Their homes reflect who they are.

Their lifestyles.

Their taste.

Their history.

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

Hi, I'm Aufa. I'm 29 years old.

I'm Indonesian but I was born in Tokyo.
I'm a self-portrait photographer.

Aufa uses her apartment to shoot fashion, makeup, and other creative content for her social media.

As an influencer, she receives commissions from brands to create buzz for them.

This place is a rental,
so I used removable wallpaper here.

Every step it took to make this
my dream room has healed my soul.

Wow, I've never seen these from the bottom before!

I was 27 years old when I first experienced
the joy of having time alone.

You might even discover some lifestyle tips today!

Come on in, ROOOOMS!

The apartment was built in 1993, and the size clocks in at 66 m2.

Inside is an office, 1 bedroom, kitchen, and a living/dining room.

Aufa, give us the grand tour!

First...

The kitchen. It's compact, but perfect for single living.

This is the dining room.

Aufa changed the wallpaper to quite a vibrant color!

She sometimes turns the living room into a studio for photoshoots!

This is the bedroom.

The huge window sure makes the room feel quite big.

It looks like Aufa put a ton of work into modernizing the toilet space.

What's behind this curtain...?

It's the washroom! It seems quite unique.

Next to it is the bath.

What's this say? "Boss' Office"?!

So, this is where Aufa works.

This is Aufa's apartment in Tokyo.

Stay tuned for DIY tips for renters!

When getting ready, I pick which hijab to wear
depending on my mood.

I don't want to stand out too much,
so I choose subdued colors and patterns.

I organize them by color and fabric.
I probably have at least 100.

If I wear a dress or something fancy,
I'll put on a satin or shiny hijab.

If my outfit is missing something special,
then I'll try on a patterned hijab.

I always think about balance in my style.

My fridge is quite small. So, I had to figure out
how to optimize the limited space.

These organizers are from the ¥100 shop ($1 store).

I can see all my spices and sauces with a glance.

I'm Muslim so I can't eat pork.

There's a halal supermarket in Saitama Prefecture.

There, I can buy beef liver, lamb meat, etc.

Those are rare in normal supermarkets.

I prefer a healthy breakfast. I usually make
a bowl of yogurt with fruits and nuts.

I like how I can start the day in this sunny room
and watch whatever videos I want while I eat.

This part of the day is the most precious to me.

It seems that something big inspired Aufa to move here.

The apartment is about 30 years old
and abt. 60 m2. I'm renting it.

My older sister was renting it before me.

When she decided to move into a stand-alone
house, I took over the lease.

Aufa lives in the Adachi Ward of Tokyo.

The neighborhood is called Kita-Ayase.

Kita-Ayase is 50 minutes away from Shibuya by train.

There are home centers and supermarkets there.

It attracts single young people and couples with children.

It's quiet and full of nature.
And it's easy to interact with the locals.

It's an inviting, comfortable neighborhood.

The rent is quite cheap at 598 USD including fees.

By renting a place away from central Tokyo,
an apartment of the same size will be 30-50% cheaper.

It's a corner apartment with a lot of windows
that make it feel spacious.

Since it faces south, I get sunlight from morning until dusk.

It gives me energy all day.

In the Muslim faith, we pray 5 times a day.

It's like eating 3 meals a day or taking a daily bath.

It's a routine that clears the mind.
So, we pray 5 times a day.

There are 113 mosques and approx.
230,000 Muslims residing in Japan. (as of Dec. 2020)

See how I'm at an angle?

We must face the direction of Mecca,
which is in Saudi Arabia.

Mecca is a sacred place for us,
so we face it to pray.

From this room, Mecca is in that direction.

This is the dining room and photo studio.
I use this wall to spruce up my self-portraits.

Today I'm featuring this cosmetic in my pictures.

Brands commission me to show off
their products in my own unique way.

It's so fun to figure out how to express myself.

My job is to make the foundation product
look good, and I learn as I'm doing it.

More and more.

I consider myself an artist,more than a model.

I want my work to be something
that only I and I alone can create.

I can take photos remotely from my phone.

This is getting fun!

I like the way the fabric drapes like this.
It links to the creamy foundation texture.

Aufa, you've done great.

Aufa has lots of DIY tips to share!

Most walls in rental apartments
in Japan are totally white.

You can't drill holes or paint the walls at all.

That's why I used removable
wallpaper to redo my space.

The wallpaper glue is made of
something like potato starch.

Idea: Use wallpaper that doesn't leave any residue.
To get it off, you simply get it wet.It's super easy.

I tested it out, and it came off right away
without any residue.

When moving out of a rental in Japan,
everything must be returned to its original state.

So, DIY-ers must be very careful.

This is where I keep my DIY tools.

I have a favorite tool
for hanging things on the wall.

It works by pushing several pins in at once.
But when pulled out, it doesn't leave big holes.

Idea: Use tools that don't make big holes in the wall
I recommend this for DIY fans in rentals.

Here's the toilet.

Before, the toilet tank was visible.

I made this "wall" out of Styrofoam and
glued on a patterned sheet.

Now it looks like a modern, tankless toilet.

This was a plain wooden table before,
but I painted it 2 or 3 times with a new color.

The flowerpots are from the ¥100 shop.

I wanted a textured look, so I painted
them with a mix of colors.

Japanese ¥100 shops ($1 stores) sell a lot of
useful household items and are popular among all ages.

Aufa also goes to the ¥100 shops
to get things for DIY projects.

A bicycle tire repair kit for only ￥100?
I can't believe it! What a deal.

I often over-shop.

I'll end up with ¥8,000 worth of stuff,
which means I bought 80 items!

