No Brand House
I spent the past few days mostly pissed off about the lack of a service culture in Greece. My ranting has mostly, but not exclusively, been directed at taxi drivers. (When I take a taxi I still expect that the driver will take me where I ask to be taken, that he will not break any laws while I’m riding with him, that he will not smoke without asking or opening a window, and that no other punters will be picked up on the way to my place. It is therefore no wonder that I end up getting dissappointed here.) But, I did not want to be a whiner. I know I only get upset because living in England has me spoiled to the point of relying on service, politeness, and lawfulness. So I just need to unclench my buttocks and rely on less.
![[It's a Muji store, with a kitchen!]](../images/mujikitchen.jpg)
So, now, I find the opportunity to write about something much more light-hearted and even joyful. If you own a plot of land in the Greater Tokyo Area (Tokyo, Kanagawa, Chiba, and Saitama prefectures) then for ¥17,850,000 you can have your very own Muji house! That’s right. Not content with applying their no-nonsense, no-brand philosophy to household goods alone, the Muji honchos have turned their sights to the container. The house (see photos) can be customised for your requirements and erected on your site within three months. Filling it up with Muji goods is optional, but could you resist?
More than anything, this underlines how desirable a simple, uncluttered, minimal lifestyle is among Tokyo urbanites. The salary man and the office lady lead hectic lives with plenty of pressure in an environment mediated by (well-designed but) busy graphics. Their abodes need to exude the simplicity and serenity of traditional courtyard houses. And all their stuff needs to come from the “local market” (i.e. the Muji store) where good quality products can be had for modest prices.
I want one.
Comments
For an instant ‘Ikea Local’…
paint it blue,
add yellow text.
Nice though… the one bed layout with office IS better.
lol! like Jane said, asia has muji, but europe has ikea, another fast mover in prefab homes :-D anyway man, one thing that greece has and england HAS NOT is proper contemporary plumbing! talk about a lack of services! :-D
just don’t unclench those buttocks too much, as this could lead to some serious embarassment.
is this version of japanese minimalism actually true?
http://www.chroniclebooks.com/site/catalog/index.php?main_page=pubs_product_book_info&products_id=1263
ozz,
i dont think you actually realize what you have!
what are you crying for??…the rain, pro-forma friends and paper bread??!!!
please tell me you’re joking, unclench you buttocks, wipe the tears of irrelevant self-pity away and enjoy the truth!
Jason, I guess there is a difference between how people actually live, and the environment in which they woud aspire to live in. Jam-packed micro-flats are a necessary reality in Tokyo. But I am suggesting that a dream home is more like a traditional Japanese house. Much like, in the West, the country cottage is a standard dream home. You can see that the more affluent Japanese choose homes which might still be small, but are also immaculate and are heavily influenced by traditional architectural values in this book: http://www.amazon.co.uk/exec/obidos/ASIN/0789310651/fufurasuorg-21
Having said that, I really enjoyed the synopsis and excerptes from the book you quoted, and might pick it up at some point.
Pokeron, I’m specifically missing service, politeness, and lawfulness, not rain, pro-forma friends, and paper bread. :)
Can you order a Muji house in Europe if you have a plot of land? i.e. will they do it?
I really doubt that, Dee, given that they won’t even offer this in Japan outside the specified four prefectures.
I don’t mind living here… I really don’t… do u think muji might develope a design that attached the unit to an existing structure? or, on roof top…hahaha