March 14, 2007
CHRONICLES OF THE POST-FERTILE:
Micro-Homes in the Big City: Houses designed to fit on postage-stamp-sized plots offer Japanese an affordable way to live in bustling, crowded, and hugely expensive downtown areas (Hiroko Tashiro, 3/14/07, Business Week)
Small has always been beautiful in Japan, whether you think of the mini-component audio systems the country pioneered in the 1970s, its cultural love affair with miniaturized potted plants known as bonsai, or the current rage for small-engine mini-cars. Now you can add to the list the current home-design craze: ultra-compact micro-homes on plots so small they could fit into the garage space of your typical, sprawling McMansion in the U.S.
There are folks for whom having a family is not even a consideration. Posted by Orrin Judd at March 14, 2007 12:00 AM
Comments
There are folks for whom having a family is not even a consideration.
True, but for the Japanese, it's often as not "folks for whom the cost of housing per square foot is nearly stratospheric."
(Also, OJ, ever travelled in a single room in a Slumbercoach? Definitely not for the clausterphobic!)
Posted by: Mike Morley at March 14, 2007 8:04 AMYou don't raise the family in one though.
Posted by: oj at March 14, 2007 9:27 AMHow does one say "Yes" to space, and "No" to the automobile?
Posted by: Lou Gots at March 14, 2007 9:45 AMWhy would you go anywhere if you have a decent homestead and a family?
Posted by: oj at March 14, 2007 4:09 PM