Tokyo Real Estate Embraces Silence With Soundproof Apartments and Quiet Salons

If Yu Kusuda hadn’t met his neighbors, he might not know they were there. The 71-year-old singer-songwriter, who also works as a human resources consultant, lives in an 86-square-meter (283-square-foot) apartment in Tokyo, marketed by its developer Livlan as soundproof. For five years, Kusuda has been hosting online seminars at home, blasting movies at full volume, and playing electric guitar. No one complains, and neither does he.“I have never heard any sound from my neighbors,” Kusuda says.