Do you prefer American or Japanese house?

[watzitoou]

Do you prefer American or Japanese house? Why?

[Asshat]

Do you prefer American or Japanese house? Why?

I like an ecclectic Asian fusion design.

[P_chan]

I really do love the feeling of some of the japanese houses. But I'd have to chose other. I'd love a tatami room, but I still want a normal living room that I can fit my big screen in. So a combo of both would be perfect for me. As long as I have my bed, and a normal living room, I wouldn't mind if the rest of the house was japanese style. I do love the walled yards, makes it feel like a castle!.

I also don't want to sleep on the floor.

[okisteve]

I like an ecclectic Asian fusion design.

I'm with you - use the best of both.

Funny, though because I like tatami but my wife (J) does not and had them all taken out and hardwood floors put in. I miss the tatami smell.

[Asshat]

I'm with you - use the best of both.

Funny, though because I like tatami but my wife (J) does not and had them all taken out and hardwood floors put in. I miss the tatami smell.

Tatami smells better with age! As it enters that second decade of gaijin rental-cowboy-boot trodden life, it develops a scent all its own!

[P_chan]

I miss the tatami smell.

I love that smell! I always make it a habit to walk by the tatami section if I'm in jusco or nitori!

[Trail]

I love that smell! I always make it a habit to walk by the tatami section if I'm in jusco or nitori!

I do too! :w00t: Hubby though I was wierd but I love the smell of fresh tatami. I reminds me almost of fresh cut hay from back home.

[okisteve]

Some chemist should try to synthesize that smell, to rehab tatamis quickly, and also for general rural nostalgia trips. They could offer a version with a hint of manure pile too.

[Muku]

Some chemist should try to synthesize that smell, to rehab tatamis quickly, and also for general rural nostalgia trips. They could offer a version with a hint of manure pile too.
Yeah the smell of fresh tatami is great until the rainy season and they get that nasty mildew smell, that along with all sorts of microscopic bugs. Not to mention that they change color rather quickly as they dry out.

Also replacing them with decent one's costs roughly 10,000 plus per mat, and the need to pick them up at least once a year and take them outside and let the sun do a great job of sanitizing them. Then of course because they are bulky and pretty damn heavy, manhandling the things back into place. Oh I forgot after lifting them up making sure to spray the supports and support boards with spray that keeps the termites away....then I guess tatami are ok:mad:

Hate the damn things....took them all out and put in hardwood floors myself. Expensive YES....but no more handling tatami mats:thumbup:

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

Tatami smells better with age! As it enters that second decade of gaijin rental-cowboy-boot trodden life, it develops a scent all its own!
Ah, there's nothing like mold, mildew, worked in dust, grime, baby-making and baby drool, spilled drinks, bug bomb residue, and age to give tatami that lived-in smell... :)

[Isaak Brodsky]

I like an ecclectic Asian fusion design.

Me too - the new utilitarian avante garde concrete.

[Asshat]

Me too - the new utilitarian avante garde concrete.

I was going to say I liked American houses better because they were easier to understand, but....you know... :)

[SPMF#1]

Japanese house. Built for function more than form. Lots of stroage and closet space. I like masonry houses in a warm climate too.

[okitony]

Amercan size rooms and spanish style home, Japanese garden for me... I hatet tatami smell:barf:

[slickmetal]

I prefer American style home.

I dislike Tatami rooms:
I have cats, tatami would get destroyed.
Smell, mildew and bugs (as stated in another post)
A waste of space if you don't use them. I dont prefer to eat on the floor nor lay down on the floor.

My wife and I cook and bake:
Alot of Japanese style houses have the fish cooker thing instead of a range and/or no range hookups NO BUENO

Some American style homes have 110/120V transformers already built in, along with the big 220v for dryers and range/stove.

But one thing I dislike about both American AND Japanese style homes here, some have no hookup for American Dryer. You think its a big energy eater...but the tiny little japanses gas dryers are HORRIBLE. Gas is very expensive. 10meters cubed was my reading for 1/2 a month and it was almost 9000 Yen!!! WTF, my old house had kerosene to heat water and it never was ever over 9000 yen for an entire month.

American style master bedrooms seem to be bigger. I have a queen size bed, and like to have room with out getting out of bed and end up being in the closet. So in otherwords American style homes cater more to my furniture!

American style homes tend to be newer and cleaner here. Insulation is better and newer - thus keeping the house cooler in the summer saving on some bills. Mold and mildew dont seem to grow as often in the newer houses.


Newer American style apartments are made thicker and more concrete - now you dont hear your neighbors tromping around, dog barking or babies crying. I detest having a yard, after my last off-base house.

Below all depend on the actual age of the home(s):

American style homes seem to have better security than a traditional japanese home with newer locks and stronger doors.

