Living in Japan comes with a unique set of daily challenges, especially in urban areas like Tokyo, where space is limited, congestion is an issue, and the daily pace of life is generally quicker. With said challenges come clever and culturally ingrained solutions, hence the term “secret tricks” or urawaza (裏技). These aren’t your typical life hacks but are rooted in post-war thrift, shaped by deeply rooted traditions, and further refined by each generation. Japan’s urawaza are practical, convenient, and sometimes even fun!

Let’s explore five essential categories of Japanese life hacks you can try today: Cleaning, Health and Beauty, Kitchen and Food, Shopping, and Travel. These tips and tricks work whether you’re a new resident, long-term expat, or just looking to make your daily Tokyo life more convenient.

Cleaning Hacks for Small Tokyo Homes

Tiny apartments in Tokyo might have less surface area to clean, but they do require clever cleaning routines since time is of the essence. The following tricks use common household items and 100-yen store finds to help you keep your home tidy, minus the bulky cleaning equipment or a dent in your budget.

1. 100-Yen Store Slippers as Dust Traps

Daiso, Seria, Can-Do, and other 100-yen shops in Japan sell mop-slippers (モップスリッパー), which is a nifty cleaning tool to own. They’re great for wood floors and tight hallways. Simply put them on like regular slippers, and you can clean as you go – literally!

2. Kao Magiclean Wipes + Train Card for Grooves

A Magiclean floor wipe and any plastic card are staples in most Japanese homes, and chances are you already have these two items for this cleaning hack. Simply wrap the floor wipe around an old Pasmo or store point card, and you can clean bathroom vents, tracks of balcony doors on the railing, and other hard-to-clean areas.

3. Dry Wet Bathroom Floors with a “Zokin” Towel + Kitchen Tongs

If your bathroom doesn’t have good drainage or ventilation, mold buildup can quickly become an issue. It’s highly recommended to keep the area dry by wrapping a microfiber rag or zokin (雑巾) around a pair of kitchen tongs to mop up water on the floor without bending down. This hack is great for tight corners in unit baths or reaching behind toilets, too. Many Japanese households have a designated rag+tong set just for this.

4. Hang Laundry Nets from Ceiling Rails for Dust-Free Drying

If space is an indoor drying issue, or your balcony has a lot of dust and dirt on the floor, clothes drying racks might not be the best option. You can use laundry nets instead and hang them onto curtain rails (as long as they’re not too heavy) or balcony tension poles to avoid outdoor dust and keep your indoor space clutter-free.

Health Hacks & Beauty Tweaks from Japanese Households

Japanese households often mix traditional remedies with modern convenience. Here are a couple of low-effort wellness hacks inspired by common practices in Tokyo homes and beauty forums.

5. Use Saran Wrap and Onsen Powder for a DIY Body Wrap

For an easy relaxation session after a long day, soak a towel in hot water mixed with onsen bath powder, wring it out, and apply it to your legs or arms. You can also loosely wrap it with Saran Wrap to hold in the warmth. This is great for easing muscle fatigue and speeding absorption of the minerals in the powder. Take note that the wrap should be comfortable, and the entire session should not go beyond 15 minutes.

6. Toothpaste for Mosquito Bites (Japanese Minty Kind)

Did you know that Japanese mint-based toothpaste like Ora2 or Clinica not only cleans teeth but also reduces itchy mosquito bites. This is a common hack shared by moms on forums. The mint helps soothe the inflammation and provides relief.

7. Mikan Peels for Gentle Body Scrub

Mikan or mandarin oranges are another home staple that is not only delicious and refreshing but also versatile. Don’t throw the peels! Instead, dry them out and grind them into a powder. Mix with salt and a little olive oil, and you have yourself a natural body scrub packed with vitamin C and citrus oils.

8. Use Sentaku Nets for Makeup Brush Washing

Makeup brushes should be washed every one to two weeks, but let’s face it, the entire ordeal can be time-consuming. What you can do instead is buy a small mesh laundry bag from a 100-yen store and use it to wash your makeup brushes in a washing machine! You can wash multiple brushes at once, then conveniently hang the entire bag to dry.

Kitchen Hacks & Food Smart Tricks

Manage the odor in your kitchen or maximize leftovers with these hacks that reflect the spirit of mottainai, the Japanese concept of avoiding waste while keeping things practical.

9. Wrap Natto Packs in Newspaper to Control Smell

Love natto but not a fan of the lingering smell on an empty packet, which lingers in the kitchen? You can wrap opened natto trays with newspaper before tossing. This suppresses smell until garbage day.

10. Turn Daikon Peels into Scrubbers

Why not apply this simple hack of wrapping daikon peels in gauze and use them as a gentle pan or sink scrub? They’re slightly abrasive, biodegradable, and zero-waste!

11. Store Rice with a Dried Red Chili or a Garlic Clove

Check out this hack for keeping weevils away from your rice without the use of chemical deterrents. Place a red chili or peeled garlic in your rice bin. This common countryside trick has been passed down by grandmothers, so you’re sure it works.

12. Use Katsuobushi or Kombu Ends to Deodorize the Fridge

Have you opened your fridge and immediately been greeted by a smell that shouldn’t be there? If you have dried bits of bonito flakes or kombu lying around, leave them in the fridge as a natural deodorizer.

Hyper-Local Shopping Hacks in Tokyo

With prices of consumable items in Japan continuously increasing, every yen saved counts for something. Shop like a Tokyo native with these tips.

13. 7-11’s Promo Cycles

It’s recommended to check 711’s website for sales and campaigns such as 50 yen off coupons for onigiri and sushi, or “buy 2 eligible fried food and get an 80 yen discount.” These kinds of promos are available year-round and could give you big savings long-term. It’s also worth checking out the Japanese website of your favorite or most accessible kombini because these have their own promos. Convenience stores also print out coupons via receipts (at the end) or promo flyers, which can be found by the cashier or near the item on sale.

14. Shop for discounted food in the evening

Many Japanese supermarkets offer significant evening sales on pre-made meals, sushi, and other dishes as closing time approaches. Look for red or yellow waribiki “割引” or hangaku/half price “半額” stickers on the items. While the discounts often range from 5 PM to 8 PM, the best deals happen between 6 PM and 9 PM, with some prices going down by up to 50%! The downside is that your favorite items will most probably be gone by then, so you can go earlier and still enjoy a 20% discount.

15. The “Otokomae Bin” for Last-Chance Discounts

Many Uniqlo and GU stores in Tokyo have a discreet section often near the fitting rooms or tucked by the exit called the otokomae-bin “男前便” or last-piece bin. The items here are either open-stock returns, store transfer leftovers, or discontinued seasonal pieces. You can find up to 990 yen discounts on shirts, thermal items, and even Heattech!

16. Scan Your Receipts for Cashback Apps

If you have the patience to keep your receipts and scan them for cashbacks, then you can download the Rakuten Pasha app on Google Play Store or App Store and follow the instructions in submitting/uploading your daily grocery receipts for points and lottery tickets. You can also find coupons for specific products you wish to purchase. The more you purchase from partner shops like Donki or Aeon, the more points you earn. Once you’ve accumulated enough points/cashback, you can request a payout via PayPal.

These hacks go beyond clever tricks; they reflect the ingenuity and resourcefulness of everyday Japanese living. You can incorporate them into your lifestyle, save time, reduce waste, and solve problems in a new way. Let us know if you try these in your own home and share your favorite urawaza too!

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