If you were apartment hunting, seeing a stripper pole in the living room might be a weird site to see. However if you are apartment hunting in Japan, it could just be the latest trend.
In an attempt to raise Japan's low marriage and birth rates, a Tokyo-based real estate company is designing konkatsu or "marriage hunting" apartments that include lots of natural sunlight, shower rooms so couples can bathe together, and even the occasional stripper pole.
Rintardo Kikucki, the man behind the konkatsu apartment project, is designing pads that have lots of room and a relaxed and social ambiance to get unhappy singles to hook up in happy cohabiting relationships. "You can't ignore sex and make a house," he says.
Apartments in Japan offer little natural light and small living quarters. As a result, many singles avoid bringing a potential match home. According to government data, 47% of men and 34.5% of women ages 30-34 were unmarried in 2010. And since it is uncommon to have a baby before marriage in Japan, this results in lower birth rates.
Moving into a more appealing and romance-friendly apartment may just be what the Japanese need to kick start their love life. Kikuchi's latest one bedroom apartment includes plenty of kitchen space so couples can cook together with enough windows to let in the natural sunlight.
"You sleep better, you wake up feeling refreshed, and you become more active," Kikucki says about the home's construction. "You smile more, and your skin looks better, and you are making lots of pheromones."
And once a Japanese single decides to move into one of these fashionable apartments with their partner, they could also add a table that blocks Wi-Fi so the couple can spend less time on their phone and more time eating a nice meal, before a late-night dance.
The table from Taiwan studio Alice Wang Design features a dead zone in the center of the table so that couples won't be distracted by technology.
However, chances are if you start spinning around your living room, your partner will no longer be distracted.
[Photo Credit: Property Design Office]
H/T: Wall Street Journal
