Comedian Lee Gook-joo is taking on a new challenge in Japan.
On the 23rd, a video titled "Is there a single person burning 78,000 won with one convenience store meal? Lee Gook-joo's Tokyo Settlement Journey: Why I Left for Japan... Tokyo 9-pyeong Studio Life + Recommended Living Essentials!" was uploaded to Lee Gook-joo's YouTube channel.
That day, Lee searched for a furniture store in Japan to buy a sofa. He explained, "I just need a sofa, dining table, and chairs. I've seen a lot of sofas, but I can't fit a three-seater." He continued, "The kitchens in Japan are very small. If I put my rice bowl down, there's no space to do the dishes. I have no choice but to reduce my rice bowl size. Japanese people eat small portions, so this is reasonable. My rice bowl is this big, can you imagine cleaning up in that space?"
After that, he purchased 1 million won worth of items, including a sofa, chairs, a desk that doubles as a dining table, a clothes hanger, and a stand, then moved to his studio in Japan. He remarked, "Aren't the floors in Japan usually not heated? It's really cold. The sofa and such will arrive in four days. I brought an air mattress from Korea. For now, I think it would be better to sleep on the air mattress than on the floor, so I plan to set it up."
Afterward, Lee introduced the interior of the studio where he would be living in Japan. He said, "I should show it to you when it's clean, but this place is smaller than I expected. About 8 or 9 pyeong. If I show you the bathroom, I cleaned it thoroughly, so it's very clean. On the other hand, I think, what if the bathroom were a bit smaller and the room a bit larger? The bathroom is just too spacious. My house in Seoul doesn't have a bathtub. I like that there's a bathtub that's big enough for half-body baths."
In particular, Lee noted, "There's not much explanation about why I came here. I've turned 40, and next year marks my 20th anniversary since my debut. However, for the past 4 to 5 years, I feel like I've just been going through the motions, doing whatever comes my way. So, after some thought, I realized I really wanted to learn a language. At first, it was just a vague thought that if I could become proficient in Japanese, I could do something. But I thought of coming here to not just wait for opportunities but to do something during my downtime when there isn't much work."
He expressed, "I came here with the mindset of saving up and working hard like I did when I was a rookie, thinking that even if I fail, it wouldn't be a failure that ruins my life, but a good experience. I have this mindset, so I believe it can't fail. I think it has to succeed. I don't know when that moment will come, but I'm just going for it."
The next day, Lee purchased cooking tools from a kitchen street. Upon returning home, he said, "I don't know when the sofa and table will arrive tomorrow since they say delivery is in four days. But the installation technician will come on the fifth day. What kind of nonsense is that? When the items arrive, if they bring such big boxes into this small room, where am I supposed to sleep? I have to sleep on top of the boxes. So I just decided to handle it myself."
Later that early morning, the sofa and table arrived, and with the help of the producer, Lee struggled and finally finished assembling the sofa and table. After perfectly setting up the furniture, Lee expressed, "I'm so happy!" showing satisfaction.
[Photo] Lee Gook-joo YouTube
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