It’s been roughly a year (10 months to be exact) since I moved to my new apartment. After getting used to my new life, I thought I would write an article to describe how wonderful the choice I made. Unfortunately, the scenario didn’t go as smoothly as I planned. I wouldn’t say it was a mistake, but it wasn’t a wise decision either.
Let’s look on the bright side first. The most important reason why I chose to live downtown was for avoiding everyday public transportation. Despite being a lifetime city dweller, I never liked trains or buses. They are always overcrowded the moments you most need them. When I was in high school, I had to spend an hour to get to school by a bus that never showed up on time. It was so crowded that sometimes I wasn’t even able to stand stably. The commuting issue has been solved perfectly. Walking or biking, it takes me less than 10 minutes to get my desk from my bed.
The new problems are one single issue from two perspectives. In a word, my apartment is way too tiny. It is 1k, a studio room with a kitchen separated by wall. The apartment itself is actually pretty decent. The location is the best without question, the interior is comparably new, and the scenery is OK. However, I can’t change the fact that it is small. Not to mention that during the current pandemic I don’t even have to go to the company anymore.
There is just not too much physical space where I can put stuff. Before buying anything, the first thing I have to worry about is not the price, but whether I have enough space for it. I am trying my best to fully utilize the limited space by applying highly advanced classical Japanese organization ideas and magical tools sold by Nitori. My kitchen table looked like an armed castle with multiple complicated racks. I put two big monitors with arms on my small work desk. By adding a separated wood rack, I am able to have two keyboards on the desk simultaneously. Like other people showing off their organization skills online, they look good only if nobody is actually using them. In real life situations, the maintenance of this kind of dense organization costs more time and energy than people normally realize.
Since this apartment is not even enough for myself, I can’t imagine how it would fit two people. My girlfriend is ready to move into my place early next year. When I was thinking about my new apartment, I never thought everything could happen so quickly. I literally don’t know how I would have a family in this tiny “land”. It seems that moving again in the near future is becoming more and more inevitable.
Finding a new place and moving is extremely costly in Japan. There are more meaningful ways I can spend my money. The next time I move, I want to make everything right in the first place, but who knows what could happen in the future. Maybe the benefits of location will shine again when the pandemic is over. Maybe my mate will dump me during this year, and there won’t be a two people situation at all.
