All the necessities for a simple life – and very little more – can be crammed into the nine square meters of a Ququri micro-apartment in Tokyo, which is less than half the size of an average studio in a city known for is for small apartments.
More than 37 million people live in the Tokyo metropolitan area, making the megalopolis the largest concentration of people on earth.
And since Japan’s era of rapid economic growth in the late 1950s drew millions of people to the capital, space has become very scarce. Micro-apartments are an increasingly popular answer to this problem.
To get a taste of micro-apartment life, I spent the night in a ququri in the Wakaba area of Shinjuku, central Tokyo. Like most Ququri properties, but unlike most other affordable properties in town, it is in an upscale part of town. A few minutes’ walk away is a vast green space that houses the Akasaka Palace State Guest House, which is home to visiting foreign leaders and dignitaries, as well as one of the imperial residences.
The ultra-compact apartment may not be fit for a king, but the high ceiling and large windows give it a more spacious feel than the first glance of a short and extremely narrow corridor suggests when opening the front door.
Very little space is wasted in the design, and the high ceiling provides a mezzanine sleeping platform, accessible via a steep ladder, which sits atop the small shower cubicle, small toilet and kitchenette in the hallway.
All the necessities for a simple life – and very little more – can be crammed into the 9 square meters of a Ququri micro-apartment in Tokyo, which is less than half the size of an average city studio (shower stall in a micro-apartment in Tokyo). Apartment Apartment, left in the photo, workplace on the right)
To get a taste of micro-apartment life, I spent the night in a ququri in Shinjuku’s Wakaba district in central Tokyo, writes Gavin Blair
Very little space is wasted in the design, and the high ceiling creates a mezzanine sleeping platform, accessible via a steep ladder, that sits atop the small shower stall, small toilet and kitchenette in the hallway.
With a height of 1.80 m, I am a few centimeters taller than the average Japanese. Despite this, I could stretch my legs without any problems and only had room to sit up in bed.
Some residents roll out their futon and sleep in the main room, repurposing the small attic for storage, video games or even an exercise room.
There are no closets in the apartments, but a relatively spacious shoe closet next to the door. Since there is only a single hotplate available, I decided not to cook in the kitchenette, which I find uncomfortably close to the toilet. I chose pasta and a sandwich from the local supermarket instead.
Most of the people living in micro-apartments are in their 20s or early 30s, many of whom have moved to Tokyo to work or study. Ququri Apartments is managed and developed by Spilytus, a company founded in 2012 by CEO Keisuke Nakama. He was just 24 when he founded the company, a few years after moving to Tokyo from Kyushu, the southernmost of Japan’s main islands. .
Nakama rented an apartment about an hour outside of Tokyo because it was cheaper, but after long days of work as a young clerk and then a long journey home, he found himself only there to sleep. This experience inspired him to create a new style of youth accommodation in central parts of Japan’s sprawling capital city.
Most of the people living in micro-apartments (pictured) are in their 20s or early 30s, many of whom have moved to Tokyo to work or study
Some residents roll out their futon and sleep in the main room, repurposing the small attic for storage, video games, or even an exercise room
A Ququri resident sits in their small sleeping area while watching TV
Like many houses and apartments in Japan, ququri are made primarily of wood, which means that sound can penetrate the walls
A bird’s-eye view of a resident working on his laptop at a Ququri micro-apartment in Tokyo, Japan
The floor plans for one floor of Ququri micro apartments in Tokyo, Japan
Floor plans for a Ququri micro-apartment in Tokyo that has very limited living space
Rental prices range from £300 to £480 per month, depending on the location and floor of the flat. In addition to cheap rental prices, no deposit or “key money” is required. The latter is essentially a gift to landlords, usually equivalent to one month’s rent, a holdover from the post-war years when housing was chronically scarce due to the ravages of war.
Like many houses and apartments in Japan, ququri are made primarily of wood, which means that sound can penetrate the walls. This sometimes causes problems between residents, and the company recently started building ququri out of concrete.
Spilytus’ business model is to work with wealthy investors, buy identifiable land and develop micro-apartment blocks. The investors buy the development and collect the rent while the company collects a service fee from the residents.
The average rental period is just over two years, after which residents often move to a larger apartment.
A resident sits on a cushion in his Tokyo micro-apartment while working on his laptop and watching TV
A woman watches sports on TV from the sleeping area of her micro-apartment in Tokyo
Bird’s-eye view of a man at his desk in his Ququri micro-apartment in Tokyo. The sleeping area is elevated and accessible via a ladder
Although a ququri would not be an ideal home for someone with claustrophobia, it is more than functional as a place to lie down at the end of a busy day. Despite my concerns about having enough space to fully stretch out on the futon and the thin walls, I enjoyed a good night’s sleep. The only sound I heard elsewhere on the block was like a neighbor climbing the ladder to his sleeping platform. As for outside disturbances, the neighborhood is quiet and there are no major roads nearby.
If I were in my twenties and had just moved to Tokyo, there would certainly be worse options than a cheap, albeit small, apartment near the city center.
The popularity of the Ququri speaks for itself: of the approximately 1,500 micro-apartments that are currently managed, only one or two are currently empty.
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James is an author and travel journalist who writes for The Fashion Vibes. With a love for exploring new cultures and discovering unique destinations, James brings his readers on a journey with him through his articles.
