Hello!
I’m Kiki, the new Kizunaya Writer Ambassador living in toiro (Tobu Nerima).

My real name is Natsumi Sugeta. For various reasons, I’ve come to be called “Kiki” at the sharehouse. (I’m planning to write another article about the nickname culture in the sharehouse!)
This is my first job as a Writer Ambassador, so let me introduce myself.

Age: 23
From: Hiroshima
Occupation: Writer at an IT company
Hobbies: Reading, going to cafes, travel, watching movies, dogs ♡

…You get the idea!
I hope you’ll get to know me better as you read the articles!

But enough about me – let’s get to the point.
Today, I’m going to share some real experiences of living at Kizunaya Sharehouse.

Let’s talk about…

– Rent
– Daily life
– The community
– The romantic side…?

…and more!
I did some thorough questioning , and now I’d like to share with you what I learned.

*We live together in the same house, but for the interview, I pretended to be someone who doesn’t know anything about the sharehouse.

This time, I interviewed Natsupon (nickname), a 23-year-old single lady who has lived at toiro (Tobu Nerima) for one year and is in her first year of working!

It’s been almost a year since she came to Tokyo.
She started living at toiro (Tobu Nerima) right after she moved to Tokyo last March.
She had lived in a sharehouse for a month or two while job hunting, but this was her first time living properly in a sharehouse for a long period of time.

Why did she choose to live in a Kizunaya sharehouse instead of living alone?

(1) Because the rent is lower
(2) Because there are people and it’s less lonely
(3) Because it is easier to move in.

When she first moved in, she was thinking she could easily move out if the house wasn’t her thing.
But now, she says:

“I might actually stay here until I get married or move in with someone.”

It seems that she’s quite satisfied with her life in the sharehouse.

Today, I’ll tell you about Natsupon’s lifestyle, rent, relationships… basically everything but her personal info! I hope you’ll find it useful!

Natsupon: That’s quite a personal question to start with. (laughs)

Me: Yes. I believe this is what people want to hear the most.

Natsupon: Very well. We’re here to do some real talk, after all.

My current rent is 79,000 yen a month, service fee included.

The rent is 64,000 yen and the service fee 15,000 yen.

Me: That’s… not as cheap as I thought.

Natsupon: Well, sharehouses do range from very cheap to very expensive.

Sharehouse toiro has a strong management system, so there are a lot of tenants who actively take part in the community.

I didn’t want to live in a place that was too cheap because I was worried about safety, so I chose a place with a slightly higher rent for security reasons!

But the rent varies depending on the size and location of your room, so you should check more than just one.

Natsupon: The kitchen, living room, restrooms, baths, and washing areas at toiro (Tobu Nerima) are shared. I believe it’s the same for most houses.

Me: Really? You share the same bath and toilet with everyone else?

Natsupon: Not exactly. We have separate floors for men and women.

At toiro (Tobu Neruma), the 1st floor has a living room, kitchen, and a guest room. The 2nd floor is for men only, and the 3rd floor is for women only. The 4th floor is unisex.

Each floor has two restrooms and two baths, a washing area, and a mini kitchen.

The kitchen and living room on the 1st floor are really spacious, and there are big pots and pans, an oven, and a blender etc., so you can enjoy cooking if you’re into it.

▲Kitchen

People often share the results of their work in the kitchen (laughs)

Natsupon: Of course there are! You have some weird ideas about sharehouses! (laughs)

The house has dormitory rooms and private rooms. I live in a 12.5 sqm private room!

The private rooms are completely private.

The room includes a bed, mattress, closet, storage, and fridge.

▲Private room

Me: Such a cute room! Is this what all private rooms look like?

Natsupon: The size and shape vary.

As a rule, the rent changes depending on the size of the room. The dormitories start at 45,000 yen per month (service fee included). Private rooms are about 60,000 to 80,000 yen a month.

When I first moved in, I lived in a large 17 sqm room. I moved to my current room when it became available to save on rent.

And another room became available recently, so I’m moving to a 10 sqm room next because the rent is 10,000 yen lower (laughs)

Approx. 17 sqm (85,000 yen) → 12.5 sqm (79,000 yen) → 10 sqm (69,000 yen)

Soon I will have moved 3 times within the same house in one year.

I don’t really need a big room, so I’m really happy to get a lower rent!

Me: That’s a whole 16,000 yen cheaper than when you first moved in! You’re really lucky, or maybe you’re working hard for that luck… Either way, I’m impressed.

Natsupon: In my sharehouse, there are tenants ranging from students to people in their late 30s. Most are working age adults, and they go to work on weekdays.

Me: Sounds like nothing out of the ordinary.

Natsupon: That’s right! There are a couple of freelancers and entrepreneurs, but most people here are working regularly.

IT company workers, office workers, store clerks, nurses, ramen shop workers, programmers, designers, personal trainers, bartenders, and so on…

Me: You get to mingle with people with different occupations daily! (laughs)

Natsupon: That’s right (laughs)

Well, it’s not like we talk about work every day…

Most are older than me, so I learn a lot by listening to them.

Plus a lot of the people here have interesting backgrounds.

