"How’s The Community Actually?" - The Atmosphere of Community Revealed Through Various Living Experiences [Interview]

Social Apartment" is a new style of living that combines the best of both "share house" and "single life". We often receive requests from residents who want to know more about the community atmosphere.

This time, we interviewed "Nacchan," a resident of Neighbors Esaka, to learn more about the community within Social Apartment. Nacchan has lived in a variety of share houses before coming to live at Social Apartment, and has even lived in share houses abroad. We interviewed Nacchan, who has seen many different communities, about the actual community at Social Apartment.

Interviewee

Natsumi Ukita. She is nicknamed "Natchan" by the residents. She is a person who is loved by everyone in the property because of her light footwork and can get along with anyone.

Thank you very much for joining us today. Could you briefly introduce yourself?

I usually work as an engineer for an IT company. I am actually half Japanese and half Filipino, and I am multilingual, speaking not only Japanese but also English, Tagalog, and Korean! By the way, I also have a middle name, Gloria. (I've never been called Gloria...lol) I've lived in share houses, some of them overseas, but I moved to Neighbors Esaka about a year ago.

I see that you have had a lot of experience with share houses in the past. And even overseas?

Yes, I lived in a share house overseas with about 8 other people in a 4LDK apartment. Because two people shared a room, it was difficult to take private time, and sometimes it was hard to feel at ease. In Japan, I once lived in a shared house with about 50 households.

ーーIn that situation, you moved to a social apartment, didn't you?

Yes, I moved to a social apartment because I started working remotely more often and I wanted to have a water supply in my room to take some private time, and I wanted to interact with people of various generations.

Actually, before moving into Neighbors Esaka, I had visited a social apartment called Terminal's Takatsuki several times. I had a lot of fun cooking and playing games with people of various ages, and I always thought that I would like to live in a social apartment someday. I found Neighbors Esaka, which has a lounge where I could work remotely, and I decided to move in.

Neighbors Esaka lounge space

Q: What were your biggest expectations when moving into Neighbors Esaka?

I was expecting to be able to interact with a variety of people regardless of nationality or age, since there are over 80 households living in the building.

After actually moving in, I found that there were more people spending time in the lounge than I had imagined, which was a nice gap. Because the kitchen, which is the main living area, is shared, the same people are not always in the lounge, and I felt that it is a property where it is easy to interact with various people. Seasonal events such as birthday parties and Christmas are fun because you can interact with many people.

What is your impression of the community atmosphere at Neighbors Esaka?

I feel that the residents are cheerful, sociable, and light on their feet. When I first moved in, they greeted me positively and invited me on outings, so I was able to fit in right away. So far, we have gone to Takeda Castle, made arrangements with a liquor store for beer servers, and had a yakiniku party. It's quite interesting how casual conversations in the lounge can lead to outings and events, so it's a fast-paced experience.

Q. Was there an event at the property that left a lasting impression on you?

The most memorable event was a BBQ with everyone. It started as a light conversation in the lounge about having an event unique to summer, and the conversation got bigger and bigger, so we made it happen. I enjoy the fact that events like this are often born out of everyday ideas. Other times, it's something like, "I want to eat nabe today, so let's cook it together! We often hold events like this.

It sounds like a very enjoyable event! Please tell us about your daily life at Neighbors Esaka. Neighbors Esaka has a well-equipped kitchen.

Yes, I cook for myself about 3 days a week. Before moving in, I was a little worried about whether I could use the kitchen whenever I wanted because there are so many households, but when I moved in, I was relieved to find that it was surprisingly empty.

During busy times, everyone asks, "Can I use this space for a minute? During busy times, everyone cooperates with each other by asking each other, "Can I use this space? It's a good opportunity to talk to people, so I recommend talking to people in the kitchen. Recently, I've been into making lunch boxes!

Do you have any favorite cooking appliances in the lounge?

My favorite is the auto cooker. The auto cooker is very useful because I just put in the ingredients and seasonings, push the button, and it automatically cooks a full-blown meal. It is an appliance that is difficult to buy when living alone, so I decided before moving in that I would definitely use it! I decided to use it even before I moved in. Even if I move out of Neighbors Esaka, I will buy my own auto cooker.

Q: Do you often use the lounge at Neighbors Esaka?

I use it often. In the main lounge, where there is a kitchen and other facilities, I talk and play board games with other people. I also use the working and theater lounge to watch anime on the projector. There is also a rooftop terrace where I refresh myself when I work from home. By the way, we can see the fireworks display from the rooftop, and we all enjoyed the fireworks together!

Thank you very much for sharing your story with us! What kind of person would you recommend Neighbors Esaka to?

I would recommend Neighbors Esaka to anyone. The water supply is in the room, so I want to have my own time, but I also want to use the facilities and socialize with other people! I would recommend Neighbors Esaka to greedy people like me who want to spend time by themselves, but also want to socialize and use the facilities! You can go back to your room without going through the lounge, so I thought it would be a good point to be able to switch on and off social interaction depending on your mood, and also to be able to live your life as you like.

A room at ▲Neighbors Esaka

Q: Finally, what would you like to say to those who are interested in social apartments?

Even adults can have a lot of fun if they change their environment! If you want to spend a fulfilling life, please move in!

(Interview, text, and photo by Yamamoto)