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What makes a good share house? Here are my answers

Let’s say you are looking for a place to live in Tokyo and you are interested in moving in one of the share houses. Chances are you don’t know how to pick a good one.

There are thousands of share houses in this hectic city and every single house is different.

Ever since I moved in a share house in Kichijoji last year, I’ve realized there are reasons why some share houses are great and some are not. I took some time to think about this and I also asked my friends and housemates who have stayed in other share houses as well. I made a list and here are what I think all the “good share houses” have in common.

1. Not too big, not too small

The size of the share house is one of the first things you should look at. How many people are living in the house? Is the number of shower room enough for the number of the people?

First, it really depends on what kind of life you want in Tokyo. There are small share houses like only 4-7 people can live together. This type is usually a typical house for a family. It’s great to build a deep relationship with your housemates but it’s hard to maintain your privacy.

Bigger houses with more than 200 people look more like a college campus. There are billiard tables, gym, even tennis court attached to the building. Oakhouse call this kind of house “Social residence”.

My house, however, look like neither of them. There are about 20 people here. I personally think this is just the right size for me. The house is big enough to invite good number of people for a party. Enough privacy to focus on something when you want to. Not too much noise. Everyone knows everyone which makes a good community with trust.

Just some tips. Count the number of shower rooms. Is that enough for the number of people living in the house? Also, check how big the kitchen and living room is. Washing machines and other things in the common area. I strongly recommend to actually visit the house before moving in.

2. Find out if there is a good/active community

Living in a share house can suck if you don’t like your housemates. But how do you know if you like them or not? First, check the statistics and find out if there is a good balance of guys and girls. I personally think having a good balance is a good sign of an active community. Try to visit the house and look at the living room. Maybe there are pictures on the wall or letters from ex housemates so that everyone in the house can read. Is there a message board in the living room for announcing a upcoming party plan? Try also to talk to the people living there. If they like the place, they are willing to tell you how it’s like to live there. Check if there are crazy neighbors, not just in the house but outside house too.

If you have time, check if the house is clean too. Ask when was the last day the management company cleaned the house. If it’s cluttered up after a few days, the residents probably don’t care about maintaining the house. Even though the management company clean all the share house once or twice a week. but the residents need to be conscious about cleaning the house otherwise the house gets dirty very quickly.

3. Good location, good neighborhood

At last, look at the surroundings. Is the house close to the station? Are there public facilities like library? or convenient stores, supermarket, restaurants or community center (where you can play sport with friends)? Is there a park where you can walk and relax?

Being close to the station is nice, but being close to the railway can be a nightmare. Public schools can be very noisy if you live close by. Even if the house is far away from the station, it might be fine if you have a bike (having a bike is pretty common in Tokyo).

Mt. Mitake and Okutama: A great area to go from the city area (without traveling for too long)

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Tokyo is not just about the city area. On the west side, there are places where you can find great nature. Mountains, camping sites, hiking trails. You can reach these places by taking trains for an hour or so.

I visited Okutama area for hiking on the other day. Me and my housemates left for Mt. Mitake at 8AM, arrived at Mt. Mitake station around 9. We took the Mitake high mountain railway to see the great village on the mountain, went through the shrine to the hiking trail. It was foggy at first, but it cleared up as we walk. The path actually looked very cool and mysterious with the fog. The entire hike was about 6 to 7 hours. It may sound long but it’s definitely worth the time. Check out my video below to see how it was like.

Seeing the village on the mountain is highly recommended. It was my second time going there but I always enjoy looking at these small village. I wonder how it’s like to live up in there.

5 reasons why you should stay in a share house in Tokyo

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While most people living in Tokyo stay in apartments, more and more people think that staying in a share house（シェアハウス）is a good alternative. You might think share houses are for college students with a minimum budget, but that’s not the case here in Tokyo. In fact, some share houses are more expensive than apartments in certain areas like Kichijoji (which is where I live). Many people still choose to stay in a share house because they see a certain value in sharing spaces with others.

