It should come as no surprise that land is kind of a big deal here in Japan. They don't really have a lot of it per person, and a lot of what they do have is chock full o' mountains. Luckily, in the sleepy little backwater of Fukuoka (pop. 1.5 million), real estate isn't all that bad. It really shows up when you want to buy a car and you realize that one of the preconditions of doing so is obtaining proof that you've paid for a parking space--but hey, with all the bikes and the public transportation, it's not even something most people encounter in these parts.
But meanwhile, in Tokyo, you have people buying parking spaces . . . and turning them into half-million-dollar homes. Seriously: check out this post from Gizmodo. Some guy bought a large parking space and built a house for himself and his mother.
Sadly, from the video it looks like the place is still bigger than our first apartment back in Alexandria, VA . . .
I still have your bookshelf! And whatever other knick knacks I took from your place...
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