Downsize Not Downgrade

I watched up to season 2 of "Tiny House Nation" on Netflix.

It's absolutely wonderful!!!

There's a line that says just because the size of the house gets smaller, it doesn't mean your life is being downgraded.

Every time, I find myself questioning the families who have accumulated tons of stuff in their huge houses, thinking, "Are these people seriously planning to live in a Tiny House?" but in the end,

The only reaction I have is, "Their lives have been completely upgraded!!!! It's wonderful!!! I want to live there!!! Tiny houses are the best! And John and Zack are geniuses!!"

That's all I can say.

Well, from a Japanese perspective, some of them are sized in a way that makes you think, "That's not tiny, that's just a mansion (sweat)," though lol.

It shows that while size is important in a home, it's not the most important thing. And I deeply feel that if your budget is limited, instead of living in a large, generic house, you have the option to spend money on creating a wonderful space that is small but boosts your daily excitement and instantly improves your quality of life as well.

Sometimes a home is also a display of economic power, and I think there are areas where people prefer the most prime location, the largest size, and the most luxurious exterior possible, but it's more about shifting your focus to a comfortable living space than that.

This includes things like not having cheap electrical appliances or fixtures inside. If you save money on the house structure itself, you'd likely have enough left over to install a top-of-the-line audio system, a large TV, or even a solar power system. You could even install Starlink (wait, no). And surely, you would be able to save on utility bills indefinitely.

But you know.

There is one blind spot.

The question is whether there are actually any "top-level designers" or highly skilled "living space producers" like the ones who appear on TV and earn such high ratings and praise working at Japanese construction firms.

Just because you gather everything that "each resident loves!" doesn't mean a super wonderful space will be created. It could end up being a cluttered, inconsistent space, and there is professional tacit knowledge in balancing this.

It's not like such professionals are everywhere.

"Yutori education" (relaxed education) was once introduced in school education and concluded to be a "failure," but that's completely different. The direction of providing new methodologies and time to train children's thinking (natural intelligence) was not wrong at all; it's just that there were no teachers on the ground who could actually guide it appropriately. Because none of the teachers had received that kind of education themselves.

The same can be said here. It's impossible to create something new that isn't in the common knowledge of Japan's past home building. That's why you need a professional who is well-versed in it, but where are they?!!!

Creativity is, after all, nothing more than an unexpected combination of past knowledge and experience. If it's not in your brain, you will never come up with the combination.

Japanese houses were laughed at by the whole world for being small, but if they were filled with cozy and uniquely individual spaces, I'm sure they wouldn't have been laughed at.

In our case, Kaname, who retired early, and I, who was originally a freelancer, spent about half a year designing and building everything ourselves, but not everyone has that kind of time. And since we are amateurs, we built it while studying everything from scratch (selecting equipment, deciding on placement, floor plans, interior finishes like wallpaper and flooring), but if there had been someone who could listen to our wishes and advise us on choosing materials from all over the world rather than relying on domestic equipment, we could have left it to that person (though the design fee would probably be huge lol).

Alternatively, it might be most realistic to work while following a multi-year plan to acquire a small but highly convenient plot of land, and then design and build a tiny house there yourself. If you select all the equipment yourself and only hire professionals for the construction, you shouldn't have to pay design fees. You might get some snide remarks (like being told they'd have trouble if you don't order the equipment through them), but as long as you stick to pre-packaged equipment, you'll never be able to realize a unique home!

You just have to take your time and carefully search for a construction professional you can be satisfied with. Perhaps there is a need for a service that can match people looking for high-quality tiny houses with designers who can produce their interiors.

That said, it seems there are options like this too!

Compact single-story houses are also slowly gaining popularity.

By the way, our home is 15 tsubo on one floor... but it's absolutely no problem for two seniors to live in!

Cleaning finishes quickly, and there are no steps or bathtub ledges. Tiny houses are actually highly recommended!!