In a share house, most people stay in private rooms. The bathrooms, shower rooms, and kitchens are shared with other residents.

Today, I’d like to explain why staying in a share house is a good idea in Tokyo, even if it’s a short stay.

1. It’s fun!

Photo by Chinatsu Okizaki

This is probably the biggest reason I live in a share house. There is always someone to talk to when you are at home. Before I moved in Oakhouse 2, I was always forcing myself to get out of the apartment to hang out with my friends. I wouldn’t say I’m too introverted but it was easy to be lazy and just stay at home watching movies or playing games.

Living in a share house changed me in a way that it made it easier to socialize. It means you can have fun at home, not outside. It also means you get to meet some new people while staying at home because people from outside come to your house.

2. It’s efficient!

Photo by Chinatsu Okizaki

Staying in a share house would be great even if it’s a short stay. Every once in a while, I see some people staying for 3-4 weeks or a couple of months in my share house. They are sometimes travelers, Japanese language students, or business people who have to stay in Tokyo for more than several weeks.

One time I met two guys from Ireland traveling around Tokyo for about a month. They said they chose to stay in the share house paying a full month’s rent because it’s cheaper than staying in a hotel and easier to make local friends. I thought it was a great idea because they could ask us where the good foods are or how local people have fun in Kichijoji. In a way, you get to know the city and the local life very efficiently.

3. Less troubles!

Living in a share house is much less troublesome compared to living in an apartment. Most share houses in Tokyo are run by a management company which means they hire someone to clean all the common spaces. They also take care of the trash, too. Also, each room is fully furnished. Things like washing machines, dryers, microwaves, rice cookers are available in common spaces. Toilet paper and dish soap are refilled by oak house too. It might not sound like a big deal, but trust me it is. These kind of small things add up and save you so much time and money.

4. It’s safe!

Photo by Chinatsu Okizaki

Even though it’s fairly safe in general to live in Japan, some people choose share house because it’s safer than staying in an apartment. It’s kind of interesting that there are certain numbers of people who would never come out of their private room in every share house. There are some people like that in my share house too. They never ever come to kitchen to cook or try to socialize with other residents. I checked with other oak house managers too and it seems like a universal thing. We call them “the ghosts”. Because no one has really has seen them or talked to them, they just continue to be mysterious.

Then I started thinking… why would they choose to live in a share house in the first place? As I mentioned previously, the rent of share houses are not cheap in Tokyo. If they want privacy, they could easily find an apartment. Me and my housemates talk about this sometimes and the most decent explanation so far is safety.

There are usually people in the living room, so it would be hard for someone outside to… let’s say, steal something? It’d be just too obvious, right? If you think you can explain better, let me know. I’d be very interested to know.

One time, one of the girls who lived here had to call an ambulance. She was lucky that there were some people to help her. Looking back, it could’ve been much worse if she was living in an apartment by herself.

5. A trendy local experience

Living in a share house has been an up-and-coming urban trend in Japan in recent years. There was a reality show called “The Terrace House” which was on air until September 2014. The show was so popular that they even released a movie just a week ago (released on the 14th of February 2015).

People have this impression that living in a share house is kind of like a cool urban thing to do in Tokyo. Some share houses are pretty new and well designed too. You probably get to know many local Japanese people.

Any thoughts or questions? Let me know by sending me a message here. guafly2002@gmail.com

New houses

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How was everybody’s golden week?

We’ve got a lot of new houses, so please take a look. These are pretty cool all around.

This is Higashi-mukou-jima.
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=379
Real close to the Sumida river and Asakusa. Female only.

Here’s Ogikubo 3:
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=373
With a cool green theme, feels like home!

Park View Aobadai:
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=368
Stylish house in Kanagawa. Cool location, for sure! Trust me, Kanagawa is great.