“I traveled around the world as a backpacker” or “I once quit my job in three days”, for example.

You get to talk to people who you would usually never meet in your daily life, so it’s a lot of fun!

▲People often play the guitar in the living room

Natsupon: Ah, people ask that a lot (laughs)

Me: There are men and women living in the same house, so something’s bound to happen, right?

Natsupon: Yes, there is romance! Not for me, though (laughs)

Me: Really? Not at all?

Natsupon: Nothing so far.

Me: Are you sure?

Natsupon: I’m afraid so.

But there are a few couples. New couples have been born even after I moved in.

Plus the unisex 4th floor is for couples and families.

Me: Really? You can move in with your family?

Natsupon: Yes. toiro (Tobu Nerima) currently has a 3-person family living in it, and there’s even a 3-year-old boy living here.

You can even raise kids in a sharehouse nowadays!

A lot of the people here love kids, so he gets a lot of attention. People even help with babysitting. Raising a kid in a sharehouse doesn’t sound too bad!

▲Shinshin, who loves Anpanman

Me: You mentioned living alone while you were a student. Don’t you want to go back to living alone?

Natsupon: Not at all, to be honest (laughs)

Of course, living alone isn’t bad either. You can have friends over anytime you want.

But I started feeling lonely during the pandemic.

You’re alone when you get home and eat dinner all alone.

But in a sharehouse, there’s always somebody to welcome you back when you come home.

Around 4:00 p.m., someone would message the LINE group and say, “Today’s dinner is hamburger steak & minestrone with lots of vegetables! Let’s eat together!”

You can go eat if you want, but nobody’s forcing you.

If you’re coming home late, they’ll leave some for you in the fridge.

▲Everyone’s so good at cooking it’s scary

Me: Wait, so dinner is waiting when you come home?

Natsupon: That’s right. A lot of people here love cooking, so it’s healthy and tastes amazing. I rarely cook for others, though (laughs)

But of course I help them to clean up!

Me: How often do the residents eat together?

Natsupon: Up to 3-4 times a week.

Naturally, you get to choose whether to join.

We also have a tradition of eating cake on people’s birthdays.

▲People often bond over drinks

Me: Sounds like you’re really enjoying your life here!

…But are you sure there’s no romance at all?

Natsupon: I told you. Not for me.

Last year, people couldn’t go home for New Year’s due to the pandemic, so we did a countdown party and ate New Year’s soba. We even visited the shrine together.

▲Made with soba flour

▲O-zoni soup

Natsupon: To those who get lonely easily or want to talk to lots of people!

I especially recommend it to people like me who have just moved to Tokyo and don’t have any friends here.

Me: I feel like during your first year of work, you’re so busy that you don’t have time to make friends at the sharehouse…

Natsupon: Yeah, I was like that at first. I wasn’t used to my job and got home late every day, and on the weekends I was too tired to come out of my room.

Then I realized my life was nothing but moving between the house and the office.

When I noticed that, I felt like quitting my job (laughs)

Me: I guess that happens a lot when you’re fresh out of college.

Natsupon: That’s true. After that, I made sure to come home a bit earlier, and I started to eat together with the other residents and ask them for advice.

We talked about work or strange things that had happened. Pretty much everything (laughs)

I work at a startup, and it was totally different from what I had expected. “Are all companies like this?” I would ask them things like that.

When I did that, they would give me lots of advice based on their life experience. About work in general, or things you should do while you’re still young.

And since we live together, they also gave me advice on what kind of work would suit me best. They’re like big sisters and big brothers to me (laughs)

I was glad I had come to a sharehouse.

Me: It’s really important to get advice from someone who doesn’t work in the same company.

By the way, did you ever feel any sparks between you and those people who were so kindly helping you…?

NatsuponI told you, no!

The other day, I got home around midnight, but ended up talking till 3 AM (laughs)

But the living room’s only 30 seconds away from my bed, so I didn’t have to worry about it.

I feel like living in a sharehouse has really made my life richer (laughs)

▲Christmas Party

Me: So far, we’ve only talked about the good sides. Let’s hear some juicy stories about the bad sides!

Natsupon: Of course, there are a lot of negatives!

First, your shoe space is limited. And you have to bring your shampoo set with you every time you take a shower.

And… I can’t think of much more (laughs)

By the way, here’s a list of even more good sides of living in a sharehouse!

●Someone’s always home to receive your mail for you

●The common areas are cleaned once a week, so there’s less cleaning to do

●You save money on plastic wrap, toilet paper and other supplies

●You can use the free Wi-Fi

●You’re supposed to clean up after you take a shower, and it turned into a good habit

●It’s much more safe and secure than living alone

What did you think?

I hope you learned a lot about Natsupon and her life in the sharehouse!

Oh, by the way…

Did you notice…?

Actually, “Natsupon” was me all along! (laughs)

????

I did a “self-interview” on myself!
I guess it was more of a self-introduction (laughs)

“Natsupon” was my nickname back in school.
I’m only called “Kiki” at the sharehouse!
(Sorry if it’s confusing!)

Anyway, I think it’s time to wrap up this article.

Next time, I will actually interview another Kizunaya Sharehouse resident!

See you again soon!