Inside dystopian micro-apartment ‘straight out of Black Mirror’ that's built like a giant indoor balcony
If you thought the real estate scene was unbelievable where you lived, you have to check out one of Japan's smallest apartments.
Micro apartments are a growing trend in cities like Tokyo, where people are looking to smaller spaces and lower rents to battle rising costs.
But that being said, a miniature space might not be as cheap as you think - according to one unbelievable YouTube video showcasing one of the most bizarre apartments you'll ever see.
YouTuber Norm Nakamura (@TokyoLens) posts videos about life in Tokyo, and two months ago his video uncovering one of the city's 'craziest' tiny apartments went viral, with over 1.2 million views.
According to Norm, it costs the equivalent of around $800-$900 a month, and what you get for that price really has to be seen to be believed.
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The apartment is essentially what Norm describes as a "giant indoor balcony". A central staircase runs through the building, and the one floor apartment is essentially a corridor that wraps around it.
Not only that, but the whole apartment has floor-to-ceiling windows that slide open - with just a solitary metal bar preventing you from falling out. We don't really want to think too hard about the health and safety of this spot...
And when we say this is a tiny apartment, we really mean it - one of the corridors measures just 90cm wide, meaning Norm can reach either side with his elbows.
And everything is squeezed inside this glorified fishbowl - a toilet, miniature bath, sink, air conditioner unit and washing machine - but not a bed, you'll likely have to roll out a mat to sleep on the floor. Norm does raise a good point, though - where would you store the mat, or indeed any of your possessions? The place is so small, it's not like there's a wardrobe for your clothes.
Privacy isn't really a thing in this apartment, with the glass windows giving everyone around you a full view of what's going on inside - that is, unless you decide to close all of the blinds, which looks pretty labor intensive.
But according to Norm, it's at least in a desirable neighborhood - and you do have a pretty magic view of the Tokyo Tower.
It's not exactly a house you could chill out in - there's no room for a sofa or anything like that - but that doesn't seem to bother people in Tokyo searching for their new home. According to Norm, the apartment - as impractical and uncomfortable as it might seem - has back-to-back viewings.
It's all in all pretty creepy, and well summed up by the top comment underneath the YouTube video: "This feels like a Black Mirror episode when the tenant is entertainment for everyone looking in to watch."