Will Miss #339 - old Japanese houses

I'm a fan of all old houses in general, though the truth is that I like those in a state of disrepair best. In Tokyo, where there is constant renewal, finding an interesting old house is like locating a prize in a Cracker Jack box. Such houses have a special appeal because of the relative infrequency of seeing them, but also because they are increasingly rare snapshots of Japanese society from a past era. They reflect not the distant past, but the state Japan was in when I arrived 22 years ago or somewhat before.

The design, the decay, and the way in which the people who continue to live in such places carry on their daily lives interest and intrigue me, and I will miss that.

Won't Miss #314 - low ceilings and doorways

Compare the height of these guys to the door behind them. You get an idea of the general height, though this isn't the best picture to illustrate my point.

I learned recently that my husband and I are each of absolutely average height for Americans at 5' 9" (175 cm.) and 5' 4" (162.5 cm) respectively. That means we are neither rather tall nor short. The ceilings in Japan aren't a problem for us when it comes to bumping our heads, though they can be so for taller Western folks. However, they are low enough to cause other problems even for those of average height. In particular, the lighting fixtures end up hanging down so low that one move with your arms can send them swinging madly. Since the fixtures are in the middle of small rooms with little free space, my husband in particular finds himself whacking the paper lantern or the strings hanging from smoke alarms from the mere act of moving his arms to put on a shirt. I often snag such things while messing with the vacuum cleaner hose, especially if I'm doing the required "vacuum the walls" business in Tokyo*.

I won't miss the low ceilings and doorways.


*You're supposed to do this because of the air pollution and to keep things cleaner for your air conditioner; I was once chastised by an AC repairman for not vacuuming my walls enough.

Will Miss #103 - neighborhood mystery house

Within a 1 minute walk of my apartment, there is a huge house with a large accompanying garden which is surrounded by 5-foot walls topped with barbed wire and masked by trees. The entryways are boarded over or gated and you can see lots of mirrors, floodlights, and even security cameras behind the trees. I never see anyone coming or going (though I don't really keep tabs on it), but I know someone lives there because trash is put out behind one of the gates. This house is rare in Tokyo because of the size (which is big even by Western standards, let alone Japanese ones), seclusion, and seemingly high focus on security. It has fascinated me for quite some time.

I'll miss walking by and wondering who lives in this neighborhood puzzle.

Will Miss #100 - new generational housing

In Tokyo, it is relatively rare to see long rows of identical housing. This is rather different from what you sometimes see in other countries where someone has bought up and developed an area with a bunch of cookie cutter dwellings. Usually, seeing identical houses means that families have split their little plot of land and built homes side-by-side. It's a way of keeping the generations together, but also offering some independence and privacy for both parents and kids.

I'll miss seeing these pairs of matched houses and knowing that families are finding a new way to look after each other yet not step on each others toes.