[New "Neighbors" Special Offer] Experience the extraordinary—a campervan trip that feels like an extension of everyday life—with your Social Apartment friends. | Carstay

"Neighborland," an app exclusively for social apartment residents, features "Neighbors Perks," a discount service available only to residents.

Social Apartments, which offers an experience that goes beyond just living alone—including a community for residents—has partnered with “Carstay,” a service that provides campervan rentals, car-sharing, and space-sharing for overnight parking spots and campgrounds.
We are pleased to announce the launch of a new service allowing social apartment residents to rent Carstay camper vans at special rates.

▼About Carstay
A sharing service that makes it easy to reserve campervans and overnight parking spots nationwide. You can share or rent your dream campervan at an affordable price, 24 hours a day.
Carstay Website

What kind of synergy would occur if campervans were used not just as a means of transportation, but as a tool to deepen community bonds?
This time, we spoke with Ms. Yamaya, Ms. Sasaki, and others—residents of “Neighbors Yoga,” which just opened at the end of February 2026—about their experience with a day camp in a campervan.

Q1. First, please introduce yourselves and tell us how this group came together for this outing.

Mr. Yamaya: I just moved in in early March, and I work as a web director. Right after moving in, I was approached about this pilot program.
We were still in that “feeling each other out” phase as new residents, but when we organized a pizza party in the lounge over the weekend, I reached out to Mr. Sasaki—who happened to be in the next room and was easy to talk to—as well as other residents who were there and whom I thought, “I’d like to get to know better.”

Mr. Sasaki: I’m a freelance engineer. I’d always thought, “I want to ride in a camper van at least once in my life,” so this was absolutely the perfect timing.

Q2. How was your experience from the reservation to departure and while on the road? Please tell us if there were any aspects that made you appreciate the unique appeal of a campervan.

Ms. Sasaki: I had the impression that campervans were big and hard to drive, and that they were expensive. But in reality, since there were five of us this time, it came out to about 7,000 to 8,000 yen per person—much more affordable than I imagined, which surprised me. The online reservation process on Carstay was also smooth, so I thought, “This is something I could easily use.”
　

Planning in the Lounge

Mr. Ebina of Carstay: The vehicle we rented this time belonged to Mr. Nakanishi, a “Super Holder” (*) who is active primarily in the Tokyo and Kanagawa areas.
(*) A title awarded on Carstay to holders with a strong track record and excellent hospitality

When I spoke with Mr. Nakanishi, he mentioned that he had previously rented his car to residents of a social apartment complex. I was particularly struck by his comment: “They’re used to the culture of sharing, and they always take good care of the car, so I feel at ease.” Learning that the owner also places trust in the social apartment community reaffirmed my belief that this is a great match.

The “Beluga” rented this time

The two drivers listening intently to Mr. Nakanishi’s explanation

　
Mr. Sasaki: I sat in the passenger seat and assisted with driving by checking the blind spot on the left and monitoring the vehicle’s height. Since it was our first time driving a campervan on the highway, we took surface roads both ways.
We stopped at IKEA in Tachikawa along the way to shop and grab a light meal, but the ceiling height in the parking garage was so low that there were a few moments that made us hold our breath (laughs).

Mr. Yamaya: Since the back seats face each other, even the swaying of the vehicle turned into a source of laughter. At first, we planned to play games at the table, but things kept sliding off during turns, so in the end, we just chatted and had a great time together the whole time (laughs). Even before we reached our destination, it felt like we were in a “private living room” on the move—there was a real sense of togetherness that was different from a traditional rental car.

Inside the Car

■Q3. How was the day camp experience?

Ms. Sasaki: Our destination was a glamping facility in the Sayama area. Although this was a day camp, one of the major advantages of a campervan is that you don’t have to go through the hassle of setting up a tarp or tent—you can just relax facing each other inside the vehicle.

Ms. Yamaya: During our three-hour stay, we thoroughly enjoyed the BBQ, molkky, and the campfire. After the day camp ended, it was really great that we could all gather in the back seats of the campervan to play board games.

■Q4. The “lounge” in a social apartment and the “interior” of a camper van. Please tell us about how well these two spaces complement each other and how your relationship deepened during the trip.

Ms. Yamaya: I think of the lounge as a place where people interact while each is busy with their own tasks, but in the camper van, since we all shared the same goal and spent almost the entire day together, there was a real sense of unity.
Through little mishaps like taking a wrong turn and dividing up tasks during the BBQ, we stopped noticing the age difference between us. Before we knew it, we’d stopped using honorifics and started calling each other by nicknames—the speed at which our bond deepened was completely different.
Normally, this would be the time when we’d go our separate ways and feel a bit lonely, but it was great that we kept the energy going, went to karaoke together, and were able to have fun without worrying about the last train.

Sasaki: It was also a relief not to have to worry about driving everyone back to their respective homes. Once the trip was over, the sense of security we felt returning together to the same house (Neighbors Yoga) and saying, “We’re home,” was the best.

Yamaya: I highly recommend taking a camper van trip as a major event for building community and deepening relationships. Since the residents are already used to sharing things in their daily lives, I felt that sharing the space of a camper van was a perfect fit.
The conversation was lively both on the way home and after we got back. As we shared our experiences with the other members, we started talking about wanting to go again, and I thought it would be easy to organize the next event.

Ms. Sasaki: Next time, I’d definitely like to enjoy an overnight stay in the campervan as part of the experience.

■After the Interview

A campervan trip where the time spent in the vehicle—as you leave the “lounge” of the social apartment behind and head toward your destination—becomes a new “social space” that further enriches the community. We were able to glimpse a new lifestyle for the future, where the everyday and the extraordinary connect seamlessly.
We at Global Agents will continue to offer exciting proposals that further expand the lives and experiences of our residents.

Be sure to take advantage of the Carstay benefits exclusive to residents and experience this “mobile community” with your friends from the lounge!

*For details, please check the “Benefits” or “Neighbors Benefits” sections on Neighborland.