Live in Azabu, the town where everyone desires to be

Azabu has long been appreciated as hidden, affluent neighborhood of the wealthy. When we found out that a share house would open in Azabu, and what’s more, that there would be a grand opening party, we wasted no time heading over to do a shoot. Everything found in and around the house oozes class, very much as one would expect of a share house in Azabu. Azabu is connected by the Namboku, Toei Ōedo and Hibiya train lines, and the ease of access is one of its drawing cards as it is possible to get to almost all of the major stations within 20 minutes, such as Shinjuku, Shibuya and Tokyo. Now then, onto the introduction!

「CLASSICO Azabu La Casa」House Details Page

A 5-minute walk from Akabane-bashi station. The 6th-9th floor of this brown building, standing in a relaxed neighborhood in the middle of the city, is the share house we are looking at today, Classico Azabu.

Taking the elevator up to the 8th floor and stepping into the lounge, we find the staff busy with preparations for the party and the house.

The staff member preparing the food hails from Vietnam. He is making fresh Vietnamese spring rolls.

The management team are setting up around the house .

Let’s have a look around the house as management continues with the event preparation. This is the lounge. The house consists of communal space on the 8th floor with the 6th, 7th and 9th floor being mainly private rooms.

The lounge from a different angle. A kitchen island design is convenient for when people want to cook at the same time. It’d be fun hanging out and making good food together.

Incidentally, this house comes equipped with a water cooler. It’s quite a luxury to always be able to drink such delicious water, and of course it’s free.

A coffee machine and coffee beans are also provided. Enjoy drinking coffee with everyone that has been freshly brewed with crystal clear water.

There is a brand new communal computer in the lounge. A printer has also been set up, handy for those times you need to look up or print out something.

Here is the theater space. A special cinema for the residents furnished with a comfortable sofa and large screen television.

The front hallway. The atmospheric wallpaper and full-length mirror adds a touch of class.

Let’s now head down the stairs to the 7th floor.

But before we do, have a look at the chandelier hanging above the staircase. The contrast of the white and red is stylish without being over the top.

This is one of the rooms on the 7th floor. Fully furnished and ready to move into even with very little luggage.

One feature of the house is that many rooms open out onto a balcony. You can enjoy the cityscape from out of your very own window.

This is one of the rooms on the 9th floor – the executive floor. A stylish room almost reminiscent of a business hotel. 。 Incidentally, the chairs on this floor in particular are all like those that a company president would sit on. You might end up wanting to sit down in these comfortable chairs and work at your desk all day.

Heading to the rooftop you are met with a wide, spacious area. Great for outdoor meals. And that red structure you can see at the back is…

You guessed it – Tokyo Tower. There aren’t many places that give you such a beautiful view of Tokyo Tower like this. Although it has recently been surpassed by the Sky Tree, it’s greatness is still a sight to see.

At night you can see the light-up with this much intensity. At the time this photo was taken the tower was lit up with the year ‘2020’ as PR for Tokyo’s 2020 Olympics bid. You will never get tired of looking at it because the illuminations change periodically.

The food and party preparations are finally complete.

What an extravagance to sit down to a meal gazing upon such magnificent scenery.

As the starting time draws near people begin to arrive one by one.

Heading back to the lounge I find that the others, unable to wait any longer, have already started the party. 。 It would be quite difficult to wait while looking at all of the delicious food and alcohol in front of you.

 

Our coverage of the party ends here just us things starts heating up. Starting during lunchtime, it apparently went on all afternoon until nightfall.

Managing this house is Classicompany, who takes care of other properties in convenient locations less than 10-minutes walk from nearby stations within metropolitan Tokyo. As we mentioned earlier there is a also a non-Japanese staff member so non-Japanese tenants should feel at ease.

The area around the house is quiet and relaxed, however with a supermarket just a 1-minute walk away it’s a very convenient lifestyle. You can also get to Roppongi and Ginza in a heartbeat by train, which helps in taking the hard work out of deciding where to spend your days off.

There are also many ways to entertain yourself without setting foot outside the house, such as drinking with your housemates while watching a movie in the theater room, cooking together in the spacious kitchen or just enjoying the ever-changing view of Tokyo Tower.

Those adults looking to indulge in a stylish yet relaxed, accessible area of Tokyo who don’t want to pay an arm and a leg for rent may very well find what they are looking for right here with this house.

Don’t you just want to live a glamorous, grown-up life in Azubu, too?

