Living beneath elevated train tracks sounds like a nightmare for anyone wanting a little peace and quiet and a good night's sleep. 

But that's daily life for dwellers in a cluster of box-shaped homes, predominantly black in appearance, that sit beneath elevated tracks just a few minutes’ walk from Kawachi-Hanazono Station in Osaka Prefecture.

Trains pass overhead every several minutes to a dozen minutes. But that doesn't mean that noise from passing railcars makes it too loud for some residents to relax inside their living spaces.

“No, I am not bothered by train sounds at all,” said a woman in her 40s who spends most of her day there, stressing how comfortable the environment inside is. “It is really quiet overhead. Noise from automobiles instead jangles my nerves.”

The two-storied, modern-style buildings, constructed with light gauge steel frames in Higashi-Osaka, boast splendid garages along Kintetsu Railway Co.’s Nara Line.

The rental houses were developed jointly by Kintetsu Real Estate Co. in Osaka city and Tokyo-based housing design firm LDK.

The lengthy tracks with minimal joints over those homes are comparatively free of noise and vibration. Their ceilings positioned 2 meters from the elevated rails render the interior environment even serener.

The garages are characterized by exposed steel frames. The car sheds are 3.7 meters wide and 7.4 meters deep each, creating an ambience resembling that of a child’s secret base.

Rents vary depending on the home’s size. A single-room unit fitted with a garage measures a total of 56 square meters and carries the cheapest price tag of 145,000 yen ($995) per month, plus a 7,000-yen communal fee.

TAKING FULL ADVANTAGE OF PRIME LOCATION

Locations directly under tracks were formerly used to accommodate parking lots and warehouses.

Train companies owning these grounds have recently started reaching out to day nursery operators to operate their establishments beneath the rails. Afterschool child care centers, as well as nurseries, have been set up in a growing number of cases.

Both husbands and wives more frequently work these days, and facilities along tracks are conveniently located for picking up their children.

Traditionally, that kind of land was not thought of as being suited for living purposes.

But developers are currently moving to put in place homes beneath rails as the next step toward taking full advantage of their assets, believing such prime spots can be a cash cow if the issues of noise and vibration are properly resolved.

The housing complex of Kintetsu Real Estate exclusively targets those interested in owning automobiles and motorcycles. Rents are set higher than standard homes nearby, given a range of their special features.

Despite all that, the houses in close proximity to a national road and an expressway are already sought-after. A total of 12 residential units in six buildings were fully occupied within six or so months of their completion in March 2022, with hopeful tenants filling a waiting list on a continual basis.

“We took on a challenge in a bid to introduce homes, because it seemed unrealistic for us to persuade a commercial facility to operate even on a site only several minutes away from train stations,” explained a representative of Kintetsu Real Estate. “Demand is increasing for our offerings among people who are seeking second houses.”

The official said that five of the 12 housing units are used by residents as second homes for hobbies and for work. They double as shops and offices on occasion, too.

FUELING LIFESTYLE CHANGES

A 54-year-old president of a machine parts company who signed a contract for a house showed off his den one early November day.

The garage on the first floor is reserved for hobby activities, keeping not only his beloved automobile, a sofa, a shelf and other pieces of furniture but also a video game cabinet for "Space Invaders." A TV set and a desk are arranged on the second story for work.

The resident’s main home is situated two stations away. It was equipped with a dedicated workroom, but the man considered doing his business duties elsewhere due to his increasing workload.

“I found it uneasy to do that kind of stuff at home,” recalled the man. “This place has a nice atmosphere and provides me with the energy to work.”

Of Kintetsu Railway’s 500-kilometer rail network, elevated tracks account for 42 km, nearly 10 percent of the total. Therefore, there is much room for growth for the operator in the niche market.

Five properties furnished with automobile garages were newly built likewise under tracks a seven-minute walk from Harinakano Station in Osaka city in August this year. Resident wannabes are alike on a list waiting for cancellations.

Other companies are jumping on the bandwagon.

Such enterprises as East Japan Railway Co. (JR East) installed a living complex for rent a 10-minute walk from Higashi-Koganei Station on the Chuo Line in Tokyo in 2020 to cater only to students.

Tsunetaka Miyoshi, a professor of studies on living environments at Mukogawa Women's University, who is well-versed in architecture and city designing, pointed out that the trend concerning track-topped homes is buoyed by people’s pursuing various lifestyles in this era.

“The move sounds great in terms of both ensuring housing facilities’ new potential and delivering positive stimuli to the market of for-sale houses,” Miyoshi argued.