好英语网九平方米超迷你公寓：东京年轻人的“蜗居”生活
TOKYO — At the end of a long day at work in the offices of Japan’s professional baseball league, Asumi Fujiwara returned to her apartment and changed into pajamas. She wanted to get in a light workout before going to bed, so she placed her vinyl yoga mat on the floor in front of the toilet, rolling it past the single kitchen burner and the one-slot toaster and toward the foot of her desk.
东京——在日本职业棒球联盟办公室结束了一天漫长的工作后，藤原安住（音）回到自己的公寓，换上睡衣。她想在睡觉前做点轻度锻炼，于是把乙烯基瑜伽垫放在厕所前的地板上，经过只有一个火圈的炉灶和单片烤吐司机的厨房，一直铺展到她的书桌前。
After a bit of stretching, she stood to get into the warrior position. Instead of extending her arms fully, though, she pulled her elbows into her sides. “I need to modify my poses or else I will hit something,” Ms. Fujiwara, 29, said.
做了些拉伸后，她站了起来，准备进入战士体式。但她没有将双臂完全展开，而是把胳膊肘收在身体两侧。“我需要调整姿势，否则会碰到东西，”现年29岁的藤原安住说。
现年19岁的木下优吾在他的东京公寓里。
这就是东京面积约九平方米公寓的生活。
With its high property prices and the world’s most populous metropolitan area, Tokyo has long been known for small accommodations. But these new apartments — known as three-tatami rooms, based on how many standard Japanese floor mats would cover the living space — are pushing the boundaries of normal living.
东京是世界上人口最多的大都市，房价高昂，早就以居住空间小而闻名。但这种新公寓正在扩大正常生活范围的定义，这些被称为“三叠榻榻米”的房子只有能放下三个标准日式地垫的居住空间。
A real estate developer, Spilytus, has been leading the charge toward ever-tinier spaces. It has been operating these shoe-box apartments since 2015, and with more than 1,500 residents now in its 100 buildings, demand has remained strong.
地产开发商Spilytus一直在引导潮流，向更小的空间发展。该公司自2015年起一直在经营这些鞋盒式公寓，现在有超过1500名居民住在它的100栋楼里，对这些公寓的需求依然强劲。
While the units are half the size of an average studio apartment in Tokyo, they have 12-foot ceilings and an attic-like loft for sleeping. They are also stylish, with pristine white floors and walls, and with some efficient arranging, it is possible to squeeze a washing machine, a fridge, a sofa and a work desk inside.
虽然这些单元的面积只有东京普通单间公寓的一半，但它们有3.5米高的天花板和一个类似阁楼的跃层，用来睡觉。它们也很雅致，有崭新的白色地板和墙壁，通过一些高效的布置，房间里可以摆放一台洗衣机、一台冰箱、一张沙发和一张办公桌。
The apartments are not for those on a really tight budget. Cheaper apartments can be found, though they are usually decades old. But the microapartments, which rent for $340 to $630 a month, are a couple hundred dollars less than other studio apartments in similar areas. And they are situated near trendy locations in central Tokyo like Harajuku, Nakameguro and Shibuya, which are generally quite expensive, with luxury boutiques, cafes and restaurants. Most of the buildings are close to subway stations — the top priority for many young people.
这些公寓并不适合那些手头很紧的人。还有更便宜的公寓，它们通常是已有几十年历史的老房。这种新微型公寓的月租在340美元到630美元之间，比类似地区的其他单间公寓便宜近一两百美元。它们位于像原宿、中目黑、涩谷这样的东京市中心时髦地段附近，这些充满奢侈品精品店、咖啡馆和餐厅的地段通常很贵。大多数微型公寓所在的建筑靠近地铁站，这对许多年轻人来说很重要。
Over two-thirds of the buildings’ residents are people in their 20s, who in Japan earn on average about $17,000 to $20,000 a year, according to government data. (Wages in Tokyo are on the higher end.) Some are drawn by the minimal initial fees and the lack of a deposit or “gift money” — a nonrefundable payment to the landlord that can be as much as three months’ rent — for many rentals.
