By Ken Tsukamoto, from the channel

Why a Japanese home feels calm, and an American one feels like work.

Two Houses is a 543-page digital book. Under every habit people call Japanese discipline, I found a floor plan, a fee, or a law. This book measures each one, and what it means for the house you live in.

$47$79

Early-bird price until the launch window closes.

Get the Book — $47

Digital book (PDF) · Read on any phone, tablet or computer, or print it · 30-day money-back guarantee · Secure checkout

I like that you present facts but you don't judge.
@SusanaBraylan, a viewer on YouTube

It arrives as a PDF. Read it on a tablet or computer, or print it.

Look inside before you buy

These are real pages from the book, exactly as you'll read them. The type is set large, for people who are done squinting. Tap any page to read it full size.

543 pages, 96 chapters

Swipe sideways to see all eight pages.

Want to read a whole chapter first? Get Chapter 3 free by email.

The measurement

A number, a date, or a law, graded in the Source Ledger for how much weight it can bear.

From the house

A memory from the house I grew up in. The rice washed at four o'clock. The clipboard I carried next door.

Where America is right

The honest concession. Central heating, the dryer, the credit file, the second chance.

Two questions

A pair you can ask of one object, one room, or one bill tonight. Never the whole house.

Two houses, measured

Every number in the book is logged in a source ledger at the back and graded for how much weight it can bear. Here are six of them, side by side.

What is measured
JapanThe house I grew up in
AmericaThe house I live in now
The family houseLedger L-07 and L-02, approximate Over 2,200 sq ftThe median new single-family house
Where things goLedger L-04 and L-08, approximate More storage facilities than McDonald's, Starbucks and Subway combined
How long a house standsLedger L-10, approximate About 55 yearsAverage age at demolition
Costco warehousesLedger L-16, documented More than 600
Homes with a dishwasherLedger L-18, approximate About 70%
The commuteLedger L-47, documented Under 30 minutesMostly alone in a car

Some of these rows go America's way. The book says so twenty-five times, in one table, and means every one.

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What the book covers

It starts at the front door and works outward. The house first, room by room. Then the kitchen, the bathroom, the money, the school, the office, the street, the year, and the elders.

  • The HouseThe genkan, the 80 cm closet, one warm room, the spare bedroom, the lease, the deed, the balcony, thin walls, the earthquake.
  • The KitchenWhat a counter is for, the shop on the corner, what a family drinks, breakfast, eating out, school lunch.
  • The Bathroom and the BodyThe bath order, the towel, shared air, the toilet room, where the family sleeps, laundry every day, shoes, the mask.
  • The Twelve ObjectsTwelve things that fill an American home and sit nowhere in a Japanese one.
  • The HabitsPostponed decisions, addresses not storage, cleaning my own classroom at nine.
  • Cleaning and WasteSix bags and a calendar, the garbage bag that costs money, a country with no bins.
  • The MoneyMy mother's ledger, credit, tax, the pension envelope, the seal, why nothing is on sale, what a wedding and a funeral cost.
  • The SentencesFour things Japanese parents never say, and the one they say more than anything.
  • Family and SchoolThe uniform, the club, the exam ladder, the family register, the arranged introduction, the only child.
  • The Other DirectionTwenty-six American habits I still can't explain, and twenty-five things America does better.
  • The Table and the YearThe rice cooker as the clock, New Year, Obon, Golden Week, four seasons as a storage system.
  • The EldersCare insurance, the family grave, the funeral in full, the household altar, nine million empty houses.
  • The OfficeHired once, the lights stay on, the business card, the wall at thirty, the bar after work.
  • Getting AroundThe city the train built, the kei car, the bicycle at the door, the $3,000 licence.
  • Neighbours and the StreetThe association, the clipboard, carrying the shrine, the police box, the umbrella that comes back, the apology.
  • The System, plus five appendicesThe two questions in full, the room walkthrough, eight weeks, glossary, source ledger, myth register, house audit, cards.
See all 96 chapters

