Living in Japan, have you ever felt that there just isn’t enough storage space—or wondered where everything is supposed to go?
For international residents who have moved to Japan, the layout and storage in a Japanese apartment or house may feel quite different from what you were used to back home.
In many Japanese homes, making good use of limited space is an important part of creating a comfortable and functional home.
Today, I’d like to share three real-life storage ideas from the home of one of my Taiwanese clients living in Japan. As a professional organizer, I worked with her to rethink storage in three different areas: the kitchen, bathroom, and living room.
The solution was different in each space—and that’s exactly the point.
1. When Kitchen Storage Isn’t Enough, Don’t Just Try to Fit Everything In
During a previous organizing session, we decluttered and reorganized the entire kitchen.
But after looking at how my client actually used the space, I realized that simply reducing the number of items and rearranging the existing storage would not be enough. Adding the right kind of storage would make the kitchen much more functional.
So I suggested adding a tall pantry cabinet.
When people think about decluttering and organizing, they often focus on one question:
“How can I fit everything into the storage I already have?”
But if the amount of storage simply doesn’t match what you genuinely need, squeezing everything into cabinets can make the space difficult to use again.
Instead, after decluttering, I consider questions such as:
Is there actually not enough storage?
Where would additional storage be most useful?
How can we add storage without interfering with the flow of the kitchen?
For this home, I recommended a tall storage cabinet from the Japanese retailer Dinos.
It makes use of vertical space and is approximately as tall as the refrigerator. The lower section is open, with just enough room for two slim trash bins.
This allowed us to create additional pantry storage and a designated place for the trash bins at the same time.
One of the most important things I tell my clients is this:
Don’t buy storage furniture or organizing products first. Declutter first, then decide what your home actually needs.
Good kitchen organization isn’t about fitting in as much as possible. It’s about creating storage that works with the way you live.
2. In a Small Japanese Bathroom, Think About How You Use the Space
Bathrooms and laundry areas in Japanese apartments can be surprisingly compact.
A common feature in Japanese bathrooms is storage hidden behind the mirror. Many apartments also have very narrow, shallow cabinets that can be challenging to use efficiently.
When organizing a small bathroom, I start with two simple questions:
“What do you use here?”
and
“How often do you use it?”
After talking with my client about her morning routine and everyday habits, we organized the cabinet behind the mirror so that cosmetics, skincare, nail products, contact lens supplies, and other frequently used items were easy to reach.
Items were grouped by category, and things that are often used together were stored close to each other.
Less frequently used items were placed higher up, where they are more difficult to reach.
The goal isn’t simply to fit as many things as possible into a cabinet.
When you organize according to where and how often you use something, even a small storage space can become much easier to use.
Storage Can Be Beautiful, Too
Functionality isn’t the only thing I think about when organizing a home. I also care about how a space makes my client feel.
My client owns some beautiful Lancôme skincare products. Rather than packing them tightly together, I displayed them with plenty of breathing room—almost like a cosmetics counter in a department store.
Organizing doesn’t always mean hiding everything away.
If you love something and it looks beautiful, why not enjoy seeing it?
After we finished, my client told me:
“Now I look forward to opening this cabinet every morning.”
That made me very happy.
A well-organized home should not only be practical. Sometimes, opening a cabinet and seeing something you love can make the beginning of your day just a little nicer.
What Can You Store in a Very Narrow Cabinet?
And then there are those extremely narrow, shallow cabinets.
Even as a professional organizer, these can make me want to cry sometimes!
In this home, we decided not to use this awkward space for everyday essentials.
Instead, we used it for things such as skincare products for relatives visiting from overseas, unused towels and dental supplies, travel items, cosmetic samples, and less frequently used appliances such as a hair iron and electric shaver.
Finding storage boxes that fit such a narrow cabinet can be surprisingly difficult.
So instead of rushing out to buy new organizers, we temporarily used paper shopping bags to divide some of the items into categories.
And that is perfectly fine.
You don’t need to buy storage products immediately.
Try a temporary solution first. Live with it for a while and see whether it works. Then, if necessary, look for containers that fit the space.
Decluttering and organizing does not automatically mean buying more storage products.
3. Your Storage Doesn’t Have to Keep the Same Purpose Forever
In the living room, a large wall cabinet had previously been used to store figurines, cleaning supplies, and various household items.
But when my client and I looked at her home as a whole, we realized that this cabinet could serve a much better purpose as a bookshelf.
Why?
Her books were taking up space in another room that she used for work.
By moving those books into the living room wall storage, we could free up space in the other room. In the future, that room could also become a guest room when relatives or friends visit her from overseas.
One change in storage created new possibilities for an entirely different room.
We often develop assumptions about our homes:
“This cabinet is for cleaning supplies.”
“This shelf is for displaying figurines.”
“This room is my office.”
But just because you once decided to use a space in a certain way doesn’t mean it has to stay that way forever.
Your family, work, hobbies, and lifestyle change over time—and your storage can change with them.
Instead of organizing around your storage, organize around the way you live now.
Sometimes, changing the purpose of one cabinet can change the way you use an entire room.
Make Your Japanese Home Work for the Way You Live
What we did in this home was about much more than making things look tidy.
In the kitchen, we added pantry storage that suited the space and the client’s needs.
In the compact bathroom, we organized items according to where and how often they are used.
And in the living room, we completely changed the purpose of existing wall storage, helping create the possibility of a future guest room elsewhere in the home.
There is no single answer to a storage problem.
The right solution depends on the home, the person, and the way they live.
For international residents in particular, adjusting to the layout, small storage spaces, kitchens, bathrooms, and even the systems for disposing of unwanted items in Japan can take some getting used to.
But you don’t always have to change your lifestyle to fit your Japanese home.
Sometimes, you can change the storage to fit your life.
I provide home organizing and decluttering services for international residents in Tokyo and Saitama, helping clients create homes that work for their everyday lives in Japan.
If you are wondering:
“Where should I put everything in my Japanese apartment?”
“What kind of storage furniture should I buy?”
or
“How can I make my home in Japan easier to live in?”
I can help you find solutions based not only on the size and layout of your home, but also on your habits, lifestyle, and what matters to you.
