A way of life surrounded by a strong community in Kobe
Kobe Sharehouse Warai (hereafter Warai) is a unique sharehouse in Tarumi, Kobe City.
This sharehouse takes its sense of community seriously, and is a lively home where the laughter never stops. Residents live a relatively eco-friendly lifestyle, growing their own vegetables on Awaji island and even having others delivered to the house at a special price by local green grocers. The best thing about living here is that the beach is just a walk away, making it the perfect environment to relax and improve your quality of life.
In this article we will look more closely at the Kobe sharehouse that takes its community so seriously.
「Kobe Sharehouse Warai」House details page
Inoji, the man behind the house of never-ending laughter
Inoji is the nickname of Mr. Inoe, CEO of the HUMAN-BOND company.
His company operates 6 sharehouses under the Warai brand name in Tarumi, Kobe and the man himself loves connecting people together. The names of his 6 houses are ‘Organic’, ‘Maiko House’, ‘Grand Bleu’, ‘Rainbow’, ‘Garden’ and ‘Citrus’. Each place has a slightly different atmosphere yet are all one with nature made out of timber and plaster.
Inoji is the glue that holds everything together, with his ‘Organic’ house acting as a hub. All of his properties connect together, resulting in a big, happy Warai community. The owner also edits a sharehouse newspaper and yearly photobook, and residents will most certainly make friends for life living here.
※Attention
Please be aware that ‘Organic’ and ‘Maiko House’ act as hubs for this sharehouse series. Potential residents should confirm the house living conditions before moving in.
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A sharehouse just like family
The main idea behind the Warai sharehouses is that residents are living together with relaxed, open attitudes. When we visited the houses we really did find everyone with smiles on their faces living in comfort. There’s no reason not to smile when you’re doing what you love, right? One resident is a certified Chinese chiropractor and works from home, and another conducts bread baking workshops for other residents.
It is important for potential residents to be people who can love and respect the house atmosphere and interaction with the people inside. Everybody lives together like family, with only long-term 1 or 2 year contracts on offer. Once a month all residents gather at ‘Organic’ to talk about the current state of affairs and also for each resident to share what they are thankful for. By habitually taking the time to practice gratitude the Warai family bond grows stronger. In a society where it is becoming rare for even families to come together in the same room, this kind of gathering is indeed precious.
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Get agricultural experience living a LOHAS lifestyle
Walk around the locals area and you will be greeted by the elderly locals. The concept of sharehouses as well and truly penetrated Tarumi culture.
The owner Inoji will always love Tarumi with its sea and mountains, and perhaps one of the reasons it’s so dear to his heart is because it’s a town that treasures local interaction. Everyone will fall in love with Tarumi should they venture to this warm, friendly neighborhood and choose to call it home.
This is surely the only sharehouse out there where you can do some serious farming. Residents are involved in natural, sustainable farming on Awaji island. They are rethinking their way of life using natural, eco-friendly farming methods.
It all began as an interest of the owner and one vegetation-loving sharemate, and has since exceeded the status of a mere hobby. A sharehouse in which residents can live as one with nature like this is very unusual in Japan. Incidentally, as blessed with nature as it is Tarumi is by no means far from the city. With Kobe’s Sannomiya less than 20 minutes away, the city is quite close by.
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One thing that stood out to us while visiting the Warai sharehouses was that beyond Inoji’s kind smile was an unwavering passion about what he does.
A community is something that can form quite naturally, however Inoji’s enthusiasm for creating and cultivating bonds is something that has become indispensable to the town of Tarumi. His sharehouses are places boasting a perfect harmony of nature, neighborhood and humanity. All you need to do is come to Tarumi to find Kobe Sharehouse Warai houses!
The Warai sharehouses are for people who love Tarumi, love interaction and also love nature. Residents here do what they love and have a platform to express whatever that may be. This may just be the place that helps you realise that there is more to life than money.
Kobe Sharehouse Warai is a place for new encounters and discoveries.
Potential residents can have a trial stay at ‘Organic’, the hub of this 6 sharehouse group, for 1000 yen per night. Feel free to contact the house for more details.
/Author: Takahashi
