Tokyo is expensive. That new Shinjuku office Square Enix is moving into must cost a large fortune. Some of the country's most expensive real estate is Tokyo's Ginza and Osaka's Umeda.
There are deals to be had, but land is expensive and space comes at a premium in big cities. That doesn't stop people from building their dream houses. I do wish it stopped them from putting toilets next to the window.
In Japan, the toilet is often separated from the bath, unlike the American or Western style in which the toilet and the bathroom are in the same room. There are several reasons for this, one of which is that Japanese showers and baths encompass entire rooms (splash all you want!), and another is that many people want privacy.
Those people did not build this dream house, featured on a recent episode of Japanese television show Kansei! Dream House or It's Finished! Dream House.
The ¥60 million (US$780,000) houses five people in rooms that look less like rooms and more like 2D video game platforms. Dubbed the "9 box house", the layout (viewable in the above gallery) looks like a Japanese role-playing game dungeon.
The reason for this is the house's location on a steep incline, hence the box-like rooms being built up the cliff's side.
The one room that caught viewers' eyes is the restroom, which features a toilet pressed up against an open window. Perhaps, there is some sort of blind that can be pulled down? Hopefully?
"It's like a prison," wrote one commenter on Japanese web forum 2ch. "Think of the S&M shame play you could do," quipped another. Others pointed out that the exposed toilet would cause the smell of feces to waft through the house, and some even said this silly design was a waste of money and showed a lack of good sense.
Even the garage seemed to be too small for the owner's tiny car.
Most of the other commenters seemed to agree on one thing: their dream home, this ain't.
Culture Smash is a daily dose of things topical, interesting and sometimes even awesome—game related and beyond.
(Top photo: 完成！ドリームハウス | テレビ東京)