Solutions to limited kitchen storage space in Japan

Something that I've found difficult since living in Japan is the lack of convenient storage space in the kitchens here. We have a few kitchen cupboards (which end up getting used for cooking appliances, crockery and the like), and we also have the floor "pantry" storage - but on the whole we have far less space to put things than what we're used to in a kitchen. I've never had a "walk in" pantry (I can dream, though!) but we have always had a dedicated built in pantry closet where we could store dry goods. Overall they were much more spacious than the pantry we have right now in the floor. I'm also used to more kitchen cupboards available to put things like appliances or dishes when they're not in use.

Desperate times call for desperate measures, as the saying goes - and we turned to Ikea for cheap but practical help on the kitchen storage front. We ended up just getting two of their rolling carts to put some of our pantry goods on - things like cooking oils, certain snack foods that we use (or our kids use) regularly, and other bits and pieces like our kids dinner plates and cups. It's not the most aesthetically pleasing pantry storage solution, but sometimes you just want certain cooking supplies to be close by, and not something you have to go rummaging in the floor for every time you need them.

Pic Credit: ikea.co.jp

I'd be curious to know what your personal storage situation is like in your kitchen here in Japan. Do you find that you have adequate space to store your food items as well as your plates/other dishware? Have you had to come up with some creative storage solutions for spaces in your home here in Japan? Maybe you've got some of your own creative storage "life hacks" to share with the rest of us!