Share House Bus Tour (Part 2)

As we head into the second half of our share house adventure, the group is really starting to loosen up and become more sociable. Although the atmosphere was increasingly relaxed, our tour guide remained vigilant, pointing out all the sights on the way to our destination.

Speaking of our next destination, here we are at「Chez toi Maluki」, the share house with a variety of spaces for a variety of activities. Although slightly removed from Musashi Shinjo and Musashi Kosugi stations, requiring a 15 minute walk, the trip is but the blink of an eye for those with a bicycle.

Stepping into the foyer, we were greeted with a warm and welcoming lounge. Nothing beats the nostalgic feeling of being back at home.

The share house was originally a storehouse, and if you couldn't tell by this picture, the greatest asset of this house is its spaciousness. There are nearly 20 people here in the lounge with plenty of room to spare.

Further in is the kitchen complete with counters and stools. All we need now is a bartender and a few drinks.

With everyone comfortably gathered together, the owner of the company that runs the share house, Mr. Hosoyama, told us not only about the house, but also the people who live here and what kind of life you can expect to lead here at Chez toi Maluki. Most of the residents were away when we visited, because the house is so spacious, it's used in a variety of ways depending on who's around at the time. You can be sure when there's a party to be had, a room this large is going to ensure everyone has a great time.

After Mr. Hosoyama's presentation, the group was free to explore the house, giving me the opportunity to do a bit of sleuthing of my own. Rather than sneaking my great photos this time, I decided to ask my lovely assistants to pose for the camera. Here you can see the resident's mailboxes. Everyone has their on box, and their designs are pretty cool to boot.

Here they are sitting at the bar from the previous photo. I wonder if they wanted a nice tall one as much as I did.

Compared to our usual house reviews, I'd say seeing people enjoying themselves in the house definitely gives a much better idea of the great time you'll have after moving in. Can you imagine yourself in this picture as well?

The guys were starting to get jealous of the girls hogging the spotlight, and one fine gentleman was bold enough to pose for a picture. I also touched up the photo for a true glamor shot, so perhaps the girls are a little jealous this time around. Hmm... I should probably frame this somewhere in my room. Oh, I almost forgot about the tour!

The group had had its fill of Chez toi Maluki, and so we were off to our final mystery destination.

The 30 minute trip was over in a flash thanks to all the lively chatter on the bus, and the group found itself waiting with bated breath to see what was inside.

What have we here? A ping-pong table, a grandfather clock, and a set of doors with Love & Peace written across the top. Listening closely, jazz music could be heard drifting through the halls. To say the group astounded would be an understatement, but with this unique and strangely enchanting setting, just where could we be? All we could do was take off our shoes and step inside to found out.

We passed through the doors of Love & Peace and th— drums? guitars? an electric organ? It was like walking into a school music room. There was even a sound proof room in the back. I detect the makings of a rock band in here.

Passing through the hall there were autographs lining the wall, and as we got closer to the lounge, something about the place seemed vaguely familiar. I know I've seen this place before, in a commercial or a TV show somewhere...

Of course! It was Share Designer's College Tama Plaza! And there to greet us was the owner Mr. Miura. The share house was made to be a home the residents can build together, and because this house will open only for three years, the rooms and shared areas can be freely renovated. A true do it yourself share house, where the building is just as memorable as the people you meet there.

Even more surprising, as Mr. Miura started his tour of the share house, the lounge was already filled with people. There was no mistaking our scheduled visit, but rather than tying to keep out of the way, the residents were very friendly and welcoming. Seeing Mr. Miura talking with everyone, things seemed very relaxed and casual, almost like he was one of the residents too.

As we were listening to Mr. Miura's presentation, residents carried on as usual, practically blending into the room. It definitely left a positive impression on our tour group, as many people agreed it was refreshing to get a real peek at share house living.

Now then, the house has an honest-to-goodness beer tap, and while it usually costs 200 Yen for a cup, the first five to reach this beautiful bear dispenser would get one for free as a special treat.

One of the residents was kind enough to serve as bar tender, and the race was on!

Here's a look at our first lucky winner! After such a long day, a nice cold beer is sure to be refreshing.

And here we have the winner's circle in full. The others could only look on them with envy as they enjoyed the sweet taste of victory... and beer!

It seemed like we had just arrive, and the tour group had already begun to blend in with the residents.

It was hard to pull the group away from the lounge, but the tour must go on! This is the hallway leading to the private rooms, and since it's okay to paint the walls, they've really let their creativity loose in here.

After much pleading and begging by members of the tour group, we were allowed a peek at their rooms. As you'd expect from a do it yourself share house, each room had its own unique flare.

Although this room looks simple enough, you'd be surprised to know how much of it was done by hand. Perhaps the most impressive decoration in the room is the board ornamented with flowers on the wall, which actually used to be a door!

We thought he was joking when he whipped out the paint roller, but he was quite serious. In the spirit of do it yourself remodeling, he allowed us to try painting the door of one of the rooms. He was using a particular paint that's supposedly guaranteed to apply evenly to surfaces, so there's no way we could mess it up... right?

そこでなんと、実際にDIYを体験してみようという運営者さんの粋な計らいで、お部屋のドアにペンキを塗っちゃいました。

まずは三浦さんがお手本。ムラの出にくいペンキを使っているそうで、誰でも綺麗にペンキを塗ることができてしまうとのこと。

So who would be his first victi— I mean volunteer?

And so the painting begins!

One by one they all stepped up to add another coat of paint.

It was practically a relay race of panting, as the roller was passed from person to person, but the end result was a perfectly painted door.

I know what you're thinking, and no we're not heading back to the bus. But what could top free beer and painting the share house?

The residents have been working together with Mr. Miura to build this extension of the share house. And when they're done, this share house may have its very own bar!

It's was an exciting day to be sure, and they were all still excited and ready for more, but I managed to round everyone up for one last shot before heading back to the bus.

As we were making our way back to Shibuya, someone mentioned how the share house really did feel like a college, and I couldn't agree more. A place where people are free to express themselves, hone their skills, and learn together—surely this final share house is the embodiment of college spirit.

However, to the dismay of the tour group, all of the rooms at Share Designer's College Tama Plaza are currently full. Otherwise I'm sure several of them wouldn't have come back with us on the bus.

Even so, all hope is not lost! Share Design, the owners of this share house, will be opening new facilities in Mizue of Edogawa Prefecture March 10, 20113. The house will include a small cafe offering free pastries in the morning. You won't find a house like this anywhere else, so don't miss out!

An office space has also been set aside next to the lounge, giving residents a place to get work done and let ideas fly. Anyone interested be sure to check the details for
Share Vie Mizue.

Everyone is accounted for, as much as they wanted to stay behind in one of the share houses, so it looks like our first bus tour was a success! There many sad goodbyes, and a few tears may have been shared, but I'm sure we'll meet again someday. You never know, we may end up being house mates somewhere.。

I've said it before, but this really wouldn't have been possible without the help of Urban. They even went so far as to spend a week living in a share house to give our bus tour group a real inside scoop into the pros and cons of living in a share house. Without their in-depth intel, I'm not sure how we could have pulled this off. Of course, I can't forget the share house owners, who were kind enough as to open the doors to us and give our group a first hand account of what it could be like to live in a share house.

We received a great deal of positive feedback despite this being our first bus tour. There's still much room for improvement, but we'd definitely like to make bus tours a regular Tokyo Sharehouse event. This could be the start of something big—bringing people together, exploring Tokyo and the world of shared living found in share houses.

We may just make a sudden appearance at a share house in your neighborhood. The only question is, will you be on board the bus?