An apartment block in Tokyo, Japan. Photo taken by Kristian Stevens
Houses and apartments resemble each other to an extent in industrialized nations. With that said, houses and apartments vary from country to country and even from city to city in some places. When I first came to Japan I didn’t really know what to expect. Obviously, I knew the houses and apartments would be different; especially since America and Japan are on the opposite ends of the earth. There are numerous differences and books have been written about them. Let me just touch on a few.
I will start by skipping the obvious difference: houses in America are a bit bigger than ones in Japan. Let us now move on. It seems silly now, but I when I first moved into an apartment in Japan I expected the flooring to be entirely tatami. You watch movies and see pictures of people’s houses and the one thing that jumps out at you is a sea of tan. Imagine my surprise when I walked into an apartment and found out that the floors were wood-paneled. I was shocked twice: there was no tatami and there was no carpet. Where I’m from, carpet is very common to have especially in houses.
Next, apartments in Japan are not as well insulated as ones in the U.S. My first month was like living in an igloo especially because I didn’t want the heater on full blast all day – high electricity bills were a concern of mine. The silver lining in the cloud was that I am from gelid Michigan, so I was pretty used to fending against the cold.
As far as houses go, I have done a homestay before and one of the biggest differences I noticed was the separation of the toilet from the bathtub. This was jaw-dropping because you simply do not see this in America. I didn’t think the toilet was special enough to have its own room . . . oh how lucky the toilets are in Japan (I was being sarcastic if you couldn’t tell)! In the interest of full disclosure, I have got accustomed to this practice. Nowadays, when I walk into a bathroom and the toilet is next to the tub, I feel it is somewhat unsanitary.
Another difference is the basement. In America, it is not uncommon to find a house that has a basement. The basement can be used as a game room (billiards, table tennis, etc.) or it can be used to store various seasonal items (Halloween or Christmas decorations). Furthermore, in many houses the basement is used to keep the washer and dryer. They may exist somewhere in Japan, but I have never seen a house with a basement and I’ve never known a Japanese who has seen or lived in a house with one.
Lastly, in most houses and apartments in Japan one needs to “turn on” the hot water before hot water comes out of the tap. Everyone is familiar with this electronic box that allows hot water to flow and even controls the temperature of the water. Simply put, without turning on the switch, hot water does not flow. In America, hot water comes out of the tap naturally – meaning there is no button to press; turn the knob situated on the left of the tap and hot water comes out. This is probably the most frustrating difference. I sometimes hop into a shower before turning on the hot water, the shower flows for a couple of minutes and I wonder to myself “Why isn’t it warming up?” I suddenly figure out the why, forcing me to walk out in the good ol’ birthday suit and turn on the hot water much to the chagrin of past roommates and (now) my wife.
I am interested in differences you may have noticed from your own experiences.
