Life in a 7.4m2 . room
In the minds of most people, a pianist always exudes a liberal, luxurious look, living a high-class life. But Ayaka (34 years old) from Japan is an exception. She is a pianist once reported by The Times, who went to France to attend concerts.
But in reality, Ayaka lives in a single room of 7.4m², has no toilet or kitchen, and spends extremely sparingly every month. When there is no spotlight, Ayaka wears simple and somewhat loose clothes, her hair is not combed.
The female artist lives in a bustling neighborhood, but the house she rents is somewhat old, at least about 50 years old, according to traditional Japanese architecture. The first floor is used by the landlord and the second floor is divided into rooms for Ayaka and others to rent.
Going up the narrow and old stairs, looking to the right, you will see a single room measuring only 7.4m² with Ayaka’s creaking wooden door. The area is small, but the female pianist doesn’t have much furniture, so the overall room is not too messy. However, because the room is small, there is no separate kitchen area. Therefore, Ayaka bought shelves near the window and put on them the induction cooker, cutting board and necessary kitchen utensils.
What’s more strange is that Ayaka never used the refrigerator. All food is stored in a cool place, protected from light, every time it is taken out and processed, it must be checked to see if it is still usable. If she found out that food was about to expire in the morning, Ayaka would cook it in the evening to avoid waste.
The room also did not have a bathroom or toilet, only the common toilet of the whole house and if she wanted to take a bath, she had to go to the public bath. In spring and summer, Ayaka will wash her hair with cold water directly at the sink in her room. In the fall and winter, she will only wipe herself with a towel every day, sometimes going to the sauna on the street.
The workplace and the bedroom are both the only small spaces left in the room. During the day, the blanket will be folded and used as a sofa. The rent for this room is only 25,000 yen (4.2 million VND) despite being located in one of the famous crowded streets in Japan.
Save money for non-stop learning
Why did the famous pianist Ayaka choose to live in such a small room?
In fact, Ayaka’s income is not as high as people imagine. On average, she earns about 100,000 yen (about 17 million VND) per month, but there are also months when she has no income because there are no concerts. In addition, Ayaka’s personality is relatively introverted, she is not willing to create relationships nor learn how to do business. Unable to earn any extra income, Ayaka could only lower her standards to sustain her life.
According to her, as long as the house is convenient to travel, the rent is cheap, it’s okay if it’s small and old. Instead of living in a luxurious, high-class apartment and struggling to earn money to pay the monthly rent, Ayaka hopes her life will be independent and stable, no longer having to worry about any ” any incident”.
The female artist is also quite frugal in life, spending only 15,000 yen (about 2.5 million VND) a month on living expenses. In addition to not needing the aforementioned refrigerator, gas or hot water, she can also prepare meals in a super economical way. For example, by just pouring hot water and cornstarch and stirring, Ayaka has a “cornstarch rice” that fills her stomach with some side dishes. Such a “meal” costs only 5 yen (less than 1,000 VND).
Another reason for Ayaka to choose such a frugal lifestyle is because she still wants to continue studying and improving in the field of art, but the tuition fees are very high and the 34-year-old girl’s income is not stable. However, when asked if life is difficult as it is now, Ayaka said: “I live with a low cost of living so there is no pressure or difficulty. I find myself suitable for this kind of life.”