超过三分之二的住户是20多岁的年轻人，据政府数据，这个年龄段的人在日本的平均年收入大约是17000美元至20000美元。（东京的工资更高些）。一些人被微型公寓吸引，因为租它们要交的初始费用很低，而且不需交押金，也不需向房东支付一笔不可退还的、可高达三个月房租的“礼金”。
The small spaces work for the lifestyle of many young Japanese. In Japan, it is not customary to host guests in homes, with nearly a third of Japanese people saying they have never had friends over, according to a survey by Growth From Knowledge, a data provider for the consumer goods industry.
这种小空间适合许多日本年轻人的生活方式。日本没有在家里招待客人的习惯，据为消费品行业提供数据的Growth From Knowledge的一项调查，近三分之一的日本人说，他们从未邀请过朋友到家里做客。
Ms. Fujiwara has not even had her partner over in the nearly two years she has been living in her apartment. “This space is for me,” she said.
藤原安住已在这个公寓住了近两年，她甚至从未邀请过她的伴侣来公寓。“这个空间是属于我的，”她说。
Many Japanese, young and old, also work long hours, leaving little time to spend at home. And a growing share of people in Tokyo are living alone, making smaller spaces more desirable. Such people are more likely to eat out, or grab one of the many premade meal options from convenience stores or groceries, so a full kitchen is less necessary.
无论年长年轻，许多日本人都有很长的工作时间，几乎没有多少时间呆在家里。而且，越来越多的东京人选择独自居住，这使得较小的空间更受欢迎。这些人更可能在外面吃饭，或者从便利店和杂货店购买预制食品，所以一个全套的厨房并不那么有必要。
Yugo Kinoshita, 19, a college student who works part time making beef bowls at a chain restaurant, is among those for whom an apartment is little more than a place to sleep.
现年19岁的大学生木下优吾（音）在一家连锁餐厅兼职做牛肉饭，对他来说，公寓只不过是个睡觉的地方。
By the time his shift is over, it is an hour to midnight and he is exhausted. He eats his free staff meal, goes to a “sento” public bath and passes out the second he gets back to his Spilytus unit. His days otherwise are filled with doing schoolwork for his degree in nutrition and seeing friends.
他下班的时间距离午夜只有一个小时，他已经非常累。吃完免费的员工餐后，他去一个公共澡堂洗澡，回到自己的Spilytus公寓里倒头就睡着。他每天的其他时间被做作业和见朋友占据，他在读营养学本科学位。
When he does spend some waking hours at home, the box that acts as a TV stand transforms into a study desk and kitchen counter. To clean the floor, all he needs is a lint roller.
当他真的在家里呆上几个小时的时候，当电视机架用的那个箱子就变成了书桌和厨房操作台。他打扫地板只需要用一个绒毛滚筒。
Even after having had to bid a teary-eyed goodbye to his collection of Nike Dunks because there was no place for them, Mr. Kinoshita said that at this point in his life, “I wouldn’t live anywhere else.”
即使在由于没有地方，不得不含泪放弃他收藏的NIKE DUNK系列球鞋后，木下优吾仍表示，在人生的这个阶段，“我不会住在其他任何地方。”
For some residents, the tiny apartments offer a gateway to long-deferred independence.
对一些居民来说，这些微型公寓为他们提供了一扇大门，可以走进向往已久的独立生活。
Two years ago, Kana Komatsubara, 26, started looking for an apartment so she could finally move out of her parents’ home in the suburbs of Tokyo.
小松原加奈（音）现年26岁，两年前，她开始寻找公寓，这样她就能从东京郊区的父母家搬出来了。
She wanted a recently built space, easy access to work, and a toilet and a shower in separate rooms (a common request in Japan) — all within her relatively tight budget. She was not necessarily looking for a microunit, but her search led her to a Spilytus apartment.
她想找一个新建成的空间，离工作的地方不远，而且卫生间和淋浴间分开（这在日本是一个常见的要求），所有这些需求还不能超出她不太宽裕的预算。她并不一定要找微型公寓，但她寻找的结果是一个Spilytus公寓。
“Of course, the bigger the better. It never hurts to have a larger space,” she said. “This was simply the best option for me at the time.”
“当然是越大越好。有一个更大的空间总不会有坏处，”她说。“这个公寓只不过当时对我来说是最好的选择。”
On a recent afternoon, Ms. Komatsubara, a nail stylist, walked a minute from her nearest subway station in the Shinjuku district of Tokyo, through a narrow alleyway lined with worn-down homes, and unlocked the main door to her apartment building.
