Book explores innovations of modern Japanese home design

Looks like a death trap, just feeling unwell and you'll probably hurt yourself big time. I dread to think what an earthquake would be like...

more money than sense.

If you poke around in Japan long enough, you can find truly astounding, amazing homes that have had a lot of time and thought put into maximizing their livability with the resources at hand.

Surrounded by acres and acres of incomprehensibly thought-out concrete prisons.

Every time I do an apartment search, I'm absolutely mystified by what kind of designs people didn't just think to build, but think deserve top-dollar prices. Sure, why not cram a full-sized bathroom sink directly next to the kitchen sink in a 6-jo 1K. That's not weird or redundant at all. The progression of rooms is door -> genkan -> bedroom -> kitchen -> dining room? That's not awkward for entertaining guests at all, tack on another 10,000 yen a month rent! What, we're going to put this apartment in a trendy Tokyo neighborhood? Then screw it, make it a 2-jo room and charge 50,000 a month. In this city of millions, surely there's someone who wants to live like livestock.

Looks like a death trap

Really though. Lord forbid you're hung-over and take a spill from those stairs as you get up from bed. There seems no comfort, tranquility and privacy in those shacks.