Their homes reflect who they are.

Their lifestyles.

Their taste.

Their history.

Today, we're waking up in another room in Japan.

Hi, my name is Ando Hidemichi, and I'm 35 years old.

I'm an Interior Stylist and a "Seiri-Shuno Advisor"
(Organization Consultant).

Hidemichi posts tips for cleaning rooms and clearing minds on social media, and he has a huge following.

I love to put storage inside of storage.

I follow you on social media.

Thanks so much!

Hi, welcome.

It's been a while.

I couldn't say that I was gay.
I was lost in life.

It must have been so painful.

Once I cleared out my things, I could see
more clearly what the important things were.

You might discover some lifestyle tips today.

Welcome, ROOOOMS!

The apartment was built in 1988, and the size clocks in at 47 sqm.

It has one bedroom with a kitchen and living/dining room.

Hidemichi, let's start your room tour.

First, the kitchen. The open design looks like one can cook and entertain comfortably!

Behind there is his workspace, where he gets lots of work done every day!

This is the living & dining room.

It looks comfortable, where he can put his legs up.

And if we swing back to the apartment entrance, we find...

Oh, the bedroom!

Next to the bedroom?

The laundry and washroom.

And... The bath! Wow, it's big enough to stretch his legs!

And finally, the toilet.

That was a quick tour...

but there are lots more innovative ideas to discover!

The first thing I do in the morning is tidy up.

This way, you get an overview of everything
inside when looking from above.

I love doing this first thing in the morning because
I'm still groggy and it doesn't take much thinking.

Good morning.

This is my partner, Butajiru.

We've been living together for 11 years.
And we've been in this apartment for 4.

We registered our civil partnership this year.

"Same-sex marriage is not fully legal in Japan.
But more than 338 municipalities accept a form of civil
partnership for LGBTQ+ members and that number is rising.
(Source: Public Interest Incorporated Association "Marriage For All Japan" July, 2023)"

Tell me, what's Hidemichi like?

I guess, um...

he's kind.

Very kind.

And...

I'm sorry, I don't know what to say.

Butajiru isn't good at being put on the spot.

What creative ideas have you added here?

The original design had no closet space.
Everything was out in the open.

So, I decided to not stray from the colors

of the concrete gray & white walls
and the wood flooring color.

By strictly implementing storage
and furniture in those shades,

everything in the apartment looks
harmonious and clean.

The main accent color is green,
and that's from all my plants.

They are the main characters in
here, and I have over 70 kinds.

Do you know what these are?

They're grates for the stovetop. I find it really
annoying to clean up around them.

Well, I certainly don't feel like cleaning
when they're in the way.

So, after wiping them down I hang them up on
these clear hooks I got from the dollar store.

That way, I can clean up the
whole stovetop much easier!

To tidy up the fridge,

I recommend using storage containers that
are long, to take advantage of the depth.

This storage container is available in the dollar store.

It has splits on the side which help
to keep the contents cooled.

Without this, things get stacked up on top of each
other, and you might miss an expiration date.

By making drawers in your fridge,
you can find things in a jiff.

In the same vein, when tableware
is stacked on top of each other,

you have to pull everything out
to find what you're looking for.

So, I use dividers made for documents,
and stack them vertically.

In the washroom, he layers storage-on-storage.

Like I said, I love to have
storage inside of storage.

Here, I created my own
system for organization.

"Itadakimasu"

- Is the protein drink enough for you?
- Yep.

- You never get hungry, do you?
- That's true.

Well, I'll eat a full breakfast today.

I'll start with the vegetables, not the bacon.

It tastes so good with just salt and pepper.
Recently I'm obsessed with it.

"Gochiso-sama!"

Let's clean up.

By the way, why did you choose this apartment?

The place itself cost about 289,228 USD.
(Rate when bought)

We currently pay 882 USD monthly
for the mortgage and maintenance.
(Rate as of July 2023)

- All inclusive.
- Yes.

On the first viewing, I was captivated by the smell of
the wood as soon as the agent opened the door.

This space exceeded our expectations. By then,
we had already been to over 30 places.

In that moment, we both said to each
other, "This could be our home!"

People in Japan traditionally prefer new homes
and feel insecure about second-hand ones.

But we liked the renovated apartments
more than the new ones.

"The average price of new apartments in Tokyo continues to rise.
From Jan. to Jun. 2023, the average price of a new-build apartment
in Tokyo's 23 wards was more than 100 million yen.
(Abt. 735,294 USD) Source: Real Estate Economic Institute"

"Compared to new apartments,
second-hand apartments are becoming more
popular thanks to their reasonable prices."

