Everyday Features in Japanese Homes That Only Exist In Japan

Est. Value: $2,159*, Maytag
Where To Find The Feature: Maytag Corp.
Price of Featured Item: $500-$1,000*

When you go to the refrigerator, you’re probably used to just grabbing the handle and swinging the door open from one side. In Japan, they do things a little differently. According to one Japanese homeowner, many refrigerators there have doors that open from both sides. You can pull it open from the handle on the right, or you can pull it open from the handle on the left.

Fridge Door That Opens From Both Sides @her.atlas / Youtube.com

This particular dual-swing door is made by Sharp, but it appears that sharp isn’t selling it anymore. If you want a refrigerator that has double-door access (but, sadly, doesn’t have a dual-swing action), try a French door, stainless steel refrigerator from Maytag.

Est. Value: $120-$250*
Where To Find The Feature: Amazon 
Price of Featured Item: $100-$300*

We all feel better when our homes have some type of security mechanism on the front door. In Japan, it’s not uncommon to see remote-control, keyless door locks. Usually, these locks are combined with security cameras, so, if a guest knocks, the homeowner can see who is at the door.

Electric Remote Controlled Front Door Lock @her.atlas / Youtube.com

For the lock pictured here, all you have to do is push a button to lock and unlock the door. You can find similar keyless lock systems on Amazon for $120-$250. Though you don’t exactly need Boeing-level security at your home, these types of high-tech systems will give you peace of mind.

Est. Value: N/A
Where To Find The Feature: Everywhere in Japan
Price of Featured Item: Priceless, according to custom 

In Japan, it is considered rude to keep your shoes on when you enter the home. Shoes are often left inside or in an entry, and there are even leases that prevent shoes from being worn inside the home. The most common reason for this habit is, of course, cleanliness, a habit that is very important to the Japanese. This custom has been going on for centuries, and it dates back to when roads were unpaved or stone-layered.

Shoes Are Prohibited Inside The Home According to The Lease @her.atlas / Youtube.com

These rough surfaces would cause shoes to get dirty and muddy, and footwear had to be removed to avoid bringing filth into the home and contaminating the tatami flooring. Though Japanese roads are in better condition now, the custom still remains. So, when you’re entering a Japanese home, make sure to kick off your Nikes before you go inside.  

Est. Value: $29.99*, IKEA (Trones)
Where To Find The Feature: IKEA 
Price of Featured Item: $25-$50*

As mentioned, it is very important, when you’re in Japan, to take off your shoes before you enter the home. This goes double if the home has tatami flooring, which is a type of floor mat made from natural materials like rice straw, omote, and rush. If you like the idea behind shoe-removal before you enter a home, then you can do what a lot of Japanese homeowners do, which is buy a shoe cabinet.

Built In Shoe Cabinet By The Front Door @her.atlas / Youtube.com

This cabinet is stored by the front door, and it allows guests a place to store their shoes when they walk in. You can find cheap shoe cabinets at IKEA. The Trones costs just $29.99, and it can fit right by your front door for easy storage. Just walk in, stash your Converse, and you’ll be mess-free.

Est. Value: $18.99*, SOZULAMP
Where To Find The Feature: Amazon
Price of Featured Item: $10-$20 per switch*

When you think about it, this makes a lot of sense. If you wake up at night and need to turn on the light so that you’re not fumbling around in the dark, an illuminated light switch is a great idea. You will easily be able to see the switch and flip on the light. Illuminated light switches, usually befitted with LEDs, are a common sight in Japanese homes.

Illuminated Light Switches For Night Time @her.atlas / Youtube.com

You can buy them on Amazon for $18 to $30, on average. One brand, SOZULAMP, sells two light-equipped switches for $18.99. These switches are equipped with dusk-to-dawn sensors, giving you just the right amount of helpful illumination when the sun sets.

Est. Value: $1,799*, LG WashTower 
Where To Find The Feature: Lowe’s
Price of Featured Item: $200-$800*

This is another Japanese home feature that just makes sense. In a lot of homes, particularly in large cities like Tokyo, homeowners run a little short on space. This is especially true if you’re not a homeowner and renting an apartment instead.

Washer and Dryer In The Bathroom @her.atlas / Youtube.com

Stacking a washer and dryer in the bathroom is not uncommon in Japan, and it appears that that idea has come to the states. Companies like LG have made the LG WashTower, which is a washer and dryer that stacks together for maximum convenience. Though the WashTower isn’t cheap, it will save you money in the long run, as you won’t have to constantly go to the laundromat. You can find the WashTower at Lowe’s for $1,799.

Est. Value: $500-$5,000*
Where To Find The Feature: Local hardware stores and contractors for installation
Price of Featured Item: $2,000-$3,000*

Another interesting bathroom-related home feature in Japan related to the shower and bath. The showerhead and bathtub are often kept in the same enclosed space in Japan. On one side is a bathtub, with all the configurations of a normal, high-tech, Japanese tub.

Shower and Bath Enclosed Space @her.atlas / Youtube.com

On the other side, just a step away from the tub, is a flat surface where you can take a shower. The entire bathtub feature is enclosed by a glass door. Depending on your bathroom, it might cost you $500 to $5,000 to install this type of tub and shower. The materials from Home Depot are expensive, as is the labor required for installation.