Kita-Omiya:
http://www.oakhouse.jp/eng/es_search_details.php?h00id=366
Settled RIGHT on top of the station! How convenient! I hated the morning rush even when I lived 5 minutes away from a station, haha! Plus its situated just far enough away from Central Tokyo for some peace and quiet but isn’t too far removed from anything fun. Saitama’s not a bad choice either in today’s real estate climate!

So many people come to Tokyo and only want to live in Tokyo, which is certainly understandable. But it is totally possible to live just outside and commute into town for work or play. At least check them out! 🙂

Ryotei-Fukui!

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We’ve got a cool new house that just started up, and we’re looking for residents!

It’s called Ryotei-Fukui, and it’s on the Yamanote line, which means convenience!

It sort of has a theme. You see, the area is really chill and quiet full of old-style lower-Tokyo charm. The house is chic and cool and cozy, and seriously way affordable. If you’re interested in enhancing your Japanese language skill, feeling like a part of a community, socializing with other like-minded foreigners and local Japanese, then I highly recommend you check this place out.

Toyosu

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Yesterday I took a jaunt out to Toyosu. All I knew was that it was near Odaiba.
There are a couple of ways to get there. One is by the Yurikamome line from Shinbashi. The Yurikamome is an automatic, conductor-less train on an elevated track. The view is pretty neat, though the train itself is a bit pricey.

Toyosu also lies along the Yurakucho line, which is much easier to manage.

Here are the stairs leading up to the residential floor.

A view from the top:

Each single room comes equipped with a kitchen, dishes, and a unit bath! Seriously way awesome if you absolutely value your privacy.

So that’s the room… let’s hit the town!

Here’s a drug store, relatively nearby. Always good to know.

Walk just a little bit and you’ll come to this convenient shopping center:

…which has a supermarket, electronics store, drug store, bookstore, salon, restaurants, etc.

Though if you’re looking for something a little more exciting, go ahead and walk all the way to Lalaport! Here’s the view from the restaurant at which I had lunch:

It is SO nice to see the water once in awhile!

More pictures of other surroundings later. The house itself is located a bit of a ways away from other conveniences, but this sort of makes it worth it.

Meidaimae Oakhouse

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Okay, so after that big entry yesterday, it’s time to fill in the blanks! I think my brain has FINALLY cooled down enough. 😛

Here’s the entrance. You climb up some stairs and here it is, tucked away. Remember, this is directly above a bakery! A BAKERY. Wake up to delicious smells every morning, grab a treat, head off to work/school/play, buy a coffee, you are SET. Every morning.

Our staff was still getting furniture, dishes, and other miscellany into the house so it was sort of elegant chaos, but here’s part of the kitchen.

A quaint chalkboard to serve as a message area. Trust me, a chalkboard fits the mood of the house much more than a whiteboard would!

The stairs. This place has a real cabin-y, lodge-y feeling.

The bathroom feels homier than some other locations. Definitely a plus if that sort of thing is important to you!

The rooms are faintly Japanese style with hardwood floors. You can see lots of green out the windows.

Like this!

Two of our awesome coworkers, putting together beds and stuff.

Here’s how a room would look in a share situation.

Another view.

These closet doors are cool. It looks as though some of them were originally supposed to be used for the traditional Buddhist altars in a Japanese home. You can use them however you like, though! The closets, I mean.

Here’s some more bamboo. Awesome.

After wandering around, they’d set up a few rooms. Here’s the desk set-up.

So that’s Oakhouse Meidaimae. 6 singles and 1 women-only share room for 2. Pretty relaxing area, good access to Shinjuku and Shibuya.

Also, there’s a bakery on the 1st floor.

There is a bakery. On the 1st floor.

I think that’s all!

Did I mention the bakery on the 1st floor?

Kuramae Oakhouse

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Hey there sorry I couldn’t talk about the Kuramae house for the last
couple of weeks — things have been pretty hectic around here, and I
found myself having to go to Nagoya and Osaka on business.

