Paradox in Japan: The poor live in houses, the rich choose to live in apartments, the explanation is so surprising

In Japan, the price of an apartment in the city can be much more expensive than a spacious house in the suburbs.

Living in an apartment or a house is a concern of many young people today. With an increasing density of residents in big cities such as Ho Chi Minh City, Hanoi…, owning a separate house to meet the needs of space and quality of life is increasingly impractical because Land fund is limited, real estate prices are increasing. Faced with that situation, apartment housing is the choice of the majority of young people with average incomes. Because of the reasonable price, meeting the needs of a modern, comfortable lifestyle…

However , in Japan’s cherry blossom country, rich and high-income people tend to choose to live in condominiums, apartments, etc. Meanwhile, people with low incomes live in apartments. in separate, spacious ground-floor houses.

In the famous Japanese series Doraemon and Shin – the pencil boy, the main character’s family is ordinary working class people. But they live in independent, spacious houses. In contrast, in Japanese dramas, people of the intellectual class, such as lawyers, doctors, writers, who have high incomes in society, often choose to live in apartment buildings.

Why in a “crowded land” country like Japan, the poor live in spacious ground-floor houses while the rich choose crowded apartments?

Paradox in Japan: The poor live in houses, the rich choose to live in apartments, the explanation is so surprising
Many young people choose to live in ground-floor houses instead of apartments.

This is explained by the fact that in Japan, families keep the custom of passing down the house they live in for generations . Until now, many young people choose to live in ground-floor houses because land in Japan is privately owned. Except for densely populated areas, these ground-floor houses are both spacious and do not have to incur additional service costs. As a result, they save on many significant expenses, including property fees.

As for the rich, often businessmen, intellectuals, and celebrities, choose to live in the city center because there are surrounding facilities such as transportation, infrastructure, etc. In addition, high-class apartments always have a security system to ensure safety, high quality of life, modern and better ability to prevent natural disasters and earthquakes. Those are natural disasters that are very common in Japan . But also because of that, living in apartments and apartments also incurs additional costs such as management service fees, monthly parking fees…

Paradox in Japan: The poor live in houses, the rich choose to live in apartments, the explanation is so surprising
In the modern city of Tokyo, the land is crowded with people, the rent of an apartment is extremely expensive.

In return, when living in the central area, people will have more job opportunities, entertainment activities, quality educational institutions… more. In the modern city of Tokyo, the land is crowded with people, the rent of an apartment is extremely expensive. In terms of average prices, a condominium in Tokyo can cost more than a suburban home.

The ground houses in Japanese movies are not actually in Tokyo. Those are usually houses located in remote areas, real estate prices are quite cheap. Life here is more open and spacious, but it is far from the city and causes inconvenience when moving to the central area, limiting job opportunities and expanding business relationships.

However , choosing to live in an apartment or a house on the ground also depends on the personal preferences of each individual. Not all rich people want to buy apartments, and not all poor people choose real estate.

Besides, in Japan there is no clear difference between the rich and the poor. You can live right next to a millionaire without knowing it, because their house is no different from the surrounding. This is explained by the fact that the rich Japanese have a community lifestyle, do not like to show off, so it is difficult to judge a person by their appearance.