You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments

Level 2: Intermediate

1
  Warmer

a. What must every living space have? Add any other ideas of your own.

a bed a fridge-freezer

a private sleeping area an oven

a wardrobe a kitchen worktop

a toilet a sofa

a sink windows

a shower or bathtub

a separate living area

a home office

b. Could you live in a micro-apartment (a one-room living space under 32 square metres)? Why?
Why not?

2
  Key words

a. Choose the word that best matches each definition. Then, complete the sample sentences to
use them in context.

boom commute cosy cramped cubicle envision

kitchenette occupancy rental real estate tenant tumble

1. a noun meaning a small, enclosed area in a room, separated from the rest of the room by thin
walls or curtains
Only the director has her own office. The rest of the workers all have a
and little privacy.

2. a noun meaning a small area used as a kitchen

We chose a hotel with a , so we could heat food.

3. an adjective meaning warm, comfortable, and making you feel relaxed

My first flat was tiny but very – I loved it!
D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA

Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.

M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

T
O
H
AN
•P
C
 You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments
Level 2: Intermediate
4. an American English noun meaning the business of buying and selling land and property

He likes working with people, so he is thinking of going into .

5. a noun meaning an amount of money that you pay for renting something such as a house

The average in New York is around $4,000 per month.

6. a noun meaning a sudden increase in the popularity of something

The oil completely reshaped Saudi Arabia.

7. a noun meaning someone who rents a flat, house, office, piece of land, etc., from the person who
owns it
He is a friendly landlord and has a good relationship with all of his .

8. a noun meaning the use, or period of use, of a place

The hotel has 20 rooms, and ten are currently empty, which means that the
rate is 50%.

9. an adjective meaning small and crowded

Today, Mr Hopkins’s group is attending our classes, so it feels very .

10. a verb meaning to fall to the ground

As the horse jumped over the fence, Ophelia from the saddle.

11. a noun meaning the journey to and from work every day
My office is a two-hour from the suburbs.

12. a verb meaning to imagine something that has not happened or does not exist

When she designed her house, she never how much the area
would change.
D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA

Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.

M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

T
O
H
AN
•P
C
 You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments
Level 2: Intermediate
Justin McCurry
20 March, 2023
1 Through the open door, every part of the living
space except the sleeping area is visible. A
tiny entryway leads to a small shower cubicle
on the right, next to a toilet that – with the door
open – you could sit on while making dinner in
a kitchenette 50cm away on the other side of
the “corridor”.
2 The Guardian spent the night in Shanti Casa, in
Tokyo, the answer to growing demand among
young people who are unable to afford the
capital’s high and rising rents.
3 Each micro-apartment measures just nine
square metres – just under half the size of a
typical studio apartment in Tokyo – white walls,
a large window at the back and a 3.6-metre-
high ceiling balance out their cosy proportions.
The block is among 100 buildings opened in
Tokyo by the real-estate company Spilytus in
the past seven years.
Gap in the market
4 Rents for micro-apartments can be as low as
¥50,000 ($376) a month, rising to ¥80,000 in
more fashionable locations. At Shanti Casa, the
monthly rent is ¥20,000 to ¥30,000 lower than
the average rental in the area.
5 Some say the micro-apartment boom shows
the lack of affordable urban housing for young,
underpaid workers, with quality of life sacrificed
for convenience and affordability. But Keisuke
Nakama, the firm’s president, says the idea
is to give tenants a chance to save while they
consider their long-term futures.
6 “Many younger people these days don’t have
many possessions. They have a few items of
clothing and not that much money, so these
apartments are ideal for them,” said Nakama,
whose 1,500 micro-apartments have an
occupancy rate of 98%.
7 “We want to provide a place for people who are
moving to Tokyo from outside the city and who
can’t afford the high rents here,” said Nakama,
“Most of them stay in these apartments for two
or three years, save some money and move
to a bigger place, maybe after they’ve met a
partner and want to settle down.”
Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.
Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS
Cramped but restful
8 The Guardian’s stay in one of the firm’s model
flats lasted just 24 hours.
I spent the night alone. My biggest fear – of
tumbling out of bed to the floor – never
happened. Actually, the night was more restful
than in my own apartment, which is almost four
times bigger.
9 Tenants living in Shanti Casa’s 30 units are
spread out over three floors. Each flat comes
with a ground-floor living space, shower and
toilet, and an upper-floor “bedroom” accessible
by a ladder. About 60% of the tenants are male,
and most are in their 20s or 30s, with just one
in 10 over 40.
‘Saving for somewhere bigger’
10 The idea for compact living spaces came to
Nakama after he moved to Tokyo from rural
Oita and was shocked to find that a flat cost
more than four times as much in Tokyo.
11 Exhausted from his long daily commutes,
Nakama envisioned accommodation with just
enough space to eat, sleep and store a few
essential belongings, and in locations that
made it possible to walk or cycle to work.
12 Reina Suzuki, who began living in her
micro-apartment in western Tokyo in the
summer of 2022, was initially surprised by how
small it was. “I found it difficult to stretch out
and relax. But it’s a 10-minute walk to work, I
like the interior … and I’ve got used to sleeping
on the upper floor,” said Suzuki.
13 With just a single electric hob in her kitchen,
Suzuki, 30, likes to eat out but occasionally
makes stir-fries and salads. She plans to move
out in a couple of years. “I’m going to save up
for somewhere bigger. When I moved in, I felt
tired a lot of the time but, over the months, I’ve
got to quite like the place. Surprisingly, I can
relax here.”
© Guardian News and Media 2023
First published in The Guardian, 20/03/2023
D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA
M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC
T
O
H
AN
•P
C
 You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments
Level 2: Intermediate

3
  Comprehension check

a. Are these statements True (T) or False (F) according to the article? Correct any that are false

1. Shanti Casa is one of 1,500 buildings in Tokyo opened by Spilytus, a real-estate company.

2. Keisuke Nakama, the firm’s president, got the idea after he moved to Tokyo and was shocked at
the rental prices and tired of long commutes.

