Ikea rents tiny Tokyo flat for tiny price

Your real-estate agent is a shark. But don't worry, he's a friendly, enthusiaastic shark who has your best interests at heart and wants to get you into a cozy Tokyo apartment.

The only catch? "Cozy" in this case means 10 square meters.

However, the rent is also tiny: ¥99 (US$0.87). 

The whole scheme is a clever promotional effort Ikea Japan dreamed up along with Wieden Kennedy Tokyo.

The shark, Blåhaj, is a human-sized, talking version of a plush toy that's available in Ikea stores. As explained in a reality-TV series, he's found a great small space in central Tokyo and worked with Ikea interior designers to outfit it with useful and stylish furnishings suitable for small spaces. You can watch the whole series here. The 'Grand reveal' episode (below) shows the most detail of the apartment.

As weird as it might be to listen to a fictional talking animal, the offer Blåhaj is making is very real. The apartment is listed until December 3 on Tokyo real estate website suumo.jp. Would-be residents can view the details of the place and submit an application to rent it out at the 'Tiny Homes' page on Ikea's website. Blåhaj is also appearing in an office built into Ikea stores in Harajuku, Shinjuku and Shibuya. Interested renters can see a replica of the tiny apartment and submit an application there, too.  

Ad Nut dug into the terms and conditions on the application and found that the chosen tenant will get to move in as early as December and stay in the apartment until January of 2023. That person will of course need to appear in the next episode of the Tiny Homes video series.

The campaign also includes a paid advertising push.

Left two columns: Before and after shots. Right two columns: Furnishing details. (Click to enlarge)
 

A 10-square-meter apartment seems positively palatial compared to Ad Nut's truly cozy oak-tree abode. But Ad Nut notes with approval that both homes make great use of vertical space.

CREDITS

Wieden Kennedy Tokyo
Creative Director / Art Director: Max Pilwat (マックス・ピルワット)
Creative Lead / Copywriter: Andrew Miller (アンドリュー・ミラー)
Art Director: Chihiro Konno (今野千尋, Diana Ganea (ダイアナ・ガネア)
Copywriter: Yuji Takahashi (高橋祐司), Nedal Ahmed (ナダル・アーメッド)
Designer: Sho Momma (門馬翔), Akane Yasuda (安田茜)
Head of Production: Kerli Teo (カーリ・テオ)
Agency Producer: Masataka Odaka (尾高 雅隆), Eisuke Arai (新井瑛輔), Siyun Kim (シユン・キム), Kosuke Sasaki (佐々木洸介), Saori Nakakariya (ナカカリヤ・サオリ)
Account: Jordan Cappadocia (ジョーダン・カッパドキア), Chelsea Hayashi (チェルシー・ハヤシ), Isao Okubo (大久保 勲), William Smith  (ウィリアム・スミス)
Comms Planner: Justin Lam (ジャスティン・ラム), Joanna Fukae (深江ジョアンナ)
Translator: Mako Tomita (冨田真木子)
Agency Editor: Jacob Kim (ジェイコブ・キム), Vinod Vijayasankaran (ヴィノド・ヴィジャヤサンカラン)
Studio Manager: Aiwei Ichikawa (市川愛維)
Executive Creative Director: Scott Dungate (スコット・ダンゲート)
Managing Director: Yosuke Suzuki (鈴木洋介)

Production: Nakama
Executive Producer: Kenji Sato (佐藤研二)
Director: Mackenzie Sheppard, Kai Sandy
Director of Photography: Ivan Kovax
Line Producer: Simon Amar
Production Manager: Anna Liu, Anna Hashimoto, Sayo Mouri, Mizuho Yonemoto
Runner: Ruri Fukagawa, Sara Sanui
Production Design / Props: Kiyomi Tokita
Offline Editors: Henri Nagano, Rina Takeuchi
Post / VFX house: Nomad
Colorist: James Clayton
Gaffer: Kenji Morita
Best Boy: Kenji Morita
Stylist: Maiko
Yoshio Komatsu: Shark Suit
Hair & Make-up Artist: Sara Sanui
1st AD: Roy Mizuno
1st AC: Usman Kawazoe, AC Ahato, Akira Hayakawa

Music production
Words & Music: Audioforce
Producer: Thomas Suess, Brenda Yong

Still production
Photographer (Key Visuals): Kisshomaru Shimamura (嶌村 吉祥丸)
Photographer (Editorial): Namiko Koizumi (小泉 なみこ)
Photographer (Key Visuals): Robert Kirsch
Retoucher: Abe Kohsuke (阿部 宏介)
Creature: Takafumi Ide (井手 隆文)
Print Production Partner: Daiichi-Seihan

AR filter producrtion
3D AR Creator: Thomas Rawle
Coder: Anastasia Semenoff

Ad Nut is a surprisingly literate woodland creature that for unknown reasons has an unhealthy obsession with advertising. Ad Nut gathers ads from all over Asia and the world for your viewing pleasure, because Ad Nut loves you. You can also check out Ad Nut's Advertising Hall of Fame, or read about Ad Nut's strange obsession with 'murderous beasts'.