouse or a port-a-potty inside.
@@christincavanaugh2357 there's a sink for that, and for challenging no 2
That "backyard" / gardening area by itself is also a selling point for me. That door makes the place so much better and brighter than it seems from the other direction. And 15m2 sounds big (let's imaging 3m x 5m) with a lot of underground storage. Like the idea of peeing in the bushes haha....
A composting toilet and portable shower would be my first suggestions. Portable induction hot plate and microwave/mini convection oven for cooking in the apartment. Dorm refrigerator for cooling food items. Those are often used in mobile homes or tiny houses. Offer to pay tenant 203 to rent their toilet when they are not using it. Build an outhouse and outdoor shower using the water from the outside water tap. Is the outside for the single apartment to use or is it a shared common space for all apartments? Use the outdoor backyard as a leach field covered by a garden. If someone complains about the odiferous stench explain that odor is the garden fertilizer. Get an inexpensive gym membership for hot showers or an onsen for hot baths. Use a coin laundromat to wash your clothes and have an outdoor clothes hanger to dry in the sun.
My thoughts exactly!
Composting toilet and go to the public bath.
Onsen (penny bath) houses started because people in Japan did not have indoor plumbing or hot water. Onsen was an affordable method for everyone in town to bathe and practice clean hygiene. In modern culture, an onsen is seen as a traditional spa instead of a daily necessity.
It would probably short out the building lol
Everything but the odor thing is what I thought.
Shared bathrooms outside the apartment weren't that uncommon back in the days. Seems like a kinda fair apartment if you could share the bathroom. (though I would be afraid of mold, but other than that it might be fine for Japanese Tokyo standards)
I lived in a bldg. awhile back that was like that and it wasn't a problem. Not ideal, but not that bad. I also stayed at a homeless shelter that was much, much worse.
If I lived there I think I would need to have an RV / camping cassette toilet for emergencies and no#1's after 7pm & find a place to legitimately empty it regularly. If I couldn't then I'd hide the cassette in a wheelie granny shopping bag or something and empty it in the library toilets.
@@Chrisicola in some cities, like New York, the homeless shelters are a major ripoff for the cities
I live in Vienna and it’s totally common that some old buildings have shared bathrooms or toilets till now
They're super common in Paris still and you pay a LOT more than 100 for the apartment here.
This could be amazing as an additional space for someone as well. Like someone working "from home" who just doesn't have space in their apartment with family etc, or e.g. if you live outside the city and rent this just for during the week while you're working (and have a washroom etc at work perhaps). I think this could be used in many ways.
Yes. If you weren’t claustrophobic this would
make an excellent “office space”
@@theveryfirstlostgirl i'm not
@@kaboomsihal1164 I meant general you, not you personally lol
The only way I'd take this place is if I was trying to fight my way out of homelessness, that's it. Even if you're a commuter you'd probably prefer staying in a 24/7 manga cafe.
I think you underestimate manga cafe's if you think they come at around 100dollars a month. As hotel replacements they're fine, but not for permanent housing, and nowhere near this price.
What a snobby bltch.
This is depressing, it's really sad that this is someone's reality.
that is by no means the worst there ) that apartment is quite good compared to the real bottom end
@@melin1969 I thought Tokyo and Japan in general is quite wealthy, these bottom end apartments aren't in dangerous neighbourhoods at least.
It depends on the person's needs and standard of living honestly.
@@neonmaulerr yeah I thought it would always be expensive but seeing this I'd have enough passive income to just live in Tokyo and spend time exploring and eating places because I'd save so much money on where I'd just be crashing at the end of the day
These just seems good for someone traveling on a budget and wants a safe place to crash and hold their stuff
I don't mind small living space, but the "no bathroom" thing I couldn't live with for any amount of time. Where I'm living now, there is a Dominos right next to my apartment.
