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【Borderless residents】At the age of thirty, I decided to move into this international shared house to work abroad in the future

Borderless house is a multicultural ‘community’ share house in which young people from all over the world cultivate international cultural exchange by gathering and living under one roof.

This cross-cultural share house provides not only an opportunity for improving your English skills but also a chance to create a great community of locals and foreigners, as well as an opportunity to learn new perspectives.

Many of our tenants from all over the world have a unique sense of humor and experiences that you could never imagine.

From this, we started a new project called “Borderless tenants”, which consists of interviewing tenants about how they have changed or grew as a person through their experiences at Borderless house.

The second interviewee of this series is Mr. guhee, a tenant of Borderless house for the last year and a half. He chose to live here because he decided to start studying English before he turns 30 years old.

We asked him about his great progress in his English skills and his change from a Japanese to a foreign company.

My big change before turning 30.Start your preparation for working abroad at Borderless house.

ーThank you for joining us. Please introduce yourself.
My name is Gohee. I will turn 32 years old this year. My housemates call me ‘Gohee or Gucchi’.

I have been living in the Shinagawa-oimachi house since October 2018, so for almost one and a half years. I love sports and play tennis and go bouldering quite often. Before COVID19, my housemates and I used to go play sports together once a week.

I like cooking as well, so I would sometimes cook for my housemates or we would cook together.

ーWhat made you move into Borderless house?
Just before turning 30 years old, I was looking back on my career and thought that I would like to try working abroad. Then I decided to start studying English to achieve this, and that is why I decided to move into Borderless House.
When I asked my friend for advice, he said ‘quit your job now and go study abroad’

However, I didn’t want to quit my job at the time, so I was looking for a better option. This was when I decided to study English on my own.

I started looking for a share house that would allow me to live with people from other countries and

found Borderless House.

ーSo you decided to move into a share house at the age of 30! Were you living alone until then?
Yes, I have lived by myself for 7 years in Tokyo and this was my first time living in a sharehouse.

The most impressive moment for me was my housemates threw a birthday party for me on the day I moved in

ーDid you have any problems whilst living with others?
A lot of things left an impression on me, rather than actual problems.
The day that I had moved in may have left the biggest impression on me.

That day happened to be the day of housemate’s birthday party.

I was invited to go to see the fireworks by my housemates. So I went with them in the afternoon without even unpacking and celebrated his birthday at a Yakiniku restaurant.

On my first day…even though I didn’t know their faces and names yet, my housemates didn’t mind at all and took me with them. I still remember the feelings of surprise and confusion I felt that day very clearly.

ーGoing to see fireworks with your housemates on your very first day… That’s quite a unique experience! Are there any other memories that stand out for you?
My birthday party that was held 2 weeks after I moved in is also quite a good memory.
I was never able to show off my talent of “making nigiri sushi” until then, but it finally came in handy and it was a great hit.

I served my handmade Sushi to everyone and my housemates, especially my non-Japanese housemates were very impressed with how people can make Sushi by themselves!

At the Oimachi House, we always hold birthday parties and farewell parties for everyone and each of them is very good memories for me.

(手巻き寿司パーティーの時の様子)

ーIt is fantastic that a tradition of celebrating and sending people off has been built already in your Sharehouse. Do you go out together often?

We go out together often. We’ve been to Roppongi and Yoyogi-park to have picnics, we’ve attended a glass-making workshop, etc.
I like planning events and asking people to join, so last summer I made my own Nagashi-somen and it was a big hit!

Sharehouse is a place for practice; I learned English through my daily life

ーIs there anything you decided to try out after moving in the sharehouse?
My main objective behind living in Sharehouse was learning English, so I mainly tried studying and improving my ability to communicate in English.
When I moved in, I didn’t speak English so it was hard to communicate with my housemates, especially for the first 2 months. I just studied every day.
Other things that I tried to do besides studying by myself are going out with housemates, as well as attending parties and events to communicate with them more on my day off. Because of this, after a while, my English started to improve.

ーWhat else did you do to learn English? Please give us more details.
One of my housemates works at an English conversation school, so I studied with the textbooks and vocabulary books that he/she recommended.
One of the good aspects of living in an international share house is how I was able to try using new words and phrases in conversations with my housemates right after learning them.

ーHave your housemates helped with your studies?
As there were 10 non-Japanese residents in my share house at that time, and most of them didn’t speak Japanese, I was able to learn English by just being with them.
My housemates also helped me by giving me vocabulary quizzes when I was studying in the living room.
When I was studying for the TOEIC exam, they helped me until 2 in the morning.

ーHow much did your TOEIC score improve?
My score was in the 400s when I first moved in, but after a year at the share house, my score improved and went over 800. The fact that my score improved even though I didn’t study exclusively for the test and was only studying the basics made me realize how much my English improved. It made me really happy.

ーWas the greatest change you saw in yourself since moving in the improvement of your English skills? 
While this is true, I think making friends from all over the world and experiencing first hand the differences in our ways of thinking was a larger change for me. I’d never had friends from foreign countries so it was very new to me.

For example, even though I knew that different countries have differences in education, there was never a chance for me to ask what kind of education they grew up with. It was interesting to learn what was different from Japanese education.
ーHas this change been useful in your daily life?
Since I live with housemates who have different perspectives, it became easier for me to accept different perspectives that people of different generations have.

My coworkers range from those in their 20s to those in their 50s and their perspectives are very different. Now I’ve changed and started to think “it’s normal for people to have different opinions, so how do we go about this?” whilst working.

There are more career options for me as my English has been improved

ーWhat made you decide to change your job?
Because my goal was to work abroad when I moved to the Borderless House, I thought my first step was to find a job where I can use English.

