Trends in Japan - CScout Japan Blog

My Room II from Yamaha for privacy within your home

Written by: Rebecca Milner on November 10, 2008 at 11:14 pm | In LIFESTYLE / FASHION | 3 Comments

Wow, when we mentioned the DIY Japanese-style room in our coverage of the Good Design Awards, we thought the concept of a little ambient room within a room was pretty cool. Especially considering our standard box-like dwellings.

But the My Room II from Yamaha is something else entirely—it’s like a human sized vault! This mini-room, designed to fit conveniently even in an apartment, offers the ultimate in soundproof privacy for watching TV, having important confidential discussions, or practicing karaoke.

As the name suggests, this is actually a remake of the original My Room, which debuted in 2004. Number two promises increased comfort (touch panel controls, air conditioner mounting) and reduced construction time (under an hour). When the original debuted, suspected target users included everyone from parasite-single adult children still living at home, stressed out moms, and the now retiring baby-boomer salarymen generation—and we certainly aren’t seeing a shortage of any of the above.

Yamaha also has a similar product, called Cefine, designed for home music practice, the original application for which the concept was developed.

Privacy in Japan doesn’t come cheap however, as the 1.5 tatami mat-sized My Room II retails for ¥664,650 (about $6,500). A Cefine II of the same size will set you back ¥1,039,500 to ¥1,575,000 (about $10,000-$15,000). Used ones are also available to rent for ¥10,605 to ¥20,580 (about $100-$200) per day.