Fun trivia: waste waterlines are called "grey water". Anyway, for $100 per month, I would hire a plumber to tap into the grey water pipe and install my own bathroom facilities. That apartment could be made into something special for very little money.
@jeffrydiamond Actually, Grey Water is water that comes from your sink or shower and can be reused (but not for drinking).
Black water is waste water from your toilet and can not be reused or reclaimed.
Besides, you’re only renting that apartment, not buying it. Pretty sure you wouldn’t be able to make changes and, with the old wiring/pipes/construction, it would be a bad idea to go messing with it.
IF U OWNED THE APT.cuz if u don't I don't think ur allowed I'm guessing 😮🫶
The lack of toilet is the dealbreaker really, but there's ways to get around most of it I think. Pop a rail off the wall, get a shower curtain, water from that tap and a heater, boom - outdoor shower. Then in that 'storage space' beside the sink you could store a composting toilet and you'd be fine. Could even use the output to help make the garden area outside a little nicer!
That or set up one in the backyard, with a little shelter built around it. Yeah a composting toilet would be a great solution to the problem.
Bath is honestly not the issue, Japan has a lot of bath houses you can easily get a membership in and that take care of your daily bath need. The toilet is the real issue, if one can get installed it would be really nice place for that price honestly.
Just a regular camping toilet and go down to empty at the library. Given you only use after the library are closed, or having stomach bug, it doesn't need to be big. a composting toilet is going to smell of human faeces pretty fast and empty in the wash is just disgusting.
There’s times I wish we had more tiny apartments widespread in America. In my area most students can’t afford and don’t need an 800 sq ft apartment for +$1000 😅 having a smaller apartment for a few hundred would be preferred (even roommate rentals are 600$)
There are studios but usually they're mixed in with other apartments. I lived in a studio for 17 years. I could do it again if it was nice. I never use my living room where I am now.
@@emersonshiff8132unfortunately most studio apartments are $1000+ too (at least in my college area) and pretty unattainable on a student budget
Yeah like hotels, those rooms are plenty for many.
If this place was near like a 24 hr gym. it would be golden! I wouldn’t mind staying at a place like this
Of allll the apartment videos I've watched, this is the one I remembered the most for some reason.
I was expecting a literal box shaped room, so when I saw the real thing, it wasn't as bad as I had imagined! Although I agree with the others that it might be cheap, but feels unsafe to live there in general, especially having no bathroom. Makes me appreciate having my bathroom a few steps away.
This video has made me much more thankful for my tiny one bedroom apartment. Now I’ll think twice before complaining
Yeah, 644 square feet is feeling like a palace right about now.
Precisely. I complain my kitchen is small but it's of comparable size to this dark, coffin-like room. I should be grateful I can rent that I watch YT movies movies about apartments of Tokyo if ever start complaining. All of us who have bedroom, living room, kitchen and bathroom are living like kings when compare to people in similar job situation in Tokyo or Hongkong.
The outside space is fairly secluded, you could get a camping shower tent/shower. The toilet situation could be mitigated by using a camping toilet too. I think I could make this work.
You would have to keep the camping toilet indoors or your neighbors would complain. Then line it with garbage bags & dispose of every day. Commodes were once commonplace.
That's the right, positive way to approach it.
Thanks!
thank you~
this is actually incredible for that cost. to be able to have a safe space to be protected from elements, store belongings + have consistent access to electricity + running water + be able to stand up fully + lay down fully.
"I live in front of a Domino's pizza, but I can't eat there, or else I won't be able to fit back into my apartment."
lmaoo
Is that the title of your light novel?
@@hundvd_7 Obviously it's the title of his heavy novel.
Put a "Dump-n-cover" Bucket Toilet in that little storage area right by the door. Use the Sink to Hobo Shower (in between proper Showers). That place would be just fine if you needed to live cheap.
Agreed.
