Bike In A Box

BIKE IN A BOX

Do you love your bike so much that you would sleep with it? In Japan, the Early Age real estate agency recently built the NE Apartment, an eight-unit apartment block specifically for motorcyclists. The complex, located in Suginami-ku, west of Tokyo, allows residents to park their bikes inside their 300to 540-square-foot homes.

While the first level accommodates a bike or scooter, the second and even third include the bedroom, kitchen and living room. "The bike is not just garaged. It is an integral part of the dwelling's decoration," says architect Yuji Nakae. With your ride parked in an actual living area, including a bathroom, you can gawk at it while showering or, well, sitting on the "throne!"

"Choosing an apartment is like choosing a piece of clothing," explains Early Age's Shinsaku Ito. "It has to fit your lifestyle. We are very familiar with the hurdles that bike riders face when having to park their rides." Risk of gefting your bike stolen or tick eted for illegal parking in the very congested Tokyo area is high, so having a secure place to park is a luxury. The NE building is the 10th such "biker man sion" that Early Age has built.

Laurent Benchana/Nippon News