3. Micro-apartments are uncomfortable, but they allow people to live close to work while
saving money.

4. Many of the micro-apartments are empty now.

5. Each flat has a living space, shower, toilet, and an upper-floor “bedroom”.

6. The writer feared falling out of the bed on the upper floor.

7. One convenient thing about micro-apartments is that people can flat-share with friends.

8. People who live in micro-apartments are mostly over 30.

9. A flat in Tokyo can cost more than four times as much as in a rural location.

10. One tenant says she can relax in the micro-apartment now but felt tired when she first moved in.

4
  Key language

a. Choose the adjective form that best completes the following statements from the text. Then, go
back to check your answers.

1. It is one of viewings in estate agency history.

a. shorter than b. the shortest c. as short as

2. Rents for micro-apartments can be ¥50,000.

a. lower than b. the lowest c. as low as

3. At Shanti Casa, the monthly rent is ¥20,000 to ¥30,000, which is

the average rental in the area.

a. lower than b. the lowest c. as low as

4. The night was in my own flat, which is almost four times bigger.

a. more restful than b. the most restful c. as restful as

D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA

Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.

M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

T
O
H
AN
•P
C
 You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments
Level 2: Intermediate
5. A flat is in Tokyo.

a. more expensive b. the most expensive c. as expensive as

6. “I’m going to save up for somewhere .”

a. bigger b. the biggest c. as big

b. Complete the questions using comparatives or superlatives. Add two questions of your own.
Then discuss the questions.

1. What is (small, superlative) place you have ever lived?

2. Would it be (good, comparative) to live in a small place by yourself

or share a larger space with others?

3. What is (important, superlative) space in a house for you?

4. ?

5. ?

5
  Discussion

a. Discuss these questions.

• How much of your income would you spend to improve your living situation?

• How important is it for you to save money?

• What would be the hardest thing about living in a micro-apartment?

D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA

Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.

M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

T
O
H
AN
•P
C
 You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments
Level 2: Intermediate

6
  In your own words

a. You are going to design a micro-apartment building for the town or city you live in. You can use
the ones described in the article as inspiration. Design a new one that will appeal to students
or young people where you live.

Look back at the Warmer task to help create your design. Label each area clearly and give as
much detail as possible.

b. Present your design to your group. Compare it to the one described in the article.

Useful language

It has a more … style.

It has a larger / smaller / more…

The … is better because…

The … is more comfortable/convenient because …

D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA

Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.

M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

T
O
H
AN
•P
C
 You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments
Level 2: Intermediate – Teacher’s notes
3. Comprehension check
Article summary: The article explores
micro-apartments in Japan as the answer a.
to rising rents. The layout and contents of
a model flat are described as experienced
during the writer’s 24-hour stay.
Time: 90 minutes
Skills: Reading, Speaking
Language focus: Comparative and
superlative forms
Materials needed: One copy of the
worksheet per student
1. Warmer
4. Key language
a. Have students reflect on the necessary things in
a living space. Make sure that they only select the a.
things they ‘can’t live without’. Have students discuss
their answers in pairs or small groups. You can note
down emergent language related to the theme on
the board.
Ask students to complete the task individually and
then compare their answers in small groups before
checking with the whole class.
Key:
1. False. There are 1,500 micro-apartments in
100 buildings.
2. True
3. True
4. False. They have a 98% occupancy rate.
5. True
6. True
7. False. They are meant for one person.
8. False. They are in their 20s and 30s.
9. True
10. True
Students complete the sentences to match those
in the text. In some cases, both the comparative
adjective (-er/more than) and comparative phrase
(as . . . as) are gramatically possible, but only one
answer is correct based on the article.

b. Ask students to answer the question in pairs or small Key:

groups. This activity aims to introduce the topic of 1. the shortest
micro-apartments and engage students in the case. 2. as low as
3. lower than
2. Key words 4. more restful than
5. more expensive
a. Ask students to do the exercise individually and 6. bigger
compare their answers in pairs or small groups.
Alternatively, divide the class into two groups and b. Encourage students to use the previous sentences
get each group to work on half of the items; regroup as a model to write questions. Check the first three
students and have them share their answers. questions before asking students to add two of their
own. Elicit questions from the whole class to check
Key: their structure. Then ask students to discuss these
1. cubicle 8. occupancy questions in small groups.
2. kitchenette 9. cramped
3. cosy 10. tumble, tumbled Key:
4. real estate 11. commute 1. the smallest
5. rental 12. envision, 2. better / best
6. boom envisioned 3. the most important
7. tenant, tenants
D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA

Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.

M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

T
O
H
AN
•P
C
 You could cook while on the toilet: a night in one of Tokyo’s micro-apartments
Level 2: Intermediate – Teacher’s notes

5. Discussion

a. Ask students to share their ideas in small groups.

Elicit ideas from the whole class.

6. In your own words

a. Ask students first to brainstorm ideas and make

notes. Then allow them to work in pairs to
develop their designs (or to continue individually if
they prefer).

b. Go over functional language with the whole class.

Put students into new groups of three or four and ask
them to present their designs.

As an extension, you could ask students to select

the best ideas from their group and develop a final
design collaboratively.

D •
TE E E
SI AD L
EB LO B
W N IA

Published by Macmillan Education Ltd. © Macmillan Education Limited, 2023.

M W P
O DO O
FR BE OC

Home >> Adults >> General English >> NEWS LESSONS

T
O
H
AN
•P
C