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The journey continues. Which lifestyle would you choose? |
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Here is the second part to the Sharehouse Bus Tour series. In the previous article we stopped by Crann Terrace Kugahara with its amazing shared facilities including a terrace and karaoke room, and Stylio With Kamiikedai with its giant kitchen and stylish living room. If you missed Part 1 you can read it here! → 「Sharehouse Bus Tour 【ROUND ONE】: Part 1」 We certainly had our fill of food in Part 1, but this tour is just getting started! Perhaps you will find your dream sharehouse among the properties we visit next. Think about where you would like to live as you read on and enjoy the article from a slightly different angle. Without further ado let;s get on to Part 2! |
The next sharehouse we will check out is 「Comfort Kamata」. This house is run by Oak House, seasoned professionals in the sharehouse industry taking care of many other large-scale properties. Comfort Kamata is one of these being able to house 260 residents. We start the tour by hearing what the staff from Oak House have to say. There are people fervently taking notes while listening.
We move onto the living room. Everyone is expectedly a little nervous at the prospect of a living room for 260 people.
We headed inside and a living room arranged as though it was a hotel lobby appeared before our eyes. The room gives more of a hotel-like impression than that of a sharehouse, however the fact that its residents are all good friends sets it apart from a hotel environment.
The kitchen is large enough to fit all 20 of the tour participants. We even bumped into a few residents in the middle of their cooking.
Oak House properties are famous for housing people from around the world. These clocks tell the time in different countries. The bottom right clock is labelled Kamata. You can tell that this house is full of international character.
One good thing about living in a large-scale sharehouse is that you can interact with people working in a variety of different areas. This resident works at a nail salon and is giving another housemate a manicure. It’d be great to make these kind of connections!
We continue on, moving in one big group. Crowding is not a problem as the hallway is long and spacious. At the end of the road we find...
a studio! This room is complete with a genuine drum set, amps and even a keyboard. There are apparently quite a few bands that have been created among housemates, and some have performed at music festivals before. People in sharehouses achieve great things!
We tour the rest of the house and return to the entrance. It really is just like a hotel lobby.
Events are held quite frequently. One thing that stands out to me in particular is the English lessons held by one of the English-speaking housemates. It seems like this house has everything, doesn’t it? It wouldn’t be over-exaggerating to say that that is the biggest merit of a large-scale sharehouse. Thank you to everyone at Oak House!
At last we’ve reached our final sharehouse, 「Hillside Terrace Yokohama」 in Yokohama. This is the only newly constructed house in the tour this time around. Heading inside we find an almost holiday house-like atmosphere that leaves you feeling like you are on vacation in a foreign country somewhere.
The skylights and ceiling fan also work together to create that holiday house atmosphere. It’s all very elegant and stylish.
There is even a yoga studio on the top floor. There is apparently a yoga instructor among the housemates who periodically holds classes.
We heading up a slight incline and through a tunnel of trees that wouldn’t be out of place in a movie. The house is waiting for us at the other end.
The tour members let out small gasps in awe once we stepped through the entrance, and we all felt like we had mistakenly stumbled into another world.
One element helping to create the holiday house vibe is this record player. It is rare these days to have the equipment to play LPs, and one could be caught up in the atmosphere and become totally immersed in another unique world.
Moving on to the living room we find this interesting piece. It caught the eye of one gentleman...
who immediately wanted to climb it. He climbs up to the 2nd floor instead of using the stairs.
He gets there in one piece. It can be quite addictive as this wall gives you a bit of exercise as well as a sense of accomplishment. I don’t even need to tell you that the guys in the group all became fixated on the wall.
By the 4th house the tour members have all let down their guard and are enjoying themselves as if they were housemates. This shot looks like a still from a Japanese drama or something.
There’s also a couple chatting together quite elegantly on the terrace. Everyone is having a good time.
A yoga pose is demonstrated for us in the yoga studio. Refresh yourself by looking out at the trees as you perform your yoga poses. I’m getting relaxed just thinking about it.
At the end of the tour we sat down for a chat with the management company. The conversation was lively, with topics including which sharehouse one wants to live in and which was the best house of the day. Everyone is looking for something different in a sharehouse, and in order to cater for these various needs unique and individual sharehouses, much like the ones we checked out today, are popping up one after the other.
Everyone seemed tired out on the way home and used the bus ride to rest. According to the questionnaire we handed out all participants were fully satisfied with the tour, which was pleasing to hear. It’s all thanks to the staff of the companies managing such charming and unique sharehouses. Thank you so much to everyone who cooperated with us on this tour!
So, what did you think of the bus tour? Just by checking out 4 houses I became even more aware that there are many different types of houses out there.
One thing I can say for certain is that the sharehouse lifestyle is gaining popularity as a way to experience things that you just can’t by living alone or at home with your folks. The tour participants already living in sharehouse accommodation told us that they don’t think they could ever return to living alone.
That’s how much appeal the sharehouse lifestyle has. There are of course limitations and demerits, however I am sure anyone will be able to find the perfect house for them with merits that override these things. The participants of the bus tour each too particular liking to different houses, and I think that’s normal.
I hope to see you in future for the third round of our sharehouse bus tour!
/Author: Emoto