Most
people come to Japan and just hang out in Tokyo or Kyoto, which is
arguably the best way to experience the best mix of new and old Japan if
you haven’t before. But Nagoya and Osaka are pretty cool too. Both have
castles, for one!

I don’t often have time to see the sights — just enough to do
the work and come back — but I DEFINITELY make it a priority to sample
the local delicacies!

In Osaka the okonomiyaki is famous, but I tend to go straight
for the takoyaki! I do this mostly because I’m saving room for eating in
Nagoya. 😉

In Nagoya, it’s a feast: pork cutlet with miso sauce; flat, udon
noodles called kishimen; and the famous Nagoya chicken wings.

Basically, food is awesome.

Okay, on to the house.

The
area surrounding Kuramae and the Asakusa area is laid out a bit more
logically than the rest of Tokyo, and the main streets are very wide.
The rooms are slightly cozy but with the surrounding area, I don’t think
I’d mind at all.

Another
room.

I
have no idea why but I totally dig that kind of window, haha.

A
slightly wider room. Some of the rooms had really cute curtains. Is
that okay for a guy to say? “cute curtains”. You know what, whatever, I
don’t care; those curtains were cute.

I
definitely wanted to run across this roof like a Japanese Spiderman.
Because I am 7 years old.

Electric
range in the kitchen with a fish grill. I started eating fish a lot
more since coming to Japan.

Slick
black refrigerator. I like the fact that the TV stand has drawers!

A
look down the hallway.

This
vanity is in the front part of the dormitory room. Oh dear, that’s me!

And
here’s the pleasant criss-crossing of wood that make up the dormitory
sleeping room.

So that’s that — a nice, quiet, and homey area that’s still
situated right in the midst of Tokyo.

My coworker just told me we’re going to check out another new place next
week, so look forward to that!

Nishi-Kasai

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Today I took a little trip out to Nishi-Kasai with the rest of the International Team. After a pleasant little jaunt on the Tozai line, we exited the station and took a look at the surrounding town.

Here’s a recycle shop about halfway to the guesthouse from the station. It really isn’t very far at all!

This is literally right across the street from the place. This will be your one-stop shop for almost everything you could possibly need.

Laox is an electronics store that should keep you from having to make a day to haul yourself out to Akihabara unnecessarily when you just need a few things.
Daiso is a 100-yen store with almost anything you can imagine within reason.
Maruei is a supermarket, and then there’s also the drug and sundry store, which is certainly nice to have close at hand.

Finally we reach the front stairs.

Stairwell off the entrance.

Most of the rooms are a bit small but each one has a nice vibrant color on one of the walls. There was also orange and light blue.

I like these portable electric ranges!

A dishwasher! In a house! I haven’t seen one of these since I left the States. 😛

I’m pretty sure this is the Tokyo Sky Tree they’re building as the broadcast tower for digital television once the switch-over from analog happens in 2011.

Check out this gyoza shop on the way back, it looks delicious. Especially the big one beside the door! 😛

…seriously craving gyoza right now. Oh man.

This little guy was on the ground, pointing the way toward the sports center nearby. There’s a pool, too, which I was sorely tempted to jump into fully-clothed, what with the heat these days!

A quiet and yet interesting town with easy access to the rest of Tokyo, Nishi-Kasai seems plenty convenient!

Premier Warabi prep

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Since I started here with Oakhouse, I have been hearing about something called the ‘Premier’ series.I’ve been so busy lately that I don’t spend much time at home except to sleep, really, so the place I’m in now is more than enough. But if home life is important to you, I can totally recommend the new Premier Warabi house opening in mid-June.

