If you’ve ever wondered how people use their kitchen spaces in other parts of the world, then listen up! Today we are going to get a tour of a kitchen from all the way in Japan. We have two adorable hosts, brother and sister duo Aiko and Shin, who will show us around their personal cooking space. You won’t believe how cool some of their appliances are!

Though this Japanese kitchen appears to be quite crowded at first glance, you’ll be amazed when you see just how much food and cooking items can actually fit in the small area. The space literally expands and retracts, making for quick clean-up and added counter space, when needed. Here is a re-cap of some of the more impressive qualities of this Japanese kitchen.

1. Built-In Grill

   Our cute hosts tell us that this area is “the fish one, so that you can make fishes,” but we think that just about any meat would grill easily on this smart pull-out grill. If you’re making something small, you don’t have to heat up the whole oven, making it a nice alternative to the massive stoves that we use here in the States. How cool!

2. Pull-Out Ice Drawer

   We definitely haven’t seen a fridge like this! This one comes equipped with several separate doors and drawers, one of them being a discrete pull-out ice drawer with a handy little scoop. How convenient is that?

3. Retractable Counter Space

   This Japanese kitchen has yet another super cool feature with its retractable kitchen counter. Sure, some American kitchens have similar items, but they are usually in the form of a tiny cutting board. I think we can agree that we could all use some more counter space; I could definitely see myself getting good use out of this added space during Thanksgiving dinner prep!

4. Electric Water Boiler

   Though electric tea kettles are a somewhat common find in American kitchens, we bet you’d be hard pressed to discover one of these! We can’t even imagine how useful it must be to have a large water boiler that fits easily on the kitchen counter. It must really speed up the cooking times for rice, soups, and teas!

5. Stacked Recycling and Compost

   Check out this nifty stackable recycling and compost stack. Japan is famous for having a notoriously confusing recycling system. The materials aren’t necessarily sorted for you like they are here in the States, so residents are expected to put their recyclables into 4 to 6 separate piles.

   We think that this labeled stackable recycling and compost rack must make it a bit easier to abide by the strict recycling laws!

To see even more interesting features of this Japanese kitchen, watch Aiko and Shin from Life Where I’m From in the video below!

What do you think of Aiko and Shin’s kitchen? Are there any specific appliances or features that you wish you had in your own kitchen? What are kitchens like your part of the world? Tell us all about your thoughts and experiences in the comments section below!