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PagesPublic FigureBloggerMicaela Braithwaite
Do you know the standard way to measure room size in Japan? In North America I've seen things like "2BR" for two-bedroom or even "2BR1B" for two bedrooms and a bathroom, but in Japan we use slightly different phrasing:
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This apartment is a 1LDK.
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The number at the front is the number of bedrooms, then it's followed by any combination of the letters LDK....
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L stands for "living room" and indicates a generally large central area for lounging.
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D stands for "dining room" and indicates whether or not you have room for a table.
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K stands for "kitchen", a staple in most apartments.
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Occasionally in more population dense areas (like Tokyo) you might even find listings written as "1R", in which case you basically just have an empty room.
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You can have any combination of the above letters. A 2K would be two bedrooms and a kitchen (usually jammed into the entry hallway), a 3DK will have three rooms, and a kitchen space with enough room for a table and chairs, but not a lot of central room for lounging.
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These photos are from a new "women-only pet-friendly" apartment complex (@duoveeltenjin) that opened up on the other side of Ohori Park, I went to go check out the open house for fun. It was decorated with furniture from @js_furniture, to help visualize how a single person might comfortably live in a smaller spaces.
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But as you can see, just because a listing is written as having a living and dining space, it doesn't necessarily mean it's big. In general, outside of Tokyo, a 1LDK is a nice size (and price) for a young and single working person, who doesn't spend too much time at home. For me, I prefer at least a 2LDK (basically this plus an extra bedroom) so I can separate my work space from my relax space, though.
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Do you live in Japan? How big is your apartment? @ 大濠公園 Ohori Park
A straight shoot from Ohori Park is the less-crowded Nishi Park. It's a nice quiet hillside park, with winding paths, a shrine, a playground for kids, a couple of viewpoints, and tons, seriously tons, of stray cats. 🐱🐶














































