News No-bath apartments all the rage among young renters

thomas · 21 Jan 2023

KonMari must be overjoyed: Japan's minimalist youth seems to favour apartments without bathtubs or showers, reminiscent of those familiar in Japan from the 1950s to the 1970s. Young renters increasingly resort to public baths, gyms and other facilities where people can shower and bathe. Some people embrace a minimalist lifestyle of not owning things and are instead eager for social interaction. The appeal of no-bath apartments goes beyond lower rent: They fit well with the on-the-go lifestyles of many young people.

Shin Noguchi, 27, who works for an architectural design company in Tokyo, moved into a 40-year-old property without a bath in Tokyo in January 2022. The layout is simple: It has a Japanese-style toilet, a kitchen the size of two tatami mats (about 3.3 sq. meters), and a Japanese-style room of six tatami mats. The rent is less than 40,000 JPY, including water and gas, despite its location near Tokyo's trendy Shibuya district. Noguchi can commute to his office by bicycle. The idea is not so much to save money as to live simply. "My goal was to live in a space with as little waste as possible, and to choose only the things I like. The eight-mat space I have now is just right for me, and it's the most comfortable place to live," he said. When Noguchi was a student, he lived alone in a house with a bathroom. "I used to feel that cleaning around the bathroom was a hassle, but now I am free from that hassle."

Paywall alert:

No-bath apartments win over Japan's minimalist youth

Preference for simplicity and social interaction fuel trend

asia.nikkei.com

So yes, it seems it's more about practicality, frugality and convenience and less about asceticism, moralisation, and philosophical concepts.

mdchachi · 22 Jan 2023

I don't see how it's more practical or fits with an on-the-go lifestyle unless it gives one an excuse to bathe less regularly.

Petaris · 22 Jan 2023

From what @thomas posted it seems like part, maybe most, of his reasoning was not wanting to clean the bath. While I can understand not wanting more to clean it does seem pointedly LESS convenient.

mdchachi · 23 Jan 2023

I'm not a fan of cleaning the bathroom either but Japan has the advantage in that you can easily clean your unit bath while you're taking a shower yourself.
Anyway it sounds like this guy is trying to trick himself into believing a $600/month one room apartment is best for him and his lifestyle.
Which is better than feeling like he's poor.

Grandpa Frank · 23 Jan 2023

I enjoyed the bath house near my apartment , 12 by 12 private rooms with a big soaking tub. When my girlfriend rented the house for us , it had a fancy built in soaking tub that you left the water in. It had a gas burner underneath it that you would go outside and light to get the water really hot. I used to feel like I was a boiled potato cooking in it.

News No-bath apartments all the rage among young renters

thomas

Unswerving cyclist

No-bath apartments win over Japan's minimalist youth

mdchachi

Moderator

Petaris

Sailing away...

mdchachi

Moderator

Grandpa Frank

Sempai

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