Hi, I’m Sara T. (a pen name). I live in Kasukabe, a suburb in Saitama Prefecture, just north of Tokyo. If you’ve watched Crayon Shin-chan, you already know my town: it’s where the show is set.
My home is a 1DK apartment. In Japan, that means one room plus a small dining-kitchen, and mine is not spacious at all. Living in a small space in Japan is completely normal, and so are the stores full of clever products made for exactly that.
What this site is about
Small Space Japan covers Japanese storage and organizing products for small homes, starting with the kitchen. Many of them come from brands that are well known in Japan but newer to shoppers in the US, and they’re now easy to find on Amazon.com and other US stores.
Big home sites already publish “10 best” lists. I try to cover what those lists usually skip:
- Exact sizes and fit. Will it fit your faucet, your shelf, your lids?
- The common complaints. What buyers wish they had known before ordering.
- How people use these products in Japan. Some of them are designed for Japanese habits, like drying milk cartons for recycling, and knowing that often makes them more useful.
How I research
I want to be clear about this: I’m not a professional organizer, and I haven’t tested most of the products I write about. Unless an article says otherwise, it’s based on manufacturer specifications, a close reading of buyer reviews (especially the negative ones), and published tests, such as those by America’s Test Kitchen. I cite my sources and note the date for ratings and review counts, because they change.
What I can add is the view from Japan: the brands, the habits behind the designs, and daily life in a home where every inch counts.
Affiliate links
This site is reader-supported. Some links are affiliate links, including links to Amazon. If you buy through them, I may earn a small commission at no extra cost to you. You can read the details in my Affiliate Disclosure.
Get in touch
Questions, corrections or ideas for products to cover? I’d love to hear from you on the Contact page.