Est. Value: $45-$200 per hour for the labor*
Where To Find The Feature: Plumbers 
Price of Featured Item: Unknown

Japan is always making an effort to be eco-friendly, and this innovation is another example of the country’s dedication to sustainability. In Japan, some houses recycle the water from the sink and use it to fill the toilet bowl when they flush.

Water From The Sink Is The Same Water That Fills The Toilets @buzzfeedtasty / Facebook.com

If you want to install this feature in your house, chances are that you’re going to incur a hefty plumbing bill. This is something you can’t buy at Walmart; you have to hire a plumber. The plumber will likely charge anywhere from $45 to $200 an hour. But, if you’re really dedicated to sustainability, you might see that expense as worth it in the long run.

Est. Value: $471-$1,581 per door*
Where To Find The Feature: Hardware stores and contractors for labor 
Price of Featured Item: $500-$1,000 per door*

Saving space is a huge goal of Japanese architecture. Open, airy rooms are lofted above closed, crowded spaces and, as a result, a lot of the fixtures in Japanese homes are dedicated to creating as much space as possible. For example, sliding doors in all the rooms isn’t an uncommon feature over there.

Sliding Doors For All The Rooms To Save Space @her.atlas / Youtube.com

These doors save space, as you don’t have to swing them open and shut. They just neatly slide back into the wall. Installing doors in the States is not cheap. In addition to the cost of materials from stores like Home Depot or local hardware businesses, the labor is also expensive. On average, installing sliding doors in your home will cost anywhere from $471 to $1,581 per door.

Est. Value: $180.15*, (Panasonic Microwave)
Where To Find The Feature: Amazon
Price of Featured Item: $175-$300*

When you look at your stove’s buttons, what do you see? If you have a regular stove, you probably don’t see anything specific. Some high-tech stoves have burners for specific foods, and, in Japan, one must-have button is for cooking rice.

Rice Tempreture Button On The Gas Burner @her.atlas / Youtube.com

Rice is very important to Japanese culture. We all know that Japan has some of the best food in the world. In the Shinto religion, rice offerings are even used during ceremonies to honor the gods (not to mention, rice is a delicious add-on to any meal). While you have probably seen Japanese rice cookers, an oven with a specific button for making rice is something new. We’re not sure that Stateside ovens from companies like Best Buy have rice buttons on them, but Panasonic microwaves have specific rice-cooking features.

Est. Value: $500-$1,000*
Where To Find The Feature: Lowe’s, Home Depot, kitchen appliance stores 
Price of Featured Item: $150-$1,000*

There are a lot of cool Japanese home features that have to do with the kitchen, particularly the oven. Gas burning stoves cost a similar price in Japan as they do here. However, Japanese gas burners often come with a simpler, easier-to-use twist.

A Button To Swtich On Your Gas Burner @her.atlas / Youtube.com

When you go to turn on your gas burner, you likely turn a knob to the temperature you want. In Japan, a lot of stoves have a scale and a button. Just slide the indicator to the temperature desired on the scale, and then click a button. In just an instant, the burner will fire up. 

Est. Value: $163*, Zojirushi Fish Roaster 
Where To Find The Feature: Amazon 
Price of Featured Item: $150-$500*

Along the same line as the rice button on the gas burner, there are also fish cookers built into ovens in Japan. You can access a fish boiler when you pull out a drawer in the oven. Like rice, fish is a common dish in Japan. There are tons of fish dishes, from sushi (obviously) to nanban-zuke and shiyokai sakana.

Fish Cooker Built Into Your Oven @her.atlas / Youtube.com

Though we’re not sure if you can find an oven with an integrated fish cooker in America, you can also buy a portable fish cooker and place it alongside your oven. The Zojirushi Fish Roaster is a counter-top fish-roaster with an extra-large roasting rack. You can make pretty much any fishy dish your heart desires with this $163 appliance. 

Est. Value: $18.03*, Eccomum 
Where To Find The Feature: Walmart 
Price of Featured Item: $10-$20*

When you go to pull your hot pan out of the oven, you probably put on a pair of thick oven mitts. These mitts, while they keep you from burning your hands, aren’t always convenient to put on. They take a few seconds, and mitts, just like socks, are prone to randomly losing one of the pair.

A Pan Clip That Connects To Your Hot Oven Pans When Pulling Out The Food @her.atlas / Youtube.com

Try a pan clip instead. You can find this handy appliance at Walmart for $18.03. The Eccomum pan clip, which is similar to the one seen in this Japanese home, lets you snap a clip onto the pan and pull it out from the oven by the clip’s handle—no oven mitts necessary. 

Est. Value: $129*, Coleman Cooler 
Where To Find The Feature: Amazon
Price of Featured Item: $50-$100*

Heat rises, so this Japanese home feature actually makes a lot of sense. Under your floors is likely the coolest place in your house, as far as temperature goes. As you can see here, some Japanese homes keep coolers of chilled food under their floorboards.

Cooler Floor Storage @her.atlas / Youtube.com

To incorporate this feature into your home, you’d likely need to do some excavating. You can find high-end coolers, like the 54-quart, steel-belted Coleman Cooler ($129), which can keep ice cool for four days, on Amazon. You’ll need to remove floorboards from your home and replace them to make space for the cooler underneath.