Danchi - like a ”rabbit hutch”, EC said
In 1979, a working papers written in the European Communities aroused criticism in Japan. Those papers compare Japanese apartment house to "cage a lapins", meaning rabbit hutch in French. The Japanese people was so shocked by this EC's describing, but they also realized it was critical true.
|
 |
| The Danchi site, constructing by the Japan Housing Corporation, in Matsudo city 1960 (Public Domain) |
The "Danchi", meaning mass apartment house, is one of example. In 1955, the Japan Housing Corporation under the government of japan started providing apartment house for middle class in housing shortage. they got idea from mass apartment planed prewar time, which influenced Germany "Siedlung". Mostly, typical Danchi, described ”mammoth” had over 1,000 house in one site.
 |
| A reconstruction of typical living room in "Danchi" and middle class lifestyle with a television, some records in 1962 (C)JAPAN a while ago |
 |
| There also were Japanese style room in Danchi (C)JAPAN a while ago |
 |
| The viewing ”rabbit hutch” trough the window (C)JAPAN a while ago |
Today, those Danchi face some problem, for example, deterioration, many vacant, resident ageing. But still today, they seem one kind of nostalgia to high economic growth decades of Showa, like a "3C-Seikatsu" meaning "life with a Color television, a Car, and a air Conditioner (Cooler in Japanese)".