It's dangerous. I have to set boundaries when coming in.

There's a reason behind Aufa's passion for DIY.

My parents are from Indonesia.

My mother is a social butterfly
and loves being around people.

When I lived with them, I didn't
have enough personal space.

Especially during Ramadan, which is
an important festive month in Islam.

It was normal to have hundreds of
people in the house at once.

Now in my own apartment, I have space and
finally can do whatever I want.

There are days I stay inside,
without seeing a single person.

It might sound lonely.

But I'm perfectly happy being alone.
I can dance, cook, and create.

There's one room where Aufa can especially feel at home in.

This is the washroom and bath.

I wanted to make it look like a Japanese public bath.
That's why I put up this traditional curtain.

In Japan, there are many public baths, called "sento."

Aufa took inspiration for her
bathroom from these baths.

Everything I DIY for my apartment is
to make it a more comfortable space.

When going on vacation in Japan, the best part is
getting into a public bath after a long day.

It's such a relaxing moment, so I wanted to
recreate it throughout my home.

I don't need a fancy apartment.
But I do need it to be comfortable.

My bathroom is almost all done but there's
one more part that I need to DIY.

It's over here. I want to make a door to hide
all the stuff in this cubby.

My inspiration will be the shoe lockers found at
retro public baths in Japan.

So, time to make it happen!

First, let's go do some research.

Before you enter the bath house,

you must take off your shoes and put them
into a locker.That's the rule.

And this is your key.

When I was a child, I was surprised to learn
that a wooden block could be a key.

Pull it out, and just like a key, it locks!
Put it back in, it opens.

I bought one, but I still didn't know how it worked.

This is my first time seeing it from the underside!

Look, do you see the lever?
This lever comes down and locks the door.

I know I don't look very excited,
but I "feel" super excited!!

I have to give it a try.
I think I get it now, let's go right home.

Public baths, or "sento," are a Japanese tradition
popularized in the Edo era, abt. 400 years ago.

Even today, people visit them to relax and
catch up with neighbors.

Hi, welcome.

Sorry for being sketchy with your property.

It's rare that someone is
so interested in those keys.

To me, it's super exciting.
This makes me feel nostalgic and day dreamy.

- The key does?
- Yes, this key.

I've never heard that before!

How long has this public bath been running?

Since 1943.

But there was once a fire,
so we had to restore it.

Aufa, what's the motivation behind your home improvements?

I wasn't praised by my family ever
since I was little.

I was expected to excel at everything.

If not, then I was just lazy.
It was that or nothing.

I could only ask for help
if I was out of options.

This is how I was raised to think.

But this mind-set made me sick. A few years ago,
I developed a stress disorder.

April, 2021
Aufa was diagnosed with an adjustment disorder.

It was difficult for her to
work and even live a basic life.

5 years ago, my life was different.

Being a Muslim in Japan is rare,

and I felt an obligation to educate
people about my religion.

And at the same time, inject new ideas,
through fashion and my life on social media.

I felt I had to change people's
perceptions of Islam.

From religion to lifestyle, I gave it my all,
as a self-appointed representative.

But eventually, I collapsed in total burn-out.

I was living with my parents then.
I spent the days just lying in bed.

That went on for a year.

My siblings advised me to move
out of my parents' house.

They said I needed to get my own space.
So, I moved in here.

My parents' house always has
guests over at any time.

Outside of my room,
there were always people around.

And I had to wear a hijab when I was home.

There was no place where I felt comfortable.

I realized that there were things I wanted to do
but couldn't achieve there.

After 2 years of living on my own,

I now know how priceless it is to have time to face
myself and find out who I truly am.

It was then I realized my love for DIY and crafts.

I was 27 years old when I first experienced
the joy of having time alone.

From crafting with my hands,
to choosing colors, then painting...

Every step it took to make my dream room
has healed my soul.

It's the moment of truth.

It locked!

It works!!

For me, independence isn't about money,
it's about finally finding my own place.

It's my nephew's birthday.

I'm making a birthday cake and
food for the party.

- Hi, welcome!
- Let me in, let me in!

How many guests?

Do you have a ticket?

Thank you.

Aufa throws a family party at home a few times a year.

For Aufa, this time is precious.

I invited my parents, my older sister,
her husband and their 4 children.

As well as my cousin from Indonesia.

The relationship between family members is
very important in Indonesian culture.

Happy birthday to you!

The cookies and cake are so yummy!

Before I moved in,
my sister lived here for 6 years.

It looks so different from then.

The sliding doors had holes
in them from the kids.

It's a different world.

- She has her own castle now.
- Totally.

It's good to live by yourself.
You learn to clean, and to budget money.

It's quite unusual for Muslim families to let
their unmarried daughters live on their own.

But I believe in Aufa.

She isn't far from our house.
And she's got her older sister around, too.

2 years ago, I couldn't even handle dressing
or eating food in front of me.

My battery was depleted.

It was hard for you to clean up or do
any daily tasks.

I remember my youngest kid calling out,
"Aufa! Aufa!" and you would have a blank face.

I couldn't muster up any feeling or
expression when I was sick.

Thanks to her big sister's support,
Aufa was able to recover step by step.

It was like being in a TV show.

The excitement and tears while
we talked on the phone.

I told you to call me anytime when you felt down.

I'm so glad she feels herself again.

Aufa's happiness is my happiness.
Aufa's smile makes me happy, too.

What does this place mean to you, Aufa?

This place is my hometown.

It always welcomes me back whenever I leave.

Whether I'm away for a short or long time,
I think about it and my love for it grows.

This is where I belong. It's my hometown.