I was on the giving side, but I felt great "love" at the social apartment.

Social apartments are rental apartments that include a lounge and other public spaces in addition to conventional rental housing. It is a new style of living where you can enjoy community with other residents while maintaining your privacy, and "expanding your world.

For this interview, we spoke with Mayumi, who moved to Tokyo from Sapporo, Hokkaido, because she was attracted to the "Neighbors Higashi Jujo" social apartment, a four-minute walk from Higashi Jujo Station.

Mayumi says that in her work related to children's welfare, it was natural for her to do something for or help others. Living in a social apartment, however, she says she experienced for the first time being in a position of "giving.

Why am I in this situation?

What made you decide to live in a social apartment?

Actually, I had heard about Social Apartment before. I thought, " If I had another life, I would want to live there.

For 27 years since I was born, I had never left my hometown of Sapporo, and I never dreamed of moving to Tokyo.

But two years ago, when I traveled to Tokyo with a friend, I suddenly had a mysterious premonition that I would live here (laughs). I immediately changed jobs, got a job, and moved into a social apartment.

It was fate, wasn't it? Have you noticed any changes in yourself since actually living in Social Apartment?

I became able to rely on others. I had always worked in a job related to children's welfare, so I chose a similar job in Tokyo, but it was not what I had envisioned.... Still, one day when I was trying to do my best, I collapsed in a common area because I couldn't breathe.

At that time, many people helped me. I have a friend who uses a wheelchair at Social Apartment, and he said, "Get in if you want! He said to me (laughs). I really didn't want to bother anyone, and I didn't want to rely on anyone. I thought, " Why am I doing this? " I thought.

But when I explained my symptoms to the international students in the social apartment, they understood me and said, "Oh, panic attack," and I realized that it was a common symptom throughout the world. I realized that it was a universal symptom, and I felt much better when I thought, "I am one of the many people in the world who suffer from panic attacks. I was able to accept that I had no choice but to ask for help.

It takes courage to ask for help, doesn't it?

Life here is all about helping each other.

I really don't like it when people say, "You're doing your best in spite of your panic. I'm comfortable not being bothered.

If I feel like I might not be able to do something, I call for help on line or declare, "I'm going to cry today! I can now think of asking for help from other people. I still cannot forget the time when I changed jobs with the support of everyone. I went through the trouble of getting a job offer, but in the end I couldn't go back and it didn't work out.

When I broke down in tears and said, "I didn't come all the way from Sapporo to do this," I was told, " We all know how hard you 've worked , it's not a waste, " and " You should think about the meaning of having met us. I still remember that he said to me, "Everyone knows how hard you have worked, it is not in vain.

When I realized that we had found a "family," it was like I had found a "family. A year of learning what it means to be cared for

What kind of life do you usually lead?

Since I eventually switched to a remote work job, I cook both lunch and dinner. I never thought I would be cooking every day (laughs).

Since I came all the way to Social Apartment, I thought I would cook something I have never cooked before, so I try all kinds of dishes such as fried foods, breads, and pastries. At home, I can't cook in a relaxed atmosphere, and living alone, it's hard to clean up afterwards, so I was surprised that I had never tried cooking before.

But I was making things because I just wanted to make them... and there was no one to eat them, right? So I asked her, "Do you want some?" I asked her if she wanted to eat, and we became like a "family," eating together every day.

Eating dinner together every day is amazing. It really is like a family.

Yes, it is. People often ask me, "Isn't it hard to cook every day? But I like to give to others, and it makes me happy to be there when they do something they couldn't do before. I am happy to be able to witness the moment when someone "does something they couldn't do before.

I almost cried when I saw someone who could not cook at all and was washing onions with their skin on, become able to make carbonara. I try to teach her trivia as I cook, hoping that she will think, "Now that Mayumi taught me how to cook, I will teach someone else too.

It sounds strange to call us a family, but there are a lot of "relationships without names" in the world, and I think we are together because we both take such a stance. I don't think we care too much about titles...I don 't think it matters what age we are, what gender we are, or what our occupation is.

It's not just about making food, but I feel a great love there.

It is love, isn't it? I learned what it means to be "cared for" for the first time after coming to Social Apartment.

For example, when something I did came back to me. On the day I changed jobs, everyone worked together to cook a meal for me. They said it was because the cheese fondue I had made before was delicious. On my birthday, they incorporated all the things I wanted to do, such as "Mentos Cola," "Mayumi's quiz," and "orange juice tasting contest.

For example, when he understood my characteristics and acted accordingly. I am the type of person who likes to start cleaning up early at the end of a party, but now everyone is helping me. I felt that they were watching what I was doing.

I am a welfare worker, so I thought that in my profession, "love has to be given. So it was a new experience for me to be given love, and it made me very happy.

It is a place where you can cherish each day because of the change of people.

What do you like about Social Apartment?

The fact that I can talk to all kinds of people, which broadens my perspective, my life, and my way of living. I feel much more comfortable living here.

Even when I panic, they tell me, "There are many people in the world with the same symptoms! When I forgot to buy avocados to make taco rice, they told me, "Of course you can't buy avocados because they are in short supply! Or, when I splattered doria on the floor while it was baking, she would laugh and clean up the mess, saying, "You're lucky you got the right amount! He would clean up the mess with a smile.

Maybe I don't have to work so hard. Maybe it's not a no-no. Maybe it doesn't matter. Maybe it's not a bad idea, maybe it doesn't matter.

Lastly, please give a message to those who are considering moving in!

I would like you to try living in a social apartment just once in your life. I think you will learn to cherish each and every day because of the changeover. I wonder what they would think if I asked them out?" Because while you are thinking, "Let's do this together next time," the other person may be gone before you know it.

You will definitely have to part ways someday, and you have to decide for yourself when you are going to leave, which is what social apartments are all about. It may be temporary, but I think it is a place where you can build your "self".

Thank you very much for your time at Social Apartment. Thank you very much for your time today!

(Reporting and writing by Yuki Ishikawa, Photography by Tsugufumi Matsuma)