/Author: Sekino

The CROSS SHARE at Tabloid: A Community Event in a Community Space

Founded in April of 2010, TABLOID is a creative hot spot in Hinode where designers and artists share a work space to facilitate a new work style, and perhaps a new creative culture in the process. Rebita, the owner of ten share houses in the metropolitan area, has chosen this prime location to host CROSS Share – a collaborative share house event. The theme for today’s event is “What do we really share in a share house?” The share culture has been steadily gaining influence in Japan, and not just with share houses. There are now various office buildings that have changed over to an “office share” model, as well as companies that promote car pooling with designated vehicles as an economic alternative to rental cars for their employees. As their names suggest, share houses are places where people all live under the same roof, and you’d be a fool to think people simply keep to themselves. These places are about sharing time together with others. After attending this event, I also came to realize residents share something special — something special that makes every person and every house unique. But enough with the introductions. Let’s take a look at around so you can see what the buzz is about.

「ReBITA Ltd. House Listing」

As I arrived, the festivities were well underway with many people already in attendance. In the booths to either side of the room, residents from Rebita’s share houses had set up booths show casing art, collages, and much more, giving spectators a glimpse of share house living.

For example, taking a look at this booth, one of the residents has put on a fashion display of sorts.

Here we have hand-crafted jewelry.

And no exhibit would be complete without fine paintings. That is, if these were actually paintings. Upon closer inspection, I was surprised to find these were actually drawn with a mechanical pencil.

Here’s a display from the Rebita house in Denenchofu. Who would’ve thought a share house would have a gardening and jogging club.

What’s this? Could it be? Jojo’s Bizarre Adventure? No – It’s a Share House Adventure! Come to think of it, there’s an exhibition in Roppongi celebrating Jojo’s 25th anniversary.

Next is a collaborative effort between a copywriter, designer, and photographer who happen to live together. Chance encounters can bring about the greatest changes in life, and you’re sure to find them in a share house.

Returning to the main area, there’s a singer on stage with a beautiful vibrato resonating through the hall, and it looks like it’s almost time for the main event to begin.

To start, there was a talk session with residents from Rebita’s share houses: “Colors of the Share House Rainbow.”

Everyone who participated was from a different share house, so first there were introductions for each house. With locations ranging from near Yomiuri Land to Gotanno, they all had something that set them apart from the others.

For example, Harajuku is known as one of the fashion hubs of Japan, and the share house located here is home to many designers. The “Share Leaf” house in Chitose Karasuyama is home to many chefs.

I can’t say for sure whether its chiefly influence from location or the residents, but it was interesting to hear how each share house was so different from the previous.

As introductions came to a close, the participants were asked why they chose to move into a share house. As you’d expect from a talk session dubbed “Colors of the Share House Rainbow,” the answers were quite varied. One person in particular was motivated to try share house living after finding themselves a part of a share house event when they only intended to take a look at the house.

When the talk session was over, it was time for a special dance performance!

Spectators were also able to get in on the fun as the dancers showed them a few steps so they could dance along. Although I was taking pictures, I found time to bust a few moves myself.

The dancing became more intense as they reached the finale, and it was clear that everyone had been drawn in by their spectacular performance.

Finishing with stylish poses, the dancers were met with thunderous applause!

The report ends here, but it seems there were still quite a few presentations planned that lasted late into the evening.

The lively atmosphere, the fantastic displays, the great performance — it was like I was back in school attending a cultural festival. Before tonight, I never would have imagined an event that would let me to relive my youth like this.

People who come together to live in a share house come from all walks of life, and while each person has their own reason for moving in, one thing is certain — life in a share house can broaden one’s horizons.

 

Take the dance performance for example. It looked as though the routine was put together by a professional dancer who just so happened to be living in one of Rebita’s share houses. There were also probably a few people on stage who’d never danced before, but living in a share house gave them the chance to seize an opportunity; an opportunity try something new and discover something new within themselves. Perhaps that is the magic of share house living.

/Author：Sekino, Translation: Paul

 

		｢ReBITA Ltd.｣ Here at ReBITA Inc., we specialize in renovations, breathing new life into pre-existing buildings. Managing 10 locations with 631 rooms total in Tokyo, Kanagawa, and Saitama, our share houses have great interior designs and state of the art facilities — comforts you normally can’t find in a share house. It is important to us that residents are able to maintain their privacy while still enjoying the community that share house living can offer. If you’re interested in a community with borders, regardless of your background, please feel free to contact us.