My Urban Cabin
Now well into the home stretch of my quarantine, let me share what it’s been like being holed up in what I’m calling my Urban Cabin. The pictures will speak for themselves, but to sum things up in a few words: I love my cabin life!
This is the place in Tokyo for anyone looking to spend some quality time alone with themselves, whether it be for a quarantine or just to get away from it all and focus on yourself, your thoughts and whatever you are trying to advance.
The Urban Cabin has allowed me to get back to basics, open my mind to focus on the daily joys of life and dedicate time to reading and writing. This has been possible even though I’ve been working during the weekdays and I look forward to my last four days (extra long weekend here in Japan for the Olympics), so I can focus 100% on cabin living.
Being 100% in charge of your space and day
For those of us who live with others, you are never in full control of your space and day; for better and for worse. Being alone in a small and isolated space is a great opportunity to get totally in charge of yourself and surroundings. It’s an easy opportunity to be the complete master of your domain, basically by just staying on top of the dishes, cooking, laundry, cleaning and organization of a 20m² space. But from this comes a strong feeling of being in charge which then gives you agency to use the rest of your time (which you have a lot of) to advance your non-primal goals, which for me have been reading and writing.
It also brings you back to the basics and gives you a stronger appreciation for the simple pleasures and procedures of life. I’m already looking forward to the ritual of making my morning coffee by the night before. Doing laundry and hanging it outside at the start of a sunny afternoon is something I start joyfully plotting for the day before. These are simple, yet very rewarding pleasures that often get overlooked (or even dreaded) during your normal busy city life. The Urban Cabin brings you back to the simple things that matter.
All to say, a long stay at an Urban Cabin is great for the soul and mind. It has afforded me great nights of sleep and a cozy space to read and write.
You are basically living inside a cube. Five sides are a cool grey concrete and one side full length window which is your connection with the outside world. Some commented on the concrete feeling like you are in a bunker or a prison cell. For me it is a beautiful and pure element, which has a simplicity to it that calms and focuses your thoughts. It also accentuates the beauty of the other objects in the room, including yourself ;)
The building itself is also very interesting. Founded by a very cool person named Akiko, the first floor is a kintsugi studio (Japan’s traditional craft of repairing broken ceramics with gold, making them even more beautiful), the second floor is a pottery gallery, the third floor is another AirBnB unit (this one can sleep four people),the fourth floor is my Urban Cabin and fifth floor is a teaching studio and balcony for laundry. Someday I would love to build a special place like this and in the meantime definitely need to find an excuse to come back. I highly recommend this for you or your friends if you are looking for some quality time to focus on yourself and whatever you want to get done.
More details and booking availability can be checked here.
