The Discovery series is one of the most famous sharehouse brands in Fukuoka.
The Discovery series specializes in concept sharehouses, and is a strong prospect for those looking to live a new life in Fukuoka city. It’s actually also designated as "Fukuoka City Private Sector Establishment Support Project" by Fukuoka City. There are currently three Discovery series in Fukuoka city, and here we’d like to introduce 【3】- ‘The Entrepreneur sharehouse’ (referred to as "DMW").
【1】 English Sharehouse → Discovery Hakata South (DHS) → Discovery Hakata South（DHS）
【2】 International Exchange Sharehouse→ Discovery Meinohama South (DMS)→ Discovery Meinohama South（DMS）
【3】 Entrepreneur Sharehouse → Discovery Meinohama West (DMW) → Discovery Meinohama West（DMW）
Through conversations with the residents and the management company who we met at our event, I felt that this Entrepreneur Sharehouse DMW was "a house where you could think seriously about work and living".
When you hear the words "Entrepreneur Sharehouse", you may feel that eligible tenants are few and far between.
However, this house isn’t limited only to people that have to have superb management skills or a high work ethic! So, what kind of person is the target candidate of this property?
①Having interest in starting a business as a student
②Having interest in sideline business and entrepreneurial work
③Preparation stage of entrepreneurship
④Freelance
⑤Venture business manager / staff
⑥Company manager
⑦I want to do something, but I haven’t decided
To put it simply, people of all stages in life are welcome. The important thing is to have a self-improving mindset and the mentality to change one’s life in a higher-reaching environment. While each resident has their own differing interests, environments that ‘aspire to improve’ will become a great asset in society.
In addition, the Kyushu Rep. Shirasuna, who manages this sharehouse, is also in the process of challenging multiple ventures, including sharehouses, hotels and even businesses in southeast Asia. It’s a pretty luxurious environment to be in with business senior’s in such close proximity. Simply living on your own will naturally create encounters that you couldn’t have imagined.
Social Gatherings ＆ Resident Interviews
We participated in a social gathering held once a month, and got to talk with the residents!
What kind of people are actually living here?
While there are many residents who actively participate in various ventures such as IT, real estate and even overseas import and exports of drones, many of the residents still aren’t completely sure what their goals are regarding entrepreneurship. The sharehouse may feel a bit stiff, but it is truly a place that you can relax in. From freelancers to individuals wanting to start a sideline business; we feel that there are plenty of people eligible for this sharehouse. At any rate, we believe that this is a place where you can really crack down and focus on your work. The concept of ‘how to work’ has changed more into an idea of ‘how to live’, and we feel this sharehouse is to thank for that.
By the way: are there a lot of residents here with sharehouse experience?
While there are people who have experience with dorms and sharehouses, there are also those with no experience whatsoever.It’s really not a big deal. The rooms are private and the washroom and kitchen are large, essentially feeling like an extension of a one-room apartment. A common pattern we've noticed with many of the residents is Kyushu natives who, after leaving Kyushu for some time, came back to Fukuoka and stumbled up on this DMW while looking for a new and interesting environment. Recently there’s even been an influx of residents who have no connections to Fukuoka whatsoever. All we can say is that everyone is positive and there are many people who are striving to do something from here on out.That type of ambitious feeling is especially necessary in a sharehouse.
What are your recommendations of this sharehouse?
You’re getting a really good deal with this house, that’s for sure! A small house usually wouldn’t have a seminar room and small office. It’s really helpful to have such useful facilities open for use while also having your own room to protect your privacy. The kitchen is a really great, fulfilling area, and the living room is very fancy. To put it simply, just thinking of the facilities is enough to realize how much of a deal this sharehouse is.
The seminar room and the like are really great and all, but what about the cleaning?
There are multiple shared areas, and if it were up to the residents to clean up according to assigned schedules then it could honestly get pretty tough. However, a cleaning contractor actually comes in three times a week and handles all of the cleaning duties! From the living room, kitchen, shower and other rooms, each room (aside from your own private room) is cleaned up. We’re sure this is more than likely much easier than living on your own!
Is it true that there are free English lessons?
