patrick.net

I'm curious about the winking spectral figure with his super-sized index finger. Who is he, and why is he standing in the tub?

344 square feet - 21 photos. Thank heavens there were all those photos...

I miss that place, sigh. Windows on 3 sides of every room! (albeit, there is only one room to start with . . .)

I want to construct my own similar minimalist pad, maybe in Japan, coastal WA, or up in the hills somewhere in CA.

Technically, we don't need to occupy much space for daily life.

It's all our stuff that requires the space!

This place had a really good layout, the poo pot was even in its own little room like an RV!

The kitchen was 1980s minimalist -- just a metal sink, basically -- but nothing that a couple of appliances (microwave/convection oven, natgas burner) and some more counterspace and shelving couldn't fix.

I could easily arrange my life to live in that tiny space again -- many consumer goods these days have gotten a LOT smaller than then -- a 11" laptop instead of the Mac IIcx I had in 1989, hell, a 50" flatscreen TV is actually smaller in floorspace than the 20" CRT jobbie I had then.

*Two* people, though . . . that would be tough.

I no longer like minimalism. I am now a full-fledged postmodernist.

elliemae says

344 square feet - 21 photos. Thank heavens there were all those photos...

LOL - yes it's a Japanese stereotype but seriously I love the clarity of information, including floorplans. It's much more efficient than the typical American realtor approach: lots of puffery to fool prospective tenants into a place they'll be unhappy with, generating another round of commissions when they move. Much better to see everything online, then visit only suitable places to check for unacceptable noises and smells.

Still wondering about that winking ghost with the giant finger though...

Bellingham Bill says

Water heaters are generally tankless and will auto shut-off if the usage pattern resembles a gasleak (long, continuous)....

How do people shower there? Or do people only take baths? A shower without a curtain would splash all over the place. Also, it seems like all the windows are translucent but not transparent - is that correct, or only an artifact of the camera?

Bellingham Bill says

(Japanese bathrooms are totally waterproof and a good bath is supposed to overflow when you get in, LOL)

Glad to hear about the waterproofing, but they could reduce their carbon footprint by not wasting so much hot water.

I laugh every time I hear "carbon footprint."

more oceans is good!

Peter P says

I laugh every time I hear "carbon footprint."

OK, they could reduce their "fuel bills" by not overflowing the bathtub with hot water spilling onto the floor.

My unabomber shack will be run on PV (well, lead acid recharged by PV), with microhydro as a possible backup.

Water heating would actually be by geothermal taps I would hope : )

We are bombarded by so much energy all the time that it's pretty stupid to pay for it . . .

oh shit, geothermal actually contributes to AGW, LOL

Only countries with too much time worry about global warming.

We should focus on energy independence instead. Build nuclear power plants!