SHINKAN Project! New Tenant Welcome Party" hosted by tenants connects the chain of "Nice to meet you" ｜Award-winning 4 properties

At Social Apartment in spring, "Nice to meet you" can be heard in the common areas, hallways, and elevators of the property. With the increase in the number of new residents, you will see a few unfamiliar faces here and there in the common areas.

When you first move into a new apartment, it is a good idea to introduce yourself by showing up in the common areas and saying "Nice to meet you" to everyone. As you greet each and every one of them, you may find yourself saying, "Huh? Have I greeted them yet? Have I not yet?" And because there are so many people to greet, it is easy to lose track of who you have actually greeted.

If that is the case, it would be great if we could create a time and place where we could say "hello" to all our friends at the same time,
I think that new tenants will be able to take their first steps together. With this in mind, we launched the "SHINKAN Project" this spring!

This is a welcome party organized "by tenants for tenants," which is different from the Welcome Party hosted by Global Agents, which was held in parallel with the SHINKAN Project. The "SHINKAN Project" was planned and held with the involvement of new tenants, and the "goodness" and "color" of each property was evident.

Now, what kind of welcome party was held for new tenants? Although it was held some time ago, here are the award-winning properties based on reports of the event from the tenants! (* In no particular order)

The prize for filling our stomachs with new resident-requested dishes (Neighbors Ukima Park)

16 participants｜100% new resident participation rate

At Neighbors Ukima Park in Kita-ku, Tokyo, five new residents were each asked what they wanted to eat, and based on the answers, everyone came up with ideas for dishes they thought would be good. The new residents were asked to come up with five different dishes based on their ideas. The requests from the new residents were "a dish gentle to the stomach using tofu," "a Western dish using fish," "a dish using cheese and tomatoes," "a spicy food to go with rice," and "a meat dish to go with rice!

We were divided into groups with the new residents and everyone started cooking together. Some of the dishes came out exactly as the new residents had imagined they would like to eat, and some were unexpected, but all five dishes were very tasty and well received.

By mixing in "Finding Commonalities" and "Finding Two Choices" games to find commonalities between each other, they were also able to talk about themselves and get to know each other more deeply. With all the new residents in attendance and a larger-than-usual crowd of existing residents, it seemed to be a lively welcome party with a difference from the usual.

The award for the warmth of the letter writing campaign to the new residents (Social Apartment Shinkenmigawa)

21 participants｜81% new resident participation rate

At Social Apartment Shinkenmigawa in Chiba Prefecture, the purpose of this event was not only to give new residents a chance to integrate into their new environment, but also to give existing members an opportunity to build new relationships with each other.

Considering that "new residents would have a high hurdle to participate" if they were only notified via general LINE or apps, individual invitation letters were prepared for 16 new residents and delivered to each resident's room door. The app's message function was also used to inform the new residents of the event so that they would not be surprised by it.

Let me share with you the thoughts of the planners who put such kindness into this project...

"For newcomers, it takes courage to even go out into the common space. In order to build connections with others in such a situation, I felt again that it is important to have a "small support" to encourage the first step. I myself have had such help in the past, which is why I am able to be involved in this way now. I think that people who live in social apartments have a desire to connect with someone in no small way, and if this meeting was a step in that direction, I am happy."

You passed on the baton of such support, which you yourself have received in the past, to the next member.

You are still very close - the award for winning first place in the number of participants (Neighbors Kyoto Nijojo).

35 participants｜New resident participation rate: 77

Neighbors Kyoto Nijojo in Kyoto Prefecture took first place in the number of participants, with 35 out of a total of 53 residents!

The number of foreign residents is increasing, so the party was a cultural exchange event with recommended dishes from various countries and Japanese food brought in. The popular "MBTI Diagnosis" and "Harry Potter Dorm Diagnosis" were taken in advance, and everyone's results were posted on the day of the event. It was interesting to see them side by side: even within the same residence, some fellow residents were the same type, while others were the complete opposite!

The name tags were put on the new residents so that they could be easily approached even if they had never met each other before, and the new residents were colored differently so that everyone could recognize them, and the event included quizzes and gesture games that could be enjoyed regardless of language.

The prize for bringing everyone's specialty (Neighbors Saginuma)

23 participants｜100% participation rate of new residents

At Neighbors Saginuma in Kanagawa Prefecture, although it was a "welcome party for new residents," the new residents were actively involved in the planning!

When we shared that we were going to make taco rice and curry, one resident suggested that we serve her native Indian cuisine, and she served us a superb Indian curry and spicy gnocchi. Another resident brought his camera, which is his hobby, and took pictures of everyone cooking, leaving us with many smiling faces. Many people helped out with the shopping and cooking, creating a "warm and natural exchange" that is typical of Neighbors Saginuma.

After the SHINKAN event, the organizer said

"We had originally planned a card game to get to know each other, but we were able to get to know each other so naturally that we didn't need to play the game. After the event, new residents started to show up at the lounge more, and we feel that the welcome party helped to revitalize ongoing communication. We hope to continue to carefully nurture a place for warm and natural interaction that is unique to Neighbors Saginuma."

The "color" and "comfort" of each property is surely spun through people in this way.

Cash back prize money for the next exchange

We had set the cash-back opportunity at "50,000 yen maximum," but since there were so many wonderful reports of the event, all the winning properties were awarded the "50,000 yen" cash-back maximum! One of the tenants of the winning property said, "I'm going to use it to plan the next exchange event! Some tenants of the award-winning properties said, "I will use it to plan the next exchange event!

We hope that this "SHINKAN Project" will be an opportunity for both of you to take the "first step" toward each other, and for newcomers to our social apartment, as well as those who have been visiting the common areas a little less often, to take this opportunity to find a way to enjoy exchanges "at your own pace.

Editor's Postscript.

In spring, when I stepped into the "welcome party for new students" held by the entire campus on the first day of university, I remember how overwhelmed I was by the energy of the upperclassmen, but also how excited I was about the university life that awaited me and how excited I was to "spend time here" in the future.

I am sure that the tenants who have decided to move into Social Apartment are also welcoming their "first day" at Social Apartment with a little bit of anxiety, but also with excitement for their "new environment and life" ahead. We hope that the welcoming hands of the senior tenants extended to these new residents will someday become a baton that will be spun into many new encounters in the future.

Planning: Kida / Ito, Text: Ito
Photos provided by (in no particular order) Social Apartment Shinkenmigawa / Neighbors Ukima Koen / Neighbors Saginuma / Neighbors Kyoto Nijojo