Former chef, now a traveling chef. Two years of growth in a social apartment, where I decided to give cooking another try.

One of the attractions of social apartments is that you can meet people with diverse jobs, hobbies, and ways of thinking. Many people have taken on new challenges as a result of meeting people at this property.

This time, we talk to Kai'im, who has lived at World Neighbors Kiyosumi Shirakawa for two years.

When he first moved in, he quit his job as a chef at a hotel and started working in video production through an introduction from a resident.

During his stay, he has been influenced by the residents of Social Apartment in various ways, and has organized events for 100 people, and is about to start a traveling chef service to give cooking a second chance after quitting.

We asked Kaimu, now 26 years old, to share his experience of two years of challenge and growth at Social Apartment.

Social Apartment seemed so sparkling at first

───First of all, what made you decide to live in a social apartment?

A childhood friend of mine used to live at World Neighbors Kiyosumi Shirakawa, and I used to visit him often. When I quit my job as a chef, I thought, "Okay, let's play!

My first impression of the Social Apartment was that it was very sparkling (laughs). I had never seen anyone living here, and I thought it looked like a very interesting place.

When I started going there, people were very nice to me, even though I didn't know them at all. Everyone was so kind. I wondered if such a warm community existed, and I thought I would be able to make friends with wonderful people, so I decided to live here.

When they play, they play; when they work hard, they work hard. That's why I decided to take on the challenge too.

───How was it really like living here for two years?

It was great. I made friends right away and had a lot of experiences, partly because there were so many warm people who inspired me to live here. I was able to have a lot of fun, and I was also able to take on new challenges towards what I wanted to do in terms of work.

In Kiyosumi Shirakawa, there are many people who play when they play, work hard when they work hard, and are very good at controlling themselves. Being with people like that makes me want to challenge myself to be the person I want to be.

Of course it is fun to have drinks and play games together, but I make a conscious effort to take time for work and the things I want to do.

It is important to be able to control your own time when living in a social apartment. At first, I was playing hard to fit in with everyone else, and then I realized that I wasn't getting any work done or doing the things I wanted to do (laughs).

(laughs) ──That's really what everyone says, isn't it? So you were influenced by the fact that many people around you are in control of themselves.

That's right. One of the residents has a clear vision of what he wants to be in one or two years, and when I see up close how his English is really fluent or how his skills have improved after two years, I feel like I have to work hard too.

The video production company I am working for now was introduced to me by a tenant. I had quit my job as a chef and was studying video editing on my own, but someone who works for an advertising agency asked me if I was interested in a video production company. I joined the company with no experience. I joined the company with no experience, and now I am a production manager for commercial production.

I am now a production manager for commercial productions. It really is a great environment.

I quit my job as a chef and had nothing to be proud of. But I still want to repay everyone who treated me well.

─ ─ Is there anything memorable from the past two years?

Last year and this year, for the second year in a row, we held an event for about 100 people at the Rooftop Terrace. This year, we invited all of our friends from Social Apartment outside of Kiyosumi Shirakawa.

Social Apartment has specialists in various genres, so I asked designers to make flyers, chefs to cook, and DJs to DJ. Everyone helped me in ways that I could never have done on my own.

I wanted to get people involved. I have always liked to involve others in my work, and I wanted to do something with this environment, so I took on the challenge.

I have always found it most rewarding when the people in front of me are pleased with something I have created. The same goes for cooking, and the same goes for video.

I planned this event because I wanted to give back to everyone at Social Apartment who has been so kind to me.

When I moved in, I was about 24 years old and had quit my job as a chef, so I had nothing to be proud of. At that time, I had wonderful older brothers and sisters who were older than me and treated me as an equal. I was very grateful for that.

So I wanted to do something I could do. So I organized an event that involved everyone.

I wanted to make people happy with my cooking. I'm starting to be a traveling chef.

Actually, I am now thinking of taking up cooking again. When I used to work at a hotel, there were times when I had to make dishes that I didn't want to make, and I didn't like that kind of world, so I quit. But I still like cooking.

When I cook for everyone at Social Apartment, they are very happy.

I often get comments like, "Why did you quit cooking? If people are that happy with my cooking, I thought I would try something different.

I would like to start my own traveling chef service. I am steadily preparing to start in earnest next year. I plan to start with a limited weekend service.

─ Finally, do you have a message for those who are thinking about moving into a social apartment?

If there are people who are not sure, I think there is no need to hesitate. There are only good things. You can meet people as friends or as love.

The people I met here pushed me to do what I wanted to do. I think this is a place where you can become the person you want to be. You can have a lot of experiences that you would not be able to have if you were a normal working adult.

So, if you have any doubts, I think it would be a good idea to join first.

(Reporting, writing, and photography by Tsubasa Inouye)