Central heating is a luxury most people don’t have in Japan. The first time I visited Tokyo, it was bitterly cold. After a long day of sightseeing, I would return to our rented apartment, plop myself in front of the gas heater, and crank it up all the way. A few seconds later, I would blissfully thaw out, and a few seconds after that, I would singe all my arm hair. A less traumatic way of warming up are room heaters (the opposite of air conditioners), which pump hot, dry air to warm up the room. The downside is that all this hot, dry air makes your skin and lips shrivel up like dried apricots, and your hair frizzes out into a brittle, staticky mess. Between all this frizzy hair and burnt hair, winter is a very unattractive season for me.

Now from Sengoku Works, Ltd., comes high-tech electric heaters that have sensors to prevent singed-hair accidents and non-polluting humidifier panel heaters to warm up the air without drying it out. It’s a heater that puts new emphasis on environmental friendliness and safety, which is a more modern, less flammable way of warming up.

I have no pity for New Yorkers who complain about their cramped, woodshed-sized apartments, because I moved here from Tokyo. I’ve been in bathtubs the size of washing machines, so small that you sit down with your knees against your chest. I’ve used bathrooms the size of linen closets, where you have to stand right next to the toilet in order to close the door. In these bathrooms, there’s no room for anything else but the toilet, so built right into the top is a small sink where you can wash your hands. Additionally, built into many toilets are bidets and air-dryers for your bottom, in case having a roll of toilet paper also exceeds your space limitations.

Thankfully, the Japanese are brilliant at finding space-efficient solutions for everything. Witness the Recycle Station from Like-It Co., Ltd. A pioneer in innovative, space-saving storage products, this company adheres to the motto, “Simple is Best”. The Recycle Station temporarily stores recyclable garbage, which encourages consumers to be more environmentally active. It’s also stylishly simple, with stainless steel swing panels and sturdy plastic construction. You still may not have the space for a roll of toilet paper, but at least your recyclables have a happy little home.

In college, I studied the art of Japanese Tea Ceremony. “Studied” being a glorified word for “clumsily attempted”, but it was still a wonderful experience. In tea ceremony, the meaning behind every movement is as important as the purpose of the movement itself, therefore the symbolic act of “purifying” the tea scoop involves wiping the bamboo implement with a silk napkin in slow, choreographed movement, which probably doesn’t purify it much but looks really pretty. While serving tea, guests sit in a tatami mat room, decorated with an ornamental scroll and perhaps a simple flower arrangement reflecting the season. It creates a wonderful haven of serenity…that is, until guests try my tea, otherwise known as “green mud”.

Like the subtle artwork in tea rooms, the artwork from Sincol Co., Ltd. gives a sense of peace and serenity with its subtle colors and patterns. A textiles manufacturer, they mount top-quality upholstery fabric to create artwork. The texture of the fabric panel gives a sense of warmth and comfort. The company also creates a wall panel which features an inkjet print photograph, but captured on a textile canvas that lends a diffused, calming effect. These unique artworks can give any room a sense of serenity…minus the gluey beverages.

I read that in Japan, every day there are dozens of earthquakes, some so minor they’re undetectable, some strong enough to pop you out of bed. They say that when there’s a big earthquake you should open your front door as an escape route, then dive underneath the dining room table with a pot over your head. Both the table and pot are supposed to protect you from falling debris, although the time it takes to grab a pot before diving under the table might make such precautions useless. There are also earthquake survival packs, a prepackaged bag you keep by the door in the event of a big one, complete with first-aid kit, radio, nonperishable food and water, etc. Being ever so thrifty and clever, I made my own survival pack, which included such survival essentials as face cleanser, dental floss, and tweezers (in case I need to pluck my eyebrows at the evacuation shelter).

Short of leaving a soup pot under your table as a precaution, you could use the waste-paper baskets by Hachiman-Kasei Co., Ltd. It is a line of environmentally friendly plastic goods, which includes baskets made with resin mixed with wood powder and resin mixed with recycled paper. They’re attractive enough to display in the dining room, with subtle colors and an organic texture that looks more like pottery than plastic. The best part is that it’s phenomenally strong, even under intense pressure or magnitude 5.5 earthquakes. Just grab this as you’re diving under the table, stick it over your head, and pray your cosmetics will survive the damage.

There is nothing like living in a confined space to inspire creativity. While the incarcerated fashion shivs out of toothbrush handles, the Japanese take their lack of space and turn it into a legacy of practical design—one that makes the most out of every nook, cranny and level. A host of these ingenious products are on display this week at Felissimo’s At Home in Japan week where storage—a particularly resonate topic for New Yorkers—is masterfully conquered.

Marvel how easy recycling becomes with the help of Like-It’s Recycle Station, a waste container designed to store recyclable garbage. That means the stained, old box you keep newspapers in can now be added to the recycling, instead of housing it. Take a deep breathe and enjoy the extra space in your closet of an apartment when the Nest table from Santo Sangyo, allows you to finally uncross your legs with its Russian doll inspired tables. Take trash to a new level with the hanging waste basket from Hachiman-Kasei which forgoes tradition plastic for eco-friendly materials like resin mixed with wood powder and recycled paper. So before you finish honing that toothbrush to teach your roommate a lesson about her dirty laundry, stop by Felissimo to check out these products and more from the masters of living comfortably in cramped spaces. For New Yorkers, there is no way these products will get lost in translation.