"For example, an apartment that's about 50sqm like
Hidemichi's can be purchased for roughly less than
half the price of new ones. Source: Mansion Research"

We even liked the construction notes on the wall,
drawn in marker. We thought it was something unique.

I installed a rail system in the apartment.

This way, I can move the shelves along them
to create different room layouts.

It's really cool to be able to rearrange
the space to our moods.

The bedroom is also separated by a moveable partition.

Hidemichi lives in one of the 23 wards of Tokyo.

This neighborhood is called Honancho.

The shopping arcade is homey
with a retro atmosphere.

This area is popular with families,
and it feels comfortable.

I love to step into this bookstore to hunt for books.
And I also enjoy buying stationery for work.

His train stop is Honancho.

From there, the main Shinjuku station is just 15 minutes away.

It's popular because of the easy access to the inner city.

And moving into this home influenced a dramatic change in Hidemichi's life.

It was in the spring of 2020, during the pandemic.

Since we couldn't go out, I started to tidy up
the room. It started simple, like that.

As I went along, I worried
if I was doing it correctly.

And then I found out about a seminar to become an
Organization Consultant. I was curious, so I enrolled.

That was such an inspiring day for me.

I felt like I got hit by a lightning bolt,

because until then I had no clue what it
meant to organize, to store or to tidy up.

Organization:
To separate things and separate 'from' things.

Storage: To find an "address" where things
can belong, or to make them easier to use.

Tidy up: To return things to their addresses.

With this routine, you can keep
your house quite clean.

Hidemichi's wardrobe is especially impressive.

I now own 20 pieces of clothes for all 4 seasons.
Initially I had 700 T-shirts, but now I only have 5.

He only has 8 pairs of socks, 2 inners, and 4 pairs of underwear.

He has his own system for organizing the bathroom.

He put "addresses" for things onto the wall.

And at the entryway...

We usually use this space to
drop off our keys or rings.

We celebrate the four seasons in Japan, so
whether it's Christmas, New Years, etc.,

I'll change the display. It's fun to
have a space to decorate here.

Since we're here, I'll show you
how I store our winter rug.

It's there on the ceiling! We drilled hooks
into the concrete and hang it with cord.

As you can see, we use every nook
and cranny available for storage.

These hidden spots give us more room
to breathe in the living spaces.

You might notice that this blue tin box
seems out of place within our decor.

But this box holds our most prized treasure.

It's from my best friend who lives in Germany
now with her husband.

She was my classmate in high school,
and we played in band together.

When they had children, they asked Butajiru
and I to be the godparents.

Butajiru and I had decided not
to have children of our own,

but we get to participate in those kids'
lives until they are grown.

We cried because we were so
touched to be chosen by them.

The parents send us videos and
photographs of our godchildren

from time to time, and we can see
how much they're growing.

When we see this blue tin, we're reminded
of these precious memories.

I'm on my way to a client's house to help
her organize and tidy up her household.

- Hello.
- Hello, please come in.

- Thanks for having me over and making time for me.
- Thanks to you, too.

- Hi, there.
- Hi!

The mission: To tidy up the drawers under the sink.

I love to cook, but I can't do it efficiently with
everything a mess. So, I asked for Hidemichi's help.

I tend to stack the bowls on top of each other.

So, I have to dig for what I need
which takes too much time.

First, let's take everything out.

Yeah, take the whole box out.

Which of these do you particularly use the most?

The bowls.

Alright, now from these bowls
which do you use most?

The strainer....

People think that because we're adults,

we think we know how to organize,
but we're just too busy to do it.

But I believe that it's the opposite; we
don't know how to do it. And that's OK.

Your mom may have told you to "tidy up" as a kid,
but did she tell you how?

Such as, putting the things you use the most
on the top, and others on the bottom?

Once we understand how to do it correctly, it
becomes second nature and so easy to keep up.

That's what I want to share with my clients.

- I think this will make everything much easier to pull out.
- I see! You've hung it there.

Yes, this will be great.

Now we can see it better.
And it feels good to see it organized.

Since this is something we do every day, it will help
to shave 1 or 2 minutes off our daily routine.

It can be a huge life changer!

It was such a mess before, now it's so clean!

- Yeah!
- Great!

Since meeting Hidemichi, I've deepened my
knowledge on cleaning up little by little.

Even in these small Tokyo homes,
we can live comfortably

and have a place that's for ourselves, too.
And not just space for our children.

Mothers are expected to do
the house keeping in Japan.

But if you give each object an "address,"

it'll be easier for the family to
put things where they belong.

Hidemichi wanted to change where the cups go, so that the kids can reach them easily.

He decided to put them on a lower shelf.

- Can you reach it?
- Yep.

