Part of the difficulty Microsoft has with Kinect in Japan is space. Many Japanese apartments are small, and just don't have the room to deal with Kinect. Here is one solution.
The above image shows a six-tatami room that measures between 2.6 meters (8.5 feet) by 3.5 meters (11.5 feet). That's without furniture. So add a bed, a table, a desk and even a mirror, and you're left with an even tighter Kinect gaming space.
As was pointed out in Japan's Nikkei, if gamers put their TV and Kinect in the corner, they can then play in a six-tatami mat room at an angle. But, this is recommended only for players who live on the first floor, because playing Kinect in small apartments with downstairs neighbors will cause unwanted noise and vibrations. . Wonder what floor Butch lives on...
This all seems like a great deal of trouble to play some Kinect.
When Kinect launched in Japan, Microsoft seemed reluctant to mention things like room size, but did provide gamers with a deceptively small ruler to measure their apartments.
家具だらけの6畳一間の空間で、Kinectを思う存分楽しむ方法 [Kotaku Japan]