I've been pondering ways to downsize for my eventual conversion to minivan RVing. Fortunately I've always been kind of Spartan in my way of life, which is easy when you live alone in a small space to begin with. but I've also always admired the Japanese cultural aesthetic of minimalism, which of course has become a necessity of life in their densely-populated cities.
I'm learning a lot from common Asian space-saving practices. For instance, I first learned about little butane stoves from an article about how popular they were in Asian countries where kitchen counter space was limited. I was also fascinated by the "capsule hotels" so prevalent in cities where businessmen need a late-night sleeping place -- made the prospect of bunking down in a minivan seem luxurious by comparison, but the principle is the same if you're really only looking to sleep in your vehicle. Last but not least, I'm interested in the way Japanese homes use vertical space for storage, put their beds away in the morning to provide more daytime living area, etc.
Necessity is the mother of invention....
I'm learning a lot from common Asian space-saving practices. For instance, I first learned about little butane stoves from an article about how popular they were in Asian countries where kitchen counter space was limited. I was also fascinated by the "capsule hotels" so prevalent in cities where businessmen need a late-night sleeping place -- made the prospect of bunking down in a minivan seem luxurious by comparison, but the principle is the same if you're really only looking to sleep in your vehicle. Last but not least, I'm interested in the way Japanese homes use vertical space for storage, put their beds away in the morning to provide more daytime living area, etc.
Necessity is the mother of invention....