Yes, there are. At the moment, an English teacher from Australia will come twice a week on Sunday and Monday to give free English lessons. Therefore, this is also an environment where you can study English. The difference between this sharehouse and an International Exchange sharehouse in the vicinity is that their DMS is frequented by many foreign residents. However, the Entrepreneur House is frequented more by people with experience in foreign travels, or internationally minded people, so there are plenty of opportunities to have deep conversations and gain lots of information! On top of that, the Discovery series sharehouses are planning on increasing their number of gatherings, so we think it’ll be even easier to create environments where it’s easy to learn English.
Are there any other recommended services?
One very useful service is a Facebook group for residents that include tax accountants, creating a mechanism for residents to have discussions with said accountants. As entrepreneurs and sideliners bring in more sales and profits, naturally tax-related troubles also come into play. However, this environment is set in place to help you discuss those troubles at leisure, and not just for tax-accountants; this environment is set up to help you with anything you need to discuss. From overseas to legal discussions, you can talk to your fellow housemates about all sorts of things, and you’ll feel so fulfilled that you’ll think there weren’t enough hours in a day! It may sound like we’re talking up this sharehouse too much, but we’re really grateful for this Entrepreneur Sharehouse DMW!
Well then, what’s the main trait of the Entrepreneur Sharehouse？
Compared to the other two sharehouses (English Sharehouse DHS and International Exchange Sharehouse DMS), this sharehouse really gives you the opportunity to think about your work and ‘how to live’, and therefore is a place to develop you work skills, we feel. Of course this doesn’t mean that the other two houses don’t focus on ‘work’! They both play to their theme, one focusing on ‘increasing your English ability’ and the other focused on ‘international exchange’. This Entrepreneur House focuses very heavily on the concept of ‘Work = way of life’. These type of conversations take place amongst the residents quite often. The residents often come together with their individual skills and mix them, all betting on a new, sudden ‘eureka’ moment. This is one example of fun time well spent here.
Do these ‘eureka moments’ ever really happen?
They really do! A lot of the ideas discussed in this house actually happen! Many people leave the nest of the DMW as they come closer to their work or goals. Besides having a core business, there are also those are say that they’re doing so well with their moonlighting that they’re booked for more than six months. There are even cases where a totally new business has been born from the connections of two residents. Also, there are even residents who participated in the San Francisco Silicon Valley dispatch training program sponsored by Fukuoka City, and some residents are currently moving forward concretely with their overseas businesses.（Pictured above: Mr. Matsuo）
Mr. Matsuo! Please tell us about your current situation and initiatives!
As a professional psychology counselor, my jobs consist of counseling and corporate training, among other things. While there are many current SNS’s out there like Facebook, I felt that there were none out there that could be used to post a problem and and solve it with confidence. I then sent a message to the Heimo representative in Finland and told him what I was thinking, and after hitting it off, plans to work as the Japan Partner of Heimo are certainly steadily proceeding, and we’re now in talks of how to introduce Heimo into Japan. This has all happened in just one month, so I’m very surprised. The reason why I was able to participate in the dispatch program was that the Entrepreneur Sharehouse was officially recognized by Fukuoka City, and the staff in charge of the dispatch program came to participate in the DMW exchange meeting, allowing me to become aware of the program.
（ Heimo：An online platform to safely and securely talk about your personal problems https://heimo.co/ )
Just around a month is some amazing speed！By the way, did you ever think about starting the service from scratch?
The service that I planned to spend years creating already existed in Finland. I thought about all of the people who, at this very moment, are suffering with problems that they can’t talk to others about and wanted to speed up the process even just a little bit to help those in need. Instead of creating the service from scratch, my desire to expand the service was insurmountable, so I didn’t hesitate in my decisions one bit. By the way, the other day we received a pitch to show up at Slush Tokyo 2017, a start-up event with an audience of over 5000, the start-ups of 200 people, 200 investors and even media!