American style homes seem to have better electrical system and breakers - thus keeping your electronic equipment safer and power on during typhoons. American style homes have clearer telephone lines and less noise to slow bandwidth if you have ADSL. Fiber optics is generally already in an area of american style homes as well.

American style homes more often than not have a cieling mounted fan or 2.

Some bad about american style homes, is the 220v big outlets...some installers dont want to go far, and they have the dryer hookup in the kitchen. YUK

too many lights!

[thistle]

Well very few Japanese actually live in houses.

Most live in apartments about one tenth the size of an American house.
So I'd have to say I'd rather live in an American house.
And Japanese houses are too cold. No heating except for one room in the
house which may have a gas stove.

[Trail]

I didn't know tatami was such a pain in the a$$ to have in your home. Maybe I'll just buy the cheap ones and hang them on the wall. Just for the smell.

[nana24]

I prefer big western type with big windows and wide living room and kitchen,separate bath and toilet...by the beach or cliff top over looking,this house we stay in right now kind of sucks! too small,not like the old apartment back in Uruma.I just can't wait to move,our housing agency suck! it's very way different here on Okinawa than mainland,the way they treat them tenants.I don't like it.I should be an housing Agent and show them how to treat a customer.

[OCanadaOurHomeAndNativeLand]

I prefer big western type with big windows and wide living room and kitchen,separate bath and toilet...by the beach or cliff top over looking,this house we stay in right now kind of sucks! too small,not like the old apartment back in Uruma.I just can't wait to move,our housing agency suck! it's very way different here on Okinawa than mainland,the way they treat them tenants.I don't like it.I should be an housing Agent and show them how to treat a customer.
Yo Trail! You can by half-mats at a lot of department stores to use on your flooring at home, as well as the woven rush mat that makes up the outer layer of tatami. It comes in rolls of various sizes.

One really interesting thing about traditional Okinawan tatami is that it uses rushes with thicker stalks for the outer woven mat, giving the tatami a differernt appearance and feel than that of the mainland.

[Sex Wax]

This is a pic of all I need in a house. One day, I will have my own !!! :thumbup1:
http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/koh-chang-tha775.jpg

[Trail]

This is a pic of all I need in a house. One day, I will have my own !!! :thumbup1:
http://www.planetware.com/i/photo/koh-chang-tha775.jpg

Pic link didn't work Wax. :crying:

[Trail]

Yo Trail! You can by half-mats at a lot of department stores to use on your flooring at home, as well as the woven rush mat that makes up the outer layer of tatami. It comes in rolls of various sizes.

One really interesting thing about traditional Okinawan tatami is that it uses rushes with thicker stalks for the outer woven mat, giving the tatami a differernt appearance and feel than that of the mainland.

Thanks for the info. Eel. I'm looking for something to cover the white walls in our unit. I thought of hanging tatami and the maybe bingata over it for color. I'm unsure what I'll do but I know I do not want to paint. I might just draped bingata aroud the perimeter of the room near the ceiling and wall.

I LOVE the indigo colored bingata. <3 at least i think it's bingata.

[billhilly]

We had a huge house in the states. 4 bed, 2 1/2 bath, formal dining room, sweet local stone fireplace in the living room, full finished basement, pool, and 1/2 ac. yard. Got lucky and sold it right before the housing market crashed. Loved that place, but Oki was calling. We have a nice place here. OK sized. Tatami and HW mix. Cons...I got a mild concussion hitting my head entering the head. Lots of blood. Lucky I was drunk. My wife, recently, fell down the unforgiving concrete steps leading to our front door. Luckily she was extremely drunk. The ambulance came pretty quick. CT was OK. The doctors were not amused. So, i would pick a combo of HW and better electric boxes in a Japanese style house. Oh, and raise the door frames a couple of inches.:)

[Asshat]

We had a huge house in the states. 4 bed, 2 1/2 bath, formal dining room, sweet local stone fireplace in the living room, full finished basement, pool, and 1/2 ac. yard. Got lucky and sold it right before the housing market crashed. Loved that place, but Oki was calling. We have a nice place here. OK sized. Tatami and HW mix. Cons...I got a mild concussion hitting my head entering the head. Lots of blood. Lucky I was drunk. My wife, recently, fell down the unforgiving concrete steps leading to our front door. Luckily she was extremely drunk. The ambulance came pretty quick. CT was OK. The doctors were not amused. So, i would pick a combo of HW and better electric boxes in a Japanese style house. Oh, and raise the door frames a couple of inches.:)

Good post billhilly! :thumbup:

[Jazz]

I'm down with the combo. Gotta have the Japanese style toilet room, shower room, they're just genius compared to American style, and such a simple idea. I think I'm allergic to Tatami, can't breathe in a room with the new mats.