The House

  1. The Genkan
  2. The Room That Had Three Jobs
  3. Eighty Centimetres
  4. Walls That Move, One Warm Room
  5. Rooms Measured in Bodies
  6. The Wall They Left Empty
  7. The Room Nobody Slept In Last Night
  8. Two Years and a Guarantor
  9. The House That Loses Value
  10. The Balcony
  11. Thin Walls
  12. A House That Expects to Shake

The Kitchen

  1. What a Counter Is For
  2. The Rule Nobody in Japan Has Heard Of
  3. The Pantry on the Corner
  4. Cold Tea from a Machine
  5. Breakfast Is Dinner Again
  6. A Counter with Eight Seats
  7. Thirty-Eight Children, One Ladle

The Bathroom and the Body

  1. The Tub Is Not Where You Get Clean
  2. The Towel, the Hose, the Balcony
  3. Shared Air
  4. The Smallest Room
  5. Where the Family Sleeps
  6. Laundry Every Day
  7. A Shoe Is Not an Outfit
  8. The Mask on the Train

The Twelve Objects

  1. Three Things You've Been Told That Are False
  2. The Twelve, Room by Room

The Habits

  1. A House Full of Postponed Decisions
  2. Addresses, Journeys, Rhythm
  3. I Cleaned My Own Classroom at Nine
  4. Four Things Installed Before I Was Eleven

Cleaning and Waste

  1. Six Bags and a Calendar
  2. Who Pays for the Bottle
  3. A Country with No Bins
  4. The Tissue Economy
  5. What Clean Means

The Money

  1. My Mother's Ledger Came in the Mail
  2. The Grammar of a Banknote
  3. Rails, Not Virtues
  4. The Door That Wasn't in the Wall
  5. The Tax You Never See
  6. The Pension and the Envelope
  7. Insured by the Nation, Insured by the Boss
  8. The Seal and the Signature
  9. Why Nothing Is On Sale
  10. The Gift That Requires a Gift
  11. What a Wedding and a Funeral Cost

The Sentences

  1. Four Sentences That Went Missing
  2. Hurry Up

Family and School

  1. The Uniform
  2. Six Days a Week and a Club
  3. The Ladder
  4. The Register
  5. The Introduction
  6. The Only Child

The Other Direction

  1. Six Things I Still Can't Explain
  2. Twenty More Things I Still Can't Explain
  3. The Second Ten
  4. Where America Is Right

The Table and the Year

  1. The Table
  2. The Calendar
  3. The Three Days the Country Stops
  4. The Week the Dead Come Home
  5. Everyone at Once
  6. Four Seasons, Sold Separately
  7. A Picnic Under a Tree, for the Office
  8. Chicken on Christmas, Chocolate in February

The Elders

  1. The House That Is Also for Her
  2. Insured Against Growing Old
  3. The Stone on the Hill
  4. The Funeral in Full
  5. The Dead in the Living Room
  6. Nine Million Empty Houses

The Office

  1. The Train and the Garage
  2. Hired Once
  3. The Lights Stay On
  4. Two Hands and a Card
  5. The Other Half of the Office
  6. The Wall at Thirty
  7. The Third Place Is a Bar

Getting Around

  1. The City the Train Built
  2. The Yellow Plate
  3. The Bicycle at the Door
  4. Three Thousand Dollars for a Licence
  5. Walking as Transport

Neighbours and the Street

  1. The Association
  2. The Clipboard
  3. Carrying the Shrine
  4. The Police Box
  5. The Umbrella Comes Back
  6. The Apology

The System

  1. Two Questions
  2. The Room Walkthrough
  3. Eight Weeks, One Object Each

Appendices

  1. Glossary
  2. The Source Ledger
  3. The Myth Register
  4. The House Audit
  5. The Cards
Ken Tsukamoto at his desk

A note from Ken

Everyone here calls me Ken. My mother still calls me Kenichi. I have now lived in America longer than I lived in Japan, which makes me the wrong person to romanticise either country and the right person to measure the wall between them.