（ Slush Tokyo 2017：The world’s largest start-up event http://tokyo.slush.org/ )
Entrepreneur Sharehouse: Facilities and Services
From just a living standpoint; a fulfilling environment
Even as an entrepreneur, your living conditions are very important. The face of the house, the living room, is very stylish. The large windows in the room are a very noticeable trait, and keep the room nice and bright at all times. The basic facilities such as the rooms, showers and toilets are absolutely flawless, so there should really be no concerns with the facilities after moving in. At the monthly exchange meetings, you can do things like have discussions with managers, or improve your English with free English lessons. People in charge can also talk to you about overseas internships or trips in Asia. Furthermore, you can go check out the other Entrepreneur Sharehouses like the ones in Tokyo or Kyoto and join pitch events. This sharehouse has really become the type of place to allow you to really maximize your potential, what with all of the various services provided.
 The full living room. The table is big, long and noticeable, and the room is filled with a warm, wooden vibe.
 In the living room are individual wooden boxes. It’s helpful to have them on the first floor.
 Over 200 books are in the living room. Books you’re interested in and not so much can both add to your overall study.
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 The kitchen is really big, almost like a restaraunt’s kitchen. This is a really useful facility.
 There are plenty of cooking supplies. There are tons of tools that you probably wouldn’t buy living alone.
 The kiln pizza oven used often during exchange parties. You can eat authentic and delicious pizza right at home ♪
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 A terrace is situated right by the living room. Treat yourself to a BBQ on nice, sunny days off.
 A post box sits right inside the house! You can receive your packages without worrying about timing.
 A real laundromat is right inside of the house. For large loads or those rushing, feel free to use these dryers.
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 The shower room. Being a booth-type shower, it’s not cold in the winter.
 There’s also a bathtub! The bathtub is on the first floor, so feel free to take a bath from time to time.
 From the second to fourth floor, every floor is fitted with wash basins and washing machines!
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 A small office. Unnecessary travel time is eliminated when your ‘home’ and ‘work’ are in the same place, right!?
 A wonderful multifunction copy machine. It seems that it’s currently free to use, but please use it while thinking of others.
 The seminar room. ‘Is this really a house?’ is what you might be saying after seeing the authentic acoustic setup, screen and photography equipment.
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 A private room (furniture included). The fridge, drawer and bed are all great items.
 The more economic dormitory room. If you join with other entrepreneur friends then you can have 24 hour strategy meetings!
 Every room has a large storage space. Even if you have a lot with you, there shouldn’t be a problem.
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What are the merits to starting a business in Fukuoka?!
Even throughout Japan, Fukuoka is a start-up city that’s kind to entrepreneurs (photo provided by Fukuoka City)
Fukuoka city has been named as "Global Entrepreneurship and Employment Creation Special Zone" since May 1, 2014. It’s actually also very active in its exchanges as a start-up city with places like Finland, Estonia, Taiwan and others. When you ask about Fukuoka, we’re sure the impression of it just being an island on the western end of Japan is very strong, but Fukuoka is one of the closest cities to overseas destinations in Japan, and is becoming a city open to the world. Even when thinking of this Entrepreneur Sharehouse’s resident Mr. Matsuo, one can only feel that his start-up example came to be because it was from Fukuoka city.
Fukuoka City has a start-up cafe and many shared offices that are involved in the operation of Fukuoka City itself, in order to create a city that is easy to start a business in Japan. Since some kind of event is constantly held in these facilities, anyone can come and blend in to Fukuoka. Lastly, I’d like to introduce some easy-to-use shared offices in Fukuoka. For those planning on moving to Fukuoka, please use them as a reference.
 BASES FUKUOKA
Right in front of Hakata Station Chikushi-guchi. There’s everything, from JR, buses, subways and even airplanes; domestic, inner-city and prefectural travel access is the best around.  Co-work&Share.H
Opened February 2017. The area is a large cultural and fashion area in Fukuoka. A new way of working seems to be peering out from here.  HOOD TENJIN
Settled in smack dab in the middle of Tenjin, Nakasu is also nearby. Many exchange events take place here. Consultation for migrating to Fukuoka are also possible. |
 OnRamp
OnRamp is managed by DOGAN, a company who supports ventures. It’s situated right above the subway station Akasaka, and with the city hall nearby it’s a really nice and convenient area.  Salt
The sea in front of the office in Nishi Ward gives you the best view you could ask for; it’s a place where the charms of life in Fukuoka are put together. Consultation for migrating to Fukuoka are also possible. |
/Author: TAKAHSHI
