Report on "Arigatou no Kai", an event planned by residents｜Social Apartment Shinkenmigawa

Social Apartment is an exchange-style rental apartment building with public spaces such as a lounge and kitchen. In the spacious common space, residents naturally connect with each other, creating small exchanges in their daily lives.

A "welcome home" when you come home from work, or an event someone launches on a holiday. You can choose to interact with people at your own pace while still cherishing your private life.

What we covered this time was the "Housekeeper Thank You Party," an event planned by the residents that was born as an extension of such daily life. The event was realized from one resident's wish to "express our gratitude to the housekeepers who always keep the common areas clean.

Putting gratitude into a tangible form

This event was organized by Ms. Shimamoto, who has been a resident for one year.

I wanted to express my gratitude to the housekeepers who clean the common areas on a daily basis to keep them clean. Not only that, but when I meet them in the common areas, they say to me, "Itterasshai," "How are you? and "How are you?" when she meets them in the common areas, she always feels cheered up.

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He had wanted to express his gratitude in some way for a long time, and then he learned that a former resident of Social Apartment Shinkenmigawa had organized a "Thank You" party for housekeepers.
This encouraged him to plan this event.

She thought, "I am sure I am not alone in my gratitude to the housekeepers," and asked other residents to join her in this event.

The star of the day was the "housekeeper.

On the day of the event, six housekeepers, including the housekeeper leader, Ms. Uochi, and about 25 residents participated.

Of course, the star of the event was the housekeepers. Each participant brought a dish, snack, or drink based on the theme of "what they would like the housekeepers to eat.

Many residents served homemade dishes, from risotto and ahi jio to tacos handmade from dough. Some prepared the ingredients the day before and others made the dough from scratch.
Some residents who were unable to attend due to scheduling conflicts were able to prepare their own dishes, while others prepared sashimi from fresh fish.

Once the dishes were lined up, the person who made each dish gave a brief introduction. The housekeepers looked happy throughout the event as they listened to the stories, looking a little embarrassed.

In the middle of the event, a "housekeeper quiz" was held. Based on the results of a survey of all the housekeepers, participants were asked to guess their hometowns and favorite artists, and were also asked "Is there a housekeeper in your life?

Some of them even laughed at episodes in which the housekeepers' professionalism seeped into their daily lives, such as "When I stay at a hotel, I leave the water closet so spotless that you would think it had been cleaned before. This is probably Fat Fatty's answer! Surprisingly, Fatty? The residents were enjoying the opportunity to learn about the personalities of the housekeepers, who usually only greet the residents, and were thinking about their answers.

Since most of the time, the interaction is limited to greetings, so it was a refreshing opportunity to get to know the "personality" of the housekeeper, and I felt that it helped to shorten the distance between the residents.

Toward the end of the event, there were a few residents who came late. Some of them made sweets not only for the housekeepers, but also for all the participants, and handed them out.

At the end of the event, everyone took a commemorative photo. The housekeepers said "thank you" to each participant, and everyone went home with a full heart and a full stomach.

Ms. Shimamoto, who organized the event, was also full of joy, saying, "I am glad that we were able to express our gratitude, and to see how many residents felt the same way, and to see how the participants became closer to each other.

As a side note, it was impressive that after the send-off was over, the clean-up began spontaneously, without anyone calling out to anyone.

Some washed, some wiped, some put back. I felt it was a scene typical of Social Apartment, with each person finding his or her role and moving naturally. Although the purpose of the meeting was to express gratitude, the warm atmosphere and the relationships that are nurtured among the residents on a daily basis were evident.

Editor's Postscript
The fact that there are people who want to express their gratitude in some form, and that there are many people around them who agree with that sentiment. Above all, I found it wonderful that the "Housekeeper's Thank You Party" has been passed on as a part of the culture of the property, even though the timing of moving in may be different, and that it has become a trigger that pushes someone to move in.

Communities of tenants are always changing, but it gave me a warm feeling to know that even though times change, there are still tenants who continue to agree with this kind of thank-you feeling.

Perhaps this event planned by Mr. Shimamoto will be another opportunity to pass the baton in a new way to someone who moves in from now on.

I myself, who was there to cover the event, was also filled with a sense of fulfillment.

(Reporting and writing: Hayashi / Photography: Hayashi, Koyama)