>>280002066>The stove-top is going to take the same amount of room anywayA typical japanese stove-top looks like this. Whether small apartment or medium-sized house, there isn't much variation. The tray in the middle is for quickly broiling fish; it isn't good for much else. I've tried making toast in it numerous times, and it almost always ends in tears. It isn't even ideal for heating up other meats.
>why wouldn't you have an oven considering how incredibly useful it is for cookingYou would have to explain to the japanese how useful it is because the japanese do not habitually bake. When they do, it's usually something small that a microwave-sized electric oven can handle. I've never seen a japanese eat a casserole. When I made them roast potatoes and sausage rolls, they squealed in delight at the novelty. Most people, when not eating out, eat rice, fish, rice, vegetables, rice, miso, rice, curry, and rice. The japanese word for "meal" IS rice. Meat and vegetables are "side dishes". If they want "bread" they'll either buy something wrapped in plastic from the store, or make it in their rice cooker. There's a bakery in every decent-sized neighborhood... /maybe/. When covid hit, they all began wrapping their croissants in plastic. Consider that the japanese mindset does not find this a capital offense.
(Obviously, exceptions to this exist, like people with a professional interest in chefery, but they are comparatively rare).