If you don’t mind, I’d like to give an extremely over-simplified history lesson – During Japan’s economic boom in the 1980’s, real estate prices were ridiculously astronomical. When the proverbial bubble burst, things have gradually returned to some semblance of normality, except for real estate prices. Those typically don’t fall in line as much as one would like. Anyway, in those boom times, companies could afford to provide lodging for their full-time employees, but now it doesn’t seem feasible. More and more you read occasionally in the news that young people are finding that living in guesthouse arrangements or with roommates is the economical option. (It’s also more interesting, truth be told!)

This used to be one such dormitory, but the word ‘dormitory’ feels cold compared to how I felt poking around this place.

Sometimes modern Japanese architecture is minimalist and utilitarian to a fault – solid blocks of colorless concrete seems to have been the new chic in home design for awhile. This building may have a design evocative of decades past, but I’ll take the interesting lines and shapes here over uninspired modern geometry any day!

There are flowers and plants lining the pathway to the front door.

Pass under some arches…

Here is the lobby area, cubbies for shoes on the left and these lampstands felt like I was stepping into a hotel.

Here’s a view down the hallway. Strategically placed skylights, funky columns.

Each floor here has two or three small stove/sink combinations, perfect for quick meals when you don’t feel like heading up to the lounge or don’t want to wander too far! Perfect for the lazy like me. 😛

One of the first things I noticed were this row of sinks and cabinets. No need to crowd!

A few showers and cubby holes… and what’s that in the back? Could it be…?

Japanese style bathing! Fill the tub up with hot hot water, wash yourself over on the right, then step into the relaxing steamy brew. If you can get away for a weekend to an onsen or something I highly recommend it.

Off in the distance you can see two of our staff
working hard building racks! Way cool people.

Up the stairs to the 2nd floor lounge. It’s huge! There’s a tatami room back there too, I wonder what that’ll be.

Rectangular tatami mats and window, circular tables and window. The clock contains the same shapes. I’m sure this was a happy accidental arrangement. 🙂

Here’s one of the furnished single rooms. Look how spacious this is! If it were me, this is like an ideal room size.

3rd floor dining room. Also huge! It looks like we’re preparing this place from the top down, which is why the 2nd floor lounge looks like it’s still being moved into. High tables and chairs, and then another kitchen area to the left.

Here’s the view from the kitchen. This is oddly specific, but I love kitchens like this because I like cooking for people while I’m behind the counter like this; it feels like I am some master chef and they are waiting for me to delight them with culinary wonders. In reality, I’m an achingly average cook. 😛

Lounge area. There’s a TV on the left. Maybe it’s just the way I took the photo but somehow that table looks photoshopped in at some weird angle. D:

Here’s an idea of the double rooms. Still plenty of space!

3rd floor hallway. I am unable to discern exactly why, but I love the retro glass things here.

In the surrounding area is a building with a garden in the back. While I was walking around, a sweet older lady was carefully tending to the flowers. I snapped this from the roof.

Just around the corner is what looks like an old, old convenience store run by a tiny, solitary old lady. I have only been in Japan a few years and yet somehow I knew this felt ‘nostalgic’. Hand-made bento in a case looked enticing, far better than the cookie-cutter packaged meals you’d get at a bigger chain. I picked up some homemade chirashi-zushi and a bottle of tea, then sat down on a bench on the nearby street for my lunch.　It was delicious.

When I asked how to get to the house, they told me it was an 8-minute walk from the station. Maybe I’m spoiled because I live even closer to my station than that, so at first that seemed long, but it’s pretty much a straight shot down the street and then a left turn and you’re there, so it’s very brisk.

Right outside the station there’s a Tokyu supermarket, and plenty of restaurants and convenience stores. Also, Warabi is on the Keihin-Tohoku line, which will get you to Akihabara, Ueno, Tokyo, and Yokohama on one train. Change at Akabane for quick access to Ikebukuro, Shinjuku, Shibuya, and Ebisu. I’m the kind of person who to maintain a healthy distance from the city I work in, so I would definitely recommend this place. Rather reasonable, too!

I’ll go check it out again when it’s finally open and let you know how it looks! 😀