Interview: Mr. Sho - share house in Japan, Tokyo. [interwhao]

Why did you decide to move in shared house?

Sho-san: I live in family home but I decided to be independence. Honestly, I was thinking about one room type of apartment.

After thinking, why did you choose shared house?

Sho-san: It is the first time to live alone and I don’t know about utilities… For shared house, utilities fees are fixed (internet, water, gas, and electricity) Also, I had to pay deposit and brokerage if I move in studio type. I wanted to save money. That’s why I chose Interwhao’s shared house with reasonable cost.

Money is the reason?

Sho-san: In the end, money is important. Especially now, young people don’t have money. Lol But that’s not only the reason.

What else?

My friends told me about shared house. Then we looked many shared houses. Some shared houses doesn’t have a private room. I mean two people live in one room. But Interwhao provides a completely private room with a key. It was okay to live alone but I was worried about many things. In shared house, I can meet many types of people.

Did you worry about shared house before you moved in?

The most worrying about shared house is the relationship between tenants. I was worried, “What am I gonna do if there is a strange tenant?” But after I moved in, I found out that everyone is friendly. I really appreciate them. A room is completely private, so if I want to talk with somebody, I can come down stairs and wait for somebody in the living room. If I want to study or I’m tired, I can just stay in my room. In that point, I feel free.

We think that you made friends very quickly.

Sho-san: Not really. At first, I used to eat foods alone in the living room but I said hello to people passing by the kitchen and the living room. And then, I talked to them and had more time to spend together. Now I’m enjoying the house.

How many friends did you make after moved in?

Sho-san: Uncountable. I made friends here, they take their friends. There are parties in this house, so I met many many people. There are many foreigners living in here and they are very friendly. Everyone has a chance to talk with them in English, so I recommend this house for those who want to practice English. Some of them are American, so I can learn the real English. I can graduate from Japanese English!! Lol

To be honest, aren’t you interested in another shared house or company?

Sho-san: I don’t think about it now. I like this place. Fujigaoka house does not have very nice facilities but people are very warm-hearted and the environment is full of green. Very relaxing house.

If you advice those who look for shared houses, what are you going to say?

Sho-san: I don’t say a big thing. The reason I chose here was because of reasonable initial fees and the cheap rent. The shared house that I looked before Interwhao was shared by 7 people in 2LDK. There is a private room but the wall is thin and doesn’t reach the ceiling. But I thought the rent is cheap…I was thinking about moving in but I imagened after I moved in. I guessed that I must be feeling stress. My advise is that people shouldn’t judge a house or a room through pictures or internet. They should go and see a real house and a room. After I went and saw, I felt like “I like this place”… By seeing the real one, you could imagine your life there. “See it and feel it”. This is my advise.

Thank you for taking interview.

Sho-san: No problem, please feel free to ask me!!