Tiny houses have always appealed to me. This is likely because my childhood room was quite terribly tiny. Twin bed; desk at the foot of the bed; narrow space by the bed to walk to the bathroom; door. Much the same as a room in a Japanese businessman's hotel.

Thus I find myself attracted to this new product from the Cozy Room company of Japan. It is essentially a room in a box with a fancy chair that slides in and out. When the chair is in, you are totally contained and, one hopes, "cozy." Rocket News helpfully breaks down the name of this little getaway ("Kakureya") as "a cross between the Japanese words kakureru ('to hide') and heya ('room')." I cannot help but be reminded of a space capsule, though it lacks the interplanetary scenery.

There are shelves for your collectibles or library, a desk on which to work, a slide out drawer under the desk for your computer keyboard, convenient ventilation and aromatherapy, a place to hang a flat screen TV, various drawers (small, of course). No kitchenette, I'm afraid.

I can envision many peaceful naps in there … shouldn't the fancy chair really be one of those Japanese massage chairs?

I would modify mine with a pet flap for my cats — no room for the kitty box inside.

Of course, you must have a very large room in which to place this tiny room — somewhat of a paradox. And what would the neighbors think when they come over to watch a football game?

If you've got a hankering to spend the rest of your life living in less space than a jail bird, Cozy Room's website will sell you your very own cell of solitary confinement for a mere $7,900. Not sure how you can get one back to the U.S., but I have the feeling that this is a kind of Ikea deal where it comes flat and you have to assemble it yourself.

If that's beyond your budget, then they will also sell you a box for $2,000; for many people, this might be sufficient.

Via Rocket News