Under every habit Americans call Japanese discipline, I found a floor plan, a law, a fee, or a tax code that made the decision for everyone. Under every American habit I have never been able to explain, I found the same thing. Nobody in either country chose any of it. That is the book.

I am not the good example. I own a garage that has never held a car, a bed I defend, central heating I love, and a kitchen drawer I could not describe under oath. I am writing from inside the American house, not from above it.

Ken Tsukamoto@kentsukamoto on YouTube

If it's not for you, it costs nothing.

Email twohousesbyken@gmail.com within 30 days and I'll refund you. No form, no questions.

How it works

  1. Tap "Get the Book"

    A secure checkout window opens right here on this page.

  2. Pay the way you like

    Card, PayPal or Apple Pay. Checkout is handled by Gumroad, which has processed payments for creators since 2011.

  3. The book arrives by email

    Within a minute. Open it on your iPad, phone or computer, or print it. It's yours to keep.

From the comments on the channel

Real comments on the videos this book grew out of. The book is that voice, at length, with the numbers.

  • I am an older American and I grew up with my mind being on what others would think. You've described it so clearly, like I have not heard it before.

    @MariaAnnRooney on YouTube

  • I like that you present facts but you don't judge. Excellent.

    @SusanaBraylan on YouTube

  • Getting rid of one thing… there are so many, where do I begin? I'll start with a collection of video tapes, over a hundred that I know I'll never watch again. Thank you, Ken.

    @Geekiezoid on YouTube

  • Very therapeutic. Americans really need to listen to this. You gave a word for those feelings we have and being able to let go.

    @francesvela5992 on YouTube

Questions people ask

Is this a printed book?

No. It is a digital book: a PDF file, 543 pages, set at 6 by 9 inches. It reads like a printed book on a tablet, and you can print any or all of it yourself. Nothing arrives in the post.

How do I open a PDF?

You already can. Every iPad, iPhone, Android phone, Mac and Windows computer opens PDFs without installing anything. Tap the link in the email and it opens. On an iPad, tap the share icon and choose "Save to Books" to keep it on your shelf.

Can I print it?

Yes. At 6 by 9 inches it prints on letter or A4 paper, one page per sheet or two side by side. The house audit and the question cards at the back are designed to be printed.

Can I read it on a Kindle?

Yes. The easiest way is to go to amazon.com/sendtokindle, sign in, and drag the file onto the page. You can also email the PDF from your own address to your Kindle's @kindle.com address. On a small, basic Kindle the pages will look small. It is far better on an iPad, a Kindle Fire, a computer, or paper.

Is my card information safe?

Yes. I never see your card. Payment is handled by Gumroad, a checkout company used by hundreds of thousands of writers and creators. PayPal and Apple Pay work too, if you'd rather not type a card number at all.

Why $47?

It is 543 pages and took me most of two years. A hardback of this size would cost $40 to $50 in a shop. This way you pay less than that, it arrives in a minute, and the price includes a full refund if you decide it isn't for you.

Will the price really go up?

Yes. $47 is the early-bird price for the first readers. When the launch window closes it moves to $79. If you can see $47 on this page, it hasn't yet.

What if I can't download it?

Email twohousesbyken@gmail.com and I'll send the file to you directly. Gumroad also keeps a copy in your account, so you can download it again any time, on any device.

The first page of Chapter 3, Eighty Centimetres

Not ready? Read one chapter free.

Chapter 3, Eighty Centimetres. The closet the whole book is built around. Enter your email and it opens right away, and I'll send a copy to your inbox too.

One email with the chapter. If you buy the book later, I stop mentioning it.

One drawer. One object. Tonight.

You have known the answer about most of the objects in your house for years. This book exists to make you say it, and to show you the number that put them there.

$47$79

Early-bird price until the launch window closes.

Get the Book — $47

Digital book (PDF) · Read on any phone, tablet or computer, or print it · 30-day money-back guarantee · Secure checkout