100% with out a doubt off base where paople mind their own damn business!

[okisteve]

Thanks for the info. Eel. I'm looking for something to cover the white walls in our unit. I thought of hanging tatami and the maybe bingata over it for color. I'm unsure what I'll do but I know I do not want to paint. I might just draped bingata aroud the perimeter of the room near the ceiling and wall.

I LOVE the indigo colored bingata. <3 at least i think it's bingata.

Check eBay for kimono rolls of fabric that are not real bingata but are colorful prints that look pretty close. Sold often by dealers in mainland. If you can't find any I have some - I'll sell it for what I paid.

[Trail]

Okisteve, they have a kimono sale coming up in March or April and I figured I'd pick up 2 and hang up one of them for decoration in our living room or at least but some extra Obis and hang those up. Thank you for the info. I'll search tonight and see what I turn up.

[Tony Stacks]

I want a treehouse or a houseboat.

[htran804's slave]

I wanted to move into this 1500sq ft apartment that is actually under the street (RTE 6) in front of Torii Station. The wife said no so I ended up getting an apartment on the 3rd floor above ground. :crying: So much for novelty :thumbdown:

[socalheart]

nice, sex wax... especially like the tire swinging in the tree of the "front yard" there. heh. :thumbup1:

[Muku]

We had a huge house in the states. 4 bed, 2 1/2 bath, formal dining room, sweet local stone fireplace in the living room, full finished basement, pool, and 1/2 ac. yard. Got lucky and sold it right before the housing market crashed. Loved that place, but Oki was calling. We have a nice place here. OK sized. Tatami and HW mix. Cons...I got a mild concussion hitting my head entering the head. Lots of blood. Lucky I was drunk. My wife, recently, fell down the unforgiving concrete steps leading to our front door. Luckily she was extremely drunk. The ambulance came pretty quick. CT was OK. The doctors were not amused. So, i would pick a combo of HW and better electric boxes in a Japanese style house. Oh, and raise the door frames a couple of inches.:)

Or just hit your head a few times more and you wont have to:eek:

[yokozuna]

Japan has far better toilets/bathrooms than the US (except for the "traditional" style). I can't understand why US homes put the toilet in the same room as the bath. And shower rooms are so much better than standing in the tub when you shower. Soaking in the clean tub water afterwards is bliss.

The difference between public facilities is even bigger. Now back in the states, it's very difficult for me to use a public toilet. They are almost universally disgusting, except for certain nice hotels and restaurants.

If you judge a culture by its bathrooms, Japan is light years ahead of the US.

[mikersoft]

If you judge a culture by its bathrooms, Japan is light years ahead of the US.

Those heated toilet seats are mighty nice. :thumbup1: And I love the high-powered hand driers in public restrooms. WOOOOOOSSSSHHH! Done.

-Mike

[yokozuna]

One of the simplest thing that they do in Japan but not generally in the US is make the stall dividers go all the way to the floor. It adds to your privacy, controls odors and ensures that no Senator with a "wide stance" can proposition you.

[gunny8511]

I'd have to go for a hybrid myself. There's some features of the Japanese style homes that I like, but not many. I love the amount of windows, the shower room, and the ability to walk outside from just about any room in the house.

The overall size of the rooms, and the washer/dryer part is horrible. My wife found that it was cheaper to go to the laundromat.

Tatami were a pain in the butt too; they got moldy quickly.

On the other hand, some other members nailed it when they mention the neighbors off base...much more polite!

[Asshat]

I'd have to go for a hybrid myself. There's some features of the Japanese style homes that I like, but not many. I love the amount of windows, the shower room, and the ability to walk outside from just about any room in the house.

The overall size of the rooms, and the washer/dryer part is horrible. My wife found that it was cheaper to go to the laundromat.

Tatami were a pain in the butt too; they got moldy quickly.

On the other hand, some other members nailed it when they mention the neighbors off base...much more polite!

Yep agree with you 100 percent on all that.

[lissa99a]

We live in a two bedroom Japanese home. I fell in LOVE with this house. We have an additional Tatami room. We have been in it over a year and have never had a problem with odors or mildew in it.
We have a toilet room with a urinal, and a shower room... which we LOVE and makes for giving the baby a bath a BREEZE!! I just put her toddler tub in the floor. The things I don't like are having to use a toaster oven to cook, and the dryer that sucks and never dries the clothes LOL. Other than that, I will be sad to leave this house. We have to move though, cause we are having another child and our current house is only 2 bedrooms. I refuse to use the tatami room as a bedroom... then we wouldn't have any actual living space. The only problem is that 3 bedroom houses are hard to find. Especially ones with tatami rooms. We found one we loved, but the owners don't wanna rent it out again.
So we are looking into regular homes and apartments with no tatami... :(