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At the end of a long day at work in the offices of Japan’s professional baseball league, Asumi Fujiwara returned to her apartment and changed into pajamas. 在日本职业棒球联盟办公室结束了一天漫长的工作后，藤原安住（音）回到自己的公寓，换上睡衣。
She wanted to get in a light workout before going to bed, so she placed her vinyl yoga mat on the floor in front of the toilet, rolling it past the single kitchen burner and the one-slot toaster and toward the foot of her desk. 她想在睡觉前做点轻度锻炼，于是把乙烯基瑜伽垫放在厕所前的地板上，经过只有一个火圈的炉灶和单片烤吐司机的厨房，一直铺展到她的书桌前。
After a bit of stretching, she stood to get into the warrior position. Instead of extending her arms fully, though, she pulled her elbows into her sides. 做了些拉伸后，她站了起来，准备进入战士体式。但她没有将双臂完全展开，而是把胳膊肘收在身体两侧。
“I need to modify my poses or else I will hit something,” Ms. Fujiwara, 29, said. 我需要调整姿势，否则会碰到东西，现年29岁的藤原安住说。
Such is life in a 95-square-foot Tokyo apartment. With its high property prices and the world’s most populous metropolitan area, Tokyo has long been known for small accommodations. 这就是东京面积约九平方米公寓的生活。东京是世界上人口最多的大都市，房价高昂，早就以居住空间小而闻名。
But these new apartments — known as three-tatami rooms, based on how many standard Japanese floor mats would cover the living space — are pushing the boundaries of normal living. 但这种新公寓正在扩大正常生活范围的定义，这些被称为「三叠榻榻米」的房子只有能放下三个标准日式地垫的居住空间。
A real estate developer, Spilytus, has been leading the charge toward ever-tinier spaces. 地产开发商Spilytus一直在引导潮流，向更小的空间发展。
It has been operating these shoe-box apartments since 2015, and with more than 1,500 residents now in its 100 buildings, demand has remained strong. 该公司自2015年起一直在经营这些鞋盒式公寓，现在有超过1500名居民住在它的100栋楼里，对这些公寓的需求依然强劲。
While the units are half the size of an average studio apartment in Tokyo, they have 12-foot ceilings and an attic-like loft for sleeping. 虽然这些单元的面积只有东京普通单间公寓的一半，但它们有3.5米高的天花板和一个类似阁楼的跃层，用来睡觉。
They are also stylish, with pristine white floors and walls, and with some efficient arranging, it is possible to squeeze a washing machine, a fridge, a sofa and a work desk inside. 它们也很雅致，有崭新的白色地板和墙壁，通过一些高效的布置，房间里可以摆放一台洗衣机、一台冰箱、一张沙发和一张办公桌。
The apartments are not for those on a really tight budget. Cheaper apartments can be found, though they are usually decades old. 这些公寓并不适合那些手头很紧的人。还有更便宜的公寓，它们通常是已有几十年历史的老房。
But the microapartments, which rent for $340 to $630 a month, are a couple hundred dollars less than other studio apartments in similar areas. 这种新微型公寓的月租在340美元到630美元之间，比类似地区的其他单间公寓便宜近一两百美元。
And they are situated near trendy locations in central Tokyo like Harajuku, Nakameguro and Shibuya, which are generally quite expensive, with luxury boutiques, cafes and restaurants. 它们位于像原宿、中目黑、涩谷这样的东京市中心时髦地段附近，这些充满奢侈品精品店、咖啡馆和餐厅的地段通常很贵。
Most of the buildings are close to subway stations — the top priority for many young people. 大多数微型公寓所在的建筑靠近地铁站，这对许多年轻人来说很重要。
Many Japanese, young and old, also work long hours, leaving little time to spend at home. And a growing share of people in Tokyo are living alone, making smaller spaces more desirable. 无论年长年轻，许多日本人都有很长的工作时间，几乎没有多少时间待在家里。而且，越来越多的东京人选择独自居住，这使得较小的空间更受欢迎。
Such people are more likely to eat out, or grab one of the many premade meal options from convenience stores or groceries, so a full kitchen is less necessary. 这些人更可能在外面吃饭，或者从便利店和杂货店购买预制食品，所以一个全套的厨房并不那么有必要。
Yugo Kinoshita, 19, a college student who works part time making beef bowls at a chain restaurant, is among those for whom an apartment is little more than a place to sleep. 现年19岁的大学生木下优吾（音）在一家连锁餐厅兼职做牛肉饭，对他来说，公寓只不过是个睡觉的地方。
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