Explore everyday life in Japan
Japanese kitchens tend to be small, narrow galley kitchens. Like every rule, there are exceptions, but by and large, a cramped galley kitchen with little to no counter and storage space is standard in Japan.
There is one feature, however, that greatly helps with the lack of kitchen space here and that is a trap door in the floor of the kitchen that leads to a root cellar/storage space.
I'm not sure how prevalent this feature actually is, or if it is only regional, I only know that I have seen it in many, if not all of the houses I have been and lived in in Japan and that I have seen it in some apartments as well.
Often, the space tends to be quite small, less than one square meter, but I have seen some with fold out stairs in them that have led to actual rooms with low ceilings and lights. A lot of what you get depends on the building you live in and the amount of space that is beneath your kitchen.
In my house, we use this space to keep extra drinks. I have seen other people use it as a root cellar for keeping rice, potatoes, and other foods. I have also seen people who simply use it as a place to keep their garbage until it can be disposed of, particularly cans, bottles, and plastics, which aren't picked up as frequently as burnable garbage.
Regardless of how it gets used, I think many people will agree, this is a convenient feature and space to have. Maybe it's something you will find yourself wanting now that you have seen it.
Image Credits: The images in this post are original.
This is an ongoing series that will explore various aspects of daily life in Japan. My hope is that this series will not only reveal to its followers, image by image, what Japan looks like, but that it will also inform its followers about unique Japanese items and various cultural and societal practices. If you are interested in getting regular updates about life in Japan, please consider following me at @boxcarblue. If you have any questions about life in Japan, please don’t hesitate to ask. I will do my best to answer all of your questions.