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NEVER TOO SMALL: Japanese YouTuber’s DIY Rental, Tokyo 58sqm/624sqft



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This charming and welcoming small apartment close to central Tokyo is the rented home of Hige and Watashi (the creators of the wonderful YouTube channel HIGE and ME / HIGE TO WATASHI in Japanese). It is a masterclass in how the challenges and constraints of renting can be met with creativity and a sense of fun. The calming plant-filled loft apartment is a reflection of the couple’s enthusiasm for vintage treasures, upcycling and clever DIY. A concrete wall that could not be altered has been brought to life with hanging plants suspended by a branch and metal hooks fixed to existing light fittings. Highly functional and flexible storage solutions have been created from recycled wooden apple boxes in the living room and a combination of DIY and flatpack furniture in the kitchen and dining room. When the ideal thing does not exist or cannot be found, Hige and Watashi simply make it, which only adds to the sense of character and warmth of this very special small home.

#smallapartment #architecture #govee

Renters: HIGE and ME / HIGE TO WATASHI in Japanese
Youtube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCe1XYFh-ddEzIoE6_ugiewg
Instagram: @204_apartment

Produced by New Mac Video Agency
Creator: Colin Chee
Director & cinematographer: Nam Tran
Producer: Lindsay Barnard
Editor: Jess Ruasol
Thumbnail photography by: www.roomie.jp/2021/03/704536/ & @tsubottlee
Music: Intercede Pt. 2 (feat. L E O V I) by smplsmth Artlist.io

32 Comments

  3. Chiara DC

    Big fan of this couple and their YouTube channel 🙌 great to see them featured and hear them speak

  5. Eily Bergin

    Very nice to see a rental space. I actually love the red spiral staircase but I live with ugly fake wooden doors and I can feel what they feel. Maybe I'll try to cover them up with contact paper, floats around my mind for a long time already.

  8. melvin ho yk

    Finally I got to see how spacious Hige & Watashi's home as their Youtube channel Hige & me shows only close-up of a some section which makes it seem so small their living space. Now as a whole, I really love your place.

  9. M

    The space itself is beautiful, with the red staircase and built-in oak cabinets. IMO their interior is really messy and all over the place, they could use some closed cabinets.

  10. Belle C

    I live in a small 1 bedroom apartment in Sydney Australia I love to watch their channel they are so creative and artistic i love it! I get very good ideas from their videos about how to decorate my small space and is looking very good and pleasant to the eye and comfortable I get so inspired by them ! ! I love how they live 😊

  11. kiwigirljacks

    What an awesome apartment! And very cool couple. I love that they aren’t too minimalist, especially with their wardrobe/love of fashion. I too have a large fashion collection, and while I keep the rest of my home fairly minimal, I have my spare room dedicated to fashion. It’s about whatever makes you happy at the end of the day 😊

  12. moreolivia

    By Tokyo standards this space is huge! They lucked out when they found it but I am sure it’s expensive! I love the fact that they put their personalities into decorating the apartment. There is a tendency in Japanese spaces to decorate and design the same way, and to buy most of your furniture from the same place. People don’t really like “clutter”, which is basically any kind of art or non functional item! It’s fine if you only go home to sleep, but some of my friends here were struggling during the beginning of the pandemic, as working from home (and not being able to go out and drink!) they were stuck in essentially a joyless box. In any case, thank you NTS for featuring rental spaces!

  13. Woowoo

    what a gorgeous space. I love a home that is filled with bit & pieces/knickknacks as it makes the home feel lived in and loved and not a sterile showroom

  16. hotelier id

    So comfy and it looks much bigger than 58sqm. The red staircase is a beautiful touch for the whole space.

  19. vale hua

    Nice video but the commercial inside (here Goove) is quite annoying . I would have appreciated the information about "commercial included" at the beginning of the video

  20. Kyle Harris

    This would be up there as one of my favourite NTS episodes! The cost of living only increases and small spaces become a necessity out of affordability and this episode allows that to seem like a gift rather than a burden!

  21. Matty

    Your microwave is an accident waiting to happen! Taking hot liquids out above your head then stepping bakwards off a stool is dangerous.

  23. Anton Pavlov

    Bugaga! Tiny? Serious? You don't know what is tiny. In Russia avg apartment is around 30sqm. This one is very big, NOT TINY!

  25. saekolin

    Super nice to see a rental! And people really living in it!
    They made this space so personal and relaxing, I love their style!

  28. Miracle Wonderland

    Подтискаща бъркотия от вещи. Усещането е неприятно. Виждала съм японски стил на живеене, който е подреден, минималистичен и красив. Това не е.

  29. Jacky Hijstek

    Yay for renters! I live in a amsterdam micro apartment on 27sqm which I’m renting. I need more ideas and representation cuz not everybody is lucked out with a budget to buy or get super fancy/trendy furniture.

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