@@crashed4313 Don't get me wrong, it'd be a challenge. But coming from a person who has lived in a Prius & 3 different smallish Vans (all built into Campers) it's 100% doable. You just have to view a Domicile with different eyes.
no, it is not fine at all. Maybe if this was after the fall of society. That space is not even fit for storage. That space should be absorbed by one of the other spaces.
Piss in the sink and it saves a lotta walking. For a late evening poop that bucket idea seems pretty good lol. No showers is freaking rough though
@@DVankeuren You've CLEARLY never lived in an RV.
I know most would look down on places like this but these are great apartments and can be used as a stepping stone in the right direction for homeless people. The prices help them stay out of the streets and maybe provide a little bit of hope to strive/motivate themselves. You be surpised what a mental game changer that is for someone who can just lay down and rest their head on a real bed.
This apartment can be a nice setting for a horror. Also I was not expecting to see so many people in the comments who were homeless or were living in the places much worse. Hope all of them are fine now
Am I the only American watching this and thinking how insanely grateful I would be to live in something like that? And that would be in a small town. I can't even comprehend the idea of this being in NYC or even a mid size city. People are commenting "this apartment is depression" but for someone who hates roommates and just wants to be independent, this place (even without a bathroom) would probably make me so much happier. And if this was legal in the US it would definitely rent for $1k per month in Manhattan.
You can find better for $1k a month in Manhattan, there are micro studios that go for around $1k with actual bathrooms
@@chaeyoungsbestie414 But not for $100 and that is what it is about. Not everyone can afford the "only" $900 more.
@@SoramimiKeiki the end of their comment says they would rent this for $1k if it were in Manhattan.
ok we know the situation in NY is bad. But holy! Where are your standards?
Yeah, I think I could make this work (just need to find a public bath or gym nearby). Having been to Tokyo myself, it's a pretty cool city to live.
This apartment is cheaper than many campgrounds in the US. I'm personally against many regulations in the US that would prevent affordable apartments like this from existing. It's certainly a better alternative to the "tent cities" in California.
I actually have a friend who lived in an extremely cheap apartment in Tokyo for a year after she left uni in the USA and was waiting to get approved to immigrate back on a green card. She had found a job but still had to live cheap and knew before she left that to save rent money she would be living without a bathroom and some other conveniences. We were a group of friends that had spent several summers in a van we made over traveling the US and Canada and she actually asked for parts of the van we were stripping out as we planned to sell it as we were all heading different places. She actually shipped the composing toilet, the outdoor shower and the cook top back to Japan just to solve the problem of living without facilities.
I immediately thought of a composting toilet as an easy solution to not having a plumbed toilet. Glad you mentioned it.
How much did the shipping cost of those put her out?
Thank you for the continuity! Thank you for checking the place out
I feel like someone who’s really good at using space could probably do something cool with that long narrow room. It would be interesting to see what people could come up with!
As a six months pregnant 18 year old teen, I was homeless and found myself living in an attic.
Not a converted attic but just up the ladder and into the space which had no window.
There was a huge hole (which someone could easily fall out of) with tarpaulin covering the view to the street.
But I had a lightbulb and the use of a toilet downstairs so not all bad...
i live in a garage building with no running water or windows....but I do have A/C....and to me, that is even more important
I hope you didn't have to live like that for very long. That you were in late pregnancy must have made the precariousness all that harder to bear.
Your not a teen, your a 18 year old adult.
Teenager refers every person between 13 and 19.
@@kinglisco1379 eighTEEN
Know what though? I've seen more depressing in London. Smaller, for x6 times that amount. This is only $100. It's better than being homeless. It can work. Like, you have a sink. You can set up a bed, small fridge, TV, 2 burner electric hob. Sink can be used to wash in. I'd also get a bucket with a lid or a chemical toilet so I can use the toilet, something I can transport to empty that's not obvious and airtight. If I I can wash and use the toilet, that's ok then. Shower at the library when its open. At a pinch, full body wash in sink, and wash hair in sink. You have a little outside area that you could out a washing machine there and make it nice if you tidy it up and put some plants out.
