Generally speaking, in an overpopulated city like Tokyo, apartment sizes are kept minimum with multifunctional household appliances.
Toilet
Japanese toilets can be quite confusing with different buttons to navigate.
Otohime (音姫): Produce flushing sounds to mask the noise. Some are automatically set to activate.
Bidet (ビデ): Wash function with adjustable pressure. The nozzle will come out once activated and clean itself after use.
Bathtub
As Japanese people customarily take baths, many tenants favor an apartment with a bathtub.
Jidou (自動): Maintain the pre-set temperature at all times.
Oidaki (追いだき): Reheat the bath to a set temperature, when jidou is turned off.
Kansou (乾燥): Drying function used after a bath or when drying clothes.
Danbou (暖房): Heating function.
As taking a bath is a big part of Japanese culture, these specific settings are designed to meet the needs of tenants, with the ability to control the temperature and to even set a timer. Given that the space is limited in the apartment, it is also used as a place to dry washed clothes.
Kitchen Appliances
One of the good examples of multifunctional kitchen appliances is a Microwave oven, which can be switched between microwave and oven functions. The buttons will signify different categories that would generally look something as listed below.
Bento (弁当): Lunch box, packaged meal
Toast (トースト)
Kaitou (解凍): Defrost
Reitou Syokuhin (冷凍食品): Frozen food
After you selected the appropriate category, select Atatame (あたため) to start heating. Some will have Jidou Atatame (自動 あたため) which will automatically decide the right setting for it to be heated properly.
Rice cooker is one of the most essential cooking appliances for Japanese people. It is quite simple to use, once the different cooking options are figured out.
White Rice (白米)
Brown Rice (玄米)
Rice Porridge (おかゆ)
Japanese mixed rice (炊き込み)
Japanese steamed rice (おこわ)
Once you select one of the options, press Suihan (炊飯) to start cooking. If you want to set the time, press Yoyaku (予約) to do so.
As a note, since Japan is prone to natural disasters such as earthquake and tsunami, many households have Gas Cooktops (ガスコンロ) in case of a power outage.
Washer
As briefly mentioned in the previous section, most of the apartments in Tokyo will only have a washer.
First, start with selecting the appropriate time length and water volume of each section to decide the setting of each cycle.
Suiryo (水量): Water volume
Arai (洗い): Wash
Susugi (すすぎ): Rinse
Dassui (脱水): Spin Dry
Once the cycle is set, choose the appropriate Sentaku Kosu (洗濯コース), a washing course, which would likely include the following options:
Hyojun (標準): Standard
Tearai (手洗い): Gentle wash
Mouhu (毛布): Heavy blanket
Oisogi (お急ぎ): Fast cycle
After the course is set, press start.
Some other words that could come in handy :
Senzai (洗剤): Detergent
Hyo-haku zai (漂白剤): Bleach
Jyu-nan zai (柔軟剤): Fabric softener
Ichiji Teishi (一時停止): Pause
Reisui (冷水): Cold water
Onsui (温水): Warm water
Japanese people like to dry clothes under the sun as it is believed that sunlight kills the bacteria most effectively. Japanese people would dry them inside (部屋干し) when raining.
Cooler/Heater
Japanese air conditioner (エアコン) can be used both as a cooler and a heater. By pressing Unten Kirikae (運転切換), you will be able to choose the type of operations.
Jidou (自動) : Auto-run
Reibou (冷房): Cooler
Danbou (暖房): Heater
Jyoshitsu (除湿): Dehumidifier
You can also adjust the volume (風量) and the direction (風向) of the airflow. It is also possible to set a timer (タイマー).
Even though basic terminologies have been covered, please note that apartment features will greatly differ as it is unique to its location and price. The way to operate appliances will depend on the brand and the model itself so make sure to keep the instruction manual!