You did it!

- Now you can help me clean up.
- Sure.

When a room is clean, it also makes
us feel better about ourselves.

I've heard that some families' relationships
got better after a cleaning session.

They go on fun trips together or talk more often.

When I hear about this, it just reaffirms to me that
well-being and cleanliness are closely connected.

I want to share the spirit of organization with all!

Good evening, everyone.

I'm Ando Hidemichi, Interior Stylist
and Organization Consultant.

My goal is for everyone to have a living space
that is as comfortable as possible.

And, to help them keep it tidy.

But then, I realized that I might be of help to
those who have gone astray in their lives,

by openly sharing my own life experiences.

Hidemichi holds seminars and live streams from his rooms, talking about housekeeping and more.

One time I was tidying up my room.

And I was thinking, like,
"I'll make it look cool."

It was really
surface-level thinking.

But when I finished everything,
it wasn't just the room that had changed.

How I felt inside had suddenly changed as well.

And I started crying.

Why was I so emotional? I understood,
after clearing that room,

that all those things were unnecessary for my life.

At that time, I had 700 T-shirts. I'd buy a new
one because it wasn't a color I had yet.

"Why not add one more? This color is trendy."
It didn't matter if I actually liked it or not.

But once I went through all the chaos, I ended up
selecting only 5 T-shirts. I kept only what I needed.

I did the same for my social circle.

When I was a kid, people just
followed the opinion of the crowd.

But how I felt was often the opposite.
I felt so insecure about it.

And when I grew up, it was the same. I accommodated
everyone else's opinion, instead of my own.

I lived like that for over 30 years.

After I went through everything I had, I decided
that's not who I wanted to be anymore.

I was ready to live my truth.

I‘d been living with my partner for 10 years at
that point, but I couldn't tell that to anybody.

Not even my family.

I thought, "Why do I hesitate to tell people how
happy I am now? How I truly feel inside?"

It was then that I decided to live for those
who need to experience what I did.

To clean a space and clear our minds.

It's not just the action of tidying up itself, it's the joy
that comes from it. It has the power to change people.

I can't ask for more and I'm so
grateful to have this in my life.

And now...

I can finally live my truth,

thanks to all my supporters and loved ones.

Once I cleared out my things, I could see more clearly
what the important things in life were.

Oh, smoke tree! This would look good in our vase.

- Oh hello!
- I'm a big fan!

Thank you so much.

I'm so happy to meet you in person.

I follow you on social media.

Thanks, social media is so rewarding.

I find that tidying up clears my mind
and I can make better decisions.

I'm touched. You've made my day.

Take care! Thank you so much.

See you.

Today, we have visitors.

So, I'm wiping down the entryway and spraying
some room fragrance to welcome them.

The guests are my mom and my little youngest brother
who is 14 years younger than me.

This is the first time they are coming to my place.

- Hi, welcome.
- Hello.

Thanks for the invite. It's been a while.

- Is it hot outside?
- Yeah, it is. Mom, you OK?

I'm OK, thanks.

This is my home.

It's actually smaller than it looks online.

Yeah, it's quite compact.

Ah, I recognize those oven grates.
I saw this on your live stream.

Well, thank you for coming over.

It's so stylish, I'm really impressed.

Because you only know how I was when
we were living together right?

Yes, true.

What do you think about your brother?

I'm proud of him.

He posts useful information, and I can see
that he is dedicated and happy doing it.

Although I have this happy home, I felt
I couldn't invite you over here.

Because I was afraid you'd judge us as a couple.

But now, I'm so happy you get
to see how we really live.

You always join my live stream, don't you, mom?

My audience knows it, too.
They say, "Your mom is here!"

I appreciate your comments of support so much and....

- Are you crying?
- I'm tearing up.

Don't cry, mom.

It must have been so painful.

I'm so happy you made it so far.

I didn't expect to cry.

I was very insecure then. And I let my
frustration out on my family.

Of course, I couldn't say that I was
gay, either. I was lost in life.

At that time there were things I wanted to tell you.

I finally got the courage to pick up
the phone and video call you.

And I revealed that I had been living with a man for
10 years. I felt guilty for not saying anything earlier.

Yes, but it was a relief. I felt I could officially stop
being "mom" because you had a life partner.

I couldn't be happier for you.

You gained back your self-confidence, too.

I know your dream house is still a work in progress.

- I'll keep on watching and supporting you.
Keep on shining.
- Thank you.

Hidemichi, what does this home mean to you?

For me, it's a beacon.

Whenever I feel lost, weak or in trouble, this space guides
me and my loved ones back to where we really belong.

This room embodies who I am.

It's my beacon.