When your desperate and poor, you get resourceful. Like I say, better this than the streets, and it's affordable for the poor
Agreed👍 All one needs is optimism and some creativity. basically what you pay is what you get and if you’re required to do so to survive when you couldn’t afford much, they’re merely efforts.
Honestly, with the prices of rentals in BC right now, I'm just shocked more landlords haven't been attempting that, especially after I saw someone charging $900/month for a camper trailer in their backyard (utilities not included).
In the Los Angeles area I've seen a single room in a shared house advertised for over $1,000. Or you could pay cheaper to sleep in the living, which is also technically a shared space. People are taking advantage with insane rent prices. And by shared house I don't mean a share house like the ones in Japan; just a normal sized house, roommate situation.
$900 for a camper trailer!!?? Wtf
I am fairly sure none of that building conforms to the legal minimum standards in terms of evacuation and fire regulation. The biggest problem in an earthquake isn't that the building may suffer structural damage. The problem is if being a weaker building the evacuation is difficult to impossible. Also I honestly cannot understand such an inefficient design. There is so much space wasted on tunnels and stair cases. I'd love to see one of the tiny house designers give the whole structure an overhaul since their focus is on maximising the use of space and distribution. But for someone with little money and a desperate need even that miserable space can make a decent home, and much can be done by simply being creative with the space.
My aunt lived in japan during the 2011 earthquakes and she had a rent in these kinds of apartments but slightly bigger when the earthquake hit she immediately ran out with her passport and bankcard and the entire thing just collapsed like cardboard she returned to korea and lived with us for like 5 years
@@leekyungmin-t6u precisely. The point is that if it is old you need to be able to leave very fast ideally straight from room to garden. None of that american "duck and cover" nonsense. Earthquakes are mainly a problem if you can't leave quickly. This room has a window straight to the outside. Enough to get out.
Haha, walk around Japan and you will see all sorts of earthquake hazards, fire hazards, and every other kind of hazard. Tons of things that would get you sued or put in prison in the US is totally fine in Japan. Tokyo is the wild west of architecture lol
@@Dre2Dee2 A lot of it is old enough to not have to worry with the newer regulations. That can a big problem when those regulations are essential, though.
For example, not updating to modern regulations is why the Fukushima disaster happened in the first place. Any one of a half-dozen improvements could've prevented that.
@@leekyungmin-t6u Well shit
In some of my lowest times, I’d kill for a place like that. I’m glad that the city has these options available for those who need it (even though the building is dangerous)
Hi! This is the video that introduced me to your channel. Thanks so much for sharing such an interesting place with us.
I love that. If we had even remotely something similar to that in America, we could eradicate quite a bit of homelessness.
@@Jess_2025 I too have worked with the homeless (for many years) and you're absolutely correct. However...there are those VERY few and if the landlords would actually do their jobs and keep the undesirables, out (I don't care what people say, I've worked with homeless drug addicts long enough to say that you CAN spot them just by talking to them) this might be an answer for those genuinely (I can't stress that word enough) in need.
We already have more than enough empty homes and apartment to house every homeless person. They deserve more than these stupid “tiny home” projects that make people feel good about giving homeless people a little playhouse that is missing basic functions people need, like a toilet
@@possiblyanowl Everyone knows that every city has more than enough housing for the homeless, but the powers that be won't allow it to be used. At least in Japan they're trying to do something. Throwing blame around and assuming people's motives for coming up with ideas solves nothing. We already have enough people in power who do that.
It will never happen, because Americans like feeling superior. Even the poorest blue collar worker with a (relatively) cheap apartment or trailer home can feel superior to someone literally sleeping on the street.
There’s also the issue that cheap properties like this have almost no profit margin, and as we all know everything in the USA ultimately comes back to profit for the rich.
I don’t think it would be legal. This looks like a fire code disaster waiting to happen