The other day we went to a Grand Opening party for Share Residence Nishifunabashi, a new sharehouse in Nishifunabashi.
People living in Chiba will have heard of this place. Nishifunabashi station is an essential hub used by many as a transfer point to other lines, including the Sobu line, Tokyo Metro Tozai line, Keisei line, Musashino line and the Toyo Rapid Railway line. With its countless shops and the sweet smell of bread wafting throughout the station, passengers in transit often end up walking around the station premises while waiting for their next train.
The house is an 11-minute walk from the station, and I was warmly greeted by staff upon arrival before being escorted to the party room. There was a delicious aroma wafting through the room, and it had been set up and decorated by the fantastic staff for the event. Great food had been prepared by staff with cafe management experience, and another who had trained at a bakery was making bread right before my eyes. Right then and there I fell in love with the Share Design staff and the warm, homey atmosphere they had created.
I will now take you through the events of the party and how they unfolded.
「Share residence Nishi Funabashi」House Details Page
Food for the party is prepared by Share Design staff members to welcome the new residents.
A brilliant array of foods adorn the dinner table. New residents begin to arrive and the lounge becomes lively little by little.
All is ready to go! Everyone comes together to join in a spirited toast!
Cheers! What wonderful smiles all around.
Time to dig in! Everyone gushes over how good the food looks.
Gathering around a table to eat with others is something said to be lacking in the modern Japanese lifestyle. These folks right now are among their new big family getting ready to move in, and it looks like they couldn’t have felt more at home.
Can you guess what everyone is looking at?
Tada! Having this delicious smelling meal for breakfast will put you in a good mood for the rest of the day.
Next up is a bread-making workshop with a baker! The whole process looked difficult from where I was standing, though. Despite the tough task at hand, conversation and laughter flew about the room and I was reminded of the importance of connections between people. They say laughter is catching, and I truly understood the meaning of the phrase watching the exchanges taking place before me.
Party guests are making croissants and listening to a lecture on how to wind the dough to achieve that unique shape.
The final product! These look so good they could be sold in a shop. Freshly-brewed coffee completes the picture.
The wine is opened, conversation is ignited and I went around speaking to both new residents and staff members.
I spoke to one new resident who told me that they had lived in the confusion and chaos of the city, and chose this house in order to live in a charming neighborhood with space nearby to exercise and move their body.
Another resident hailing from outside of Japan mentioned that the house had a high ceiling and was comfortable to live in, something that Japanese people wouldn’t usually notice.
One young woman with a lot of luggage, something all females can relate to, says that she finds the ample storage space in the house very convenient.
I personally find the best thing about the house to be the beer tap! You don’t see those around too often! (laughs) This Share Design sharehouse shares the small happinesses in life that we often overlook, like free coffee in the morning. They pull out all the stops to make sure their residents are comfortable.
The great thing about sharing is that it fosters a cycle of communication between people of all ages and walks of life with with diverse personal and professional experiences. This was my first time participating in an event like this, and being here I truly felt our company’s objective, “reversing the communication deficiency of modern day Japan with sharehouses”, in action.
Another great thing about sharehouses is reflected in its management philosophy on how they would like their residents to live. The world that Share Design has created for this house is a warm, friendly place full of laughter. Take the opportunity to start a new lifestyle for yourself at Share Residence Nishifunabashi.