最近一个下午，美甲师小松原加奈从东京新宿区离她家最近的地铁站走出来，穿过一条两旁都是破旧房屋的狭窄小巷，来到她公寓楼的正门前，只用了一分钟。
She walked up three flights of narrow stairs — the buildings have no elevators — to her room, which was behind one of the identical burgundy doors lining the common hallway.
她爬了三层狭窄的楼梯（这些建筑里没有电梯），打开了公共走廊里完全一样的酒红色大门中的一扇，进入自己的房间。
Inside, a tiny “genkan,” or entryway, had enough room for exactly three pairs of shoes. A 20-inch-wide hallway led to the main room, past the kitchen sink, where Ms. Komatsubara leaves a tube of toothpaste and a bottle of mouthwash.
里面有一个很小的玄关，刚好可以放下三双鞋。一条半米宽的走廊通向主房间，走廊经过厨房洗涤池，小松原加奈在那里放了一管牙膏和一瓶漱口水。
She stores her work equipment, such as blue-light machines for gel nails and mannequin hands to practice on, in the place intended to hold a washing machine. A plastic trash bag hanging off her door knob must be taken out almost daily.
她把自己的工作设备，比如用来做凝胶美甲的蓝光机和用来练习的假手，放在为洗衣机留出的地方。挂在门把手上的塑料垃圾袋几乎每天都得带下去。
One benefit of small living, she said, is less ice cream. Her mini-fridge lacks a working freezer, so she eats less of it. That, along with her daily boxing routine, means she has gotten into better shape.
她说，住处小有一个好处，就是可以少吃冰淇淋。她的迷你冰箱没有冷冻室，所以她很少吃冰淇淋。再加上她每天做拳击运动，所以她的身材比以前好了不少。
Ms. Fujiwara, the baseball league employee, was drawn to her microapartment after the pandemic began. She had been living in a shared house, but not having space to herself while working from home caused stress and anxiety.
棒球联盟雇员藤原安住是在新冠病毒大流行开始后被吸引到微型公寓的。她以前一直住在与人合租的房子里，但居家工作却没有自己的空间导致了压力和焦虑。
Her smaller space has pushed her to live more sustainably, she said. “Small living has helped me think twice whenever I want to buy something new,” she added.
她说，更小的空间促使她的生活方式更可持续。“住的地方小让我在想买新东西时三思而后行，”她补充道。
Yet hanging next to her sink is a stack of 40 or so brown paper cups. “I don’t have space to dry any dishes,” she said.
不过，她的洗涤池旁边挂着一叠棕色纸杯，大约有40个。“我没有地方把餐具晾干，”她说。
She and Ms. Komatsubara both wish they had more space for clothing, which they neatly hang in their lofts. Ms. Komatsubara goes to her parents’ house at the start of every season, most recently to swap out her crop tops for sweaters.
她和小松原加奈都希望有更多的衣物空间，她们把衣服整齐地挂在跃层。小松原加奈在每个季度开始的时候回一趟父母家，最近这次是为了把夏天的衣服换成秋天的衣服。
Both women gave up having washing machines — they are expected in most Japanese apartments — in order to use the space more efficiently, and they instead go to a coin laundry once or twice a week.
为了更有效地使用空间，这两名女士都没有买洗衣机（大多数日本公寓有洗衣机），而是每周去一两次投币洗衣店。
Mr. Kinoshita does have a washing machine, but with no dryer, he hangs his wet clothes on the railing where his curtains should be. He also can’t do some of the homework for his nutrition degree at home, because his kitchen is too small.
木下优吾的公寓里有一台洗衣机，但没有烘干机，他把湿衣服挂在本该挂窗帘的杆子上。他也不能在家里做一些读营养学学位需要做的作业，因为他的厨房太小。
Ms. Komatsubara has decided to move on from her apartment — because she wants something even cheaper.
小松原加奈已经决定搬出这个公寓，因为她想找个更便宜的地方。
“As I’ve grown older, my requirements, what I want out of an apartment, has shifted,” she said.
“随着年龄的增长，我的需求，我想从公寓里得到什么已有了变化，”她说。