I’m trying to find a place in Tokyo. Why all the apartments look like cookie cutters and oh so similar? Since when they have decided it’s better to make all the apartment look like the same so you don’t even notice that you’ve moved?
I understand the cost saving part, but isn’t it nicer to have different interior designs and charge accordingly? I don’t mind paying for extra finesse and designs. Any thoughts? 🥲
6 comments
Pay extra. You’ll find extra finesse and designs.
It’s actually quite common here to have exterior and interior designs be exactly the same or overlap a lot between houses, apartments, mansions… I swear I’ve seen the exact building I live in elsewhere about a dozen times already.
If you want different, you’re either looking at something very old and in need of restoration, or very new and… well, expensive. Anything inbetween and you’re getting 99% cookie cutters.
Edit: The new ones are cookie cutters as well by the way. They’re just… as of now less familiar cookie cutters.
Simply cost vs profit. New designs cost more and may end up being a failure. Also some owners took a loan to build apartments and they can’t afford to spend more.
Uniqueness is a luxury. People who don’t want to spend on housing are OK with the tried and tested formula. It works fine for what it is.
On the other hand I’ve seen places where there’s so much uniqueness to the point that you’d regret it after the initial novelty wears off.
Like you say, if you don’t mind paying for extra finesse and design, pay for it.
Notice how housing here is actually pretty affordable, unlike so many other countries? Part of that is making everything really efficient, and being efficient means using the same parts and materials and designs everywhere.
If you look at a place that’s 30 years old, it’ll look a little different, unless it’s renovated in which case it’s updated to whatever the cookie-cutter stuff is at that point in time.
What’s your budget? Im paying ¥170000 for 3LDK in Yokohama and close to stations. It looks really good, 70m too.