When I first moved in, I needed time to get used to the share house and study English. After about 6 months after moving in, I had become more confident in my English skills and then decided to look into changing my job more seriously.

ーWhat were your criteria when you were looking for a job? What did you prioritize?
As I had no experience using English in my career, I knew it would be difficult for me to work for a company that uses English as its official language. Therefore, I started by applying for Japanese companies, because I thought there would be a higher chance of me getting hired. However, it became possible for me to apply to foreign companies after my TOEIC scores improved and I had more options available to me.

ーWhat made you decide to work at your current company?
First of all, the company has offices in 15 countries worldwide, so it allows opportunities of getting transferred to foreign branches. Second of all, while the company’s official language is English, most of the company’s clients are Japanese businesses, so I am able to use both Japanese and English for communication. I think this is a good work environment for me, as I have just been studying English for a year.

ーBesides learning English, were there any other advantages in living in Borderless house whilst looking for a job?

It was good that I was able to get inside information on foreign companies that I didn’t know about. After I started applying for foreign companies, I realized how few foreign companies Japanese people knew about.

Before applying for the job, I wasn’t aware of the company I work for now. My British housemate gave me information and advice about it, and that was what made me apply.

I am grateful for being able to learn about various foreign companies from housemates who are from the county the company originated in.

ーWhat are your future goals now that you’ve experienced living in Borderless House?

My goal when I was 30 years old was to work abroad, but now my goal is to move to a foreign country by the time that I am 40.

The first step for me now is to be transferred to a foreign branch.

ーYou had said before that you didn’t know which country you would like to live in. How about now? Do you have a certain country in your mind?
I would like to try living in an English speaking country first.

However, I would love to live in Germany eventually. Before changing jobs I had the opportunity to go see a past housemate and traveled across 4 countries in Europe for the first time. I was very drawn to Germany then.

There is more than one way to learn English. However, being able to make friends from all over the world is the greatest benefit to stay at a share house

ーFinally, please give one piece of advice to our future tenants!
There are many ways to learn English. You can go to a language school, using on-line English conversation classes, YouTube, etc.
But, if you live in Borderless house, you will not only learn English. You will also be able to learn different values and perspectives. The best part about living in Borderless house is that it allows you to make friends from all over the world!

ーYour story of setting goals, taking measures towards achieving that goal will surely be helpful for future tenants thinking of joining with the intention of learning English! Thank you so much for your fantastic story Guhee-san!

Editor’s Note

What did you think about Higuchi-san’s story?

Please refer to Higuchi-san’s notes when thinking about life at the sharehouse or finding a new way to learn English. He has shared his specific methods of studying and his process of finding a new job.

gooheeさんHiguchi-san’s Notes

Meeting new people will definitely lead to a great change.

Borderless house is filled with unique and diverse people from all over the world.

Why don’t you join us and experience “change”?

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House Sharing Will Bring You Socializing Opportunities

A house is much more than just a roof over your head which protects you from the sun or rain. Instead, it is also a sanctuary, a comforting, silent, and safe space and at times also an investment. A house is a place where you stay protected from all the physical, intellectual, and emotional troubles and where you grow independently from the outer world. The facilities that your home offers determine your living standards and your quality of life. Hence, maybe now, you can get an idea regarding how housing decisions are significant and why such decisions should be made with utmost care.

But finding a house in a new space is a tricky process. When you move or shift to a new city or country, housing becomes a bit of a problem. It is so because now you have on your hand, the task of finding a living space, that fits your budget, is situated in a nice locality and which has all the essential facilities and services available. And you have to accomplish this task in a place that is completely foreign to you. So, now you can probably see why some people think of seeking a house in a new country as a daunting task.

However, the good news is that now, with the people and techs changing at a rapid pace, housing issues are getting resolved. Plus, the concepts of renting today have also modified. Unlike earlier, when a tenant was required to rent a whole space for him, today one can rent and share a house with others. Thus, by practicing house sharing one can reduce his expenses while at the same time score some exciting socializing opportunities. So, now if you are interested in knowing more about the share housing system and you want to learn about its socializing and other benefits, then come let’s begin the discussion. Here it goes!

What are share houses?


Share houses are an excellent option to find a living space when you have moved into a foreign country. These houses are especially the right option for people who are in abroad for educational purposes and can’t afford to spend much on housing or for people who have come to the foreign landscape on business and won’t be staying there for too long. For both these people, share houses turn out to be a welcome option as some of them are foreigner-friendly renting spaces that both help in saving money and in meeting new and interesting people.

To facilitate easier understanding, one can think of share houses as homes where a group of people live together under the same roof. Now while living in a share house means you cannot decide who you share the space with, still the choice to decide your room is your own. You can opt from a variety of options like a single room, a double room, a room with three or more tenants, or even an apartment styled room where you have an attached toilet and shower. There are tons of available options!

How does share housing offer socializing benefits?


When you move into a new country or a new city one problem that you face is socializing. Even though the world is now a very global space still at some places you may find residents reluctant to bond with the foreigners at least initially. Add to this the issue of a language barrier in case you don’t speak the local language fluently and you can pretty much imagine yourself living in isolation for the first few months. When you are away from your friends and family who act as your support system, this might feel depressing.

But with share houses, this problem gets resolved naturally. This is so because in share houses you can find dozens of people who are in a similar condition as yours. They are there in a foreign land trying to work or study while fighting the feelings of isolation and loneliness. They miss their families and they are eager to make new friends. Now since you are living with them and spending a lot of time together you will discover that befriending such people is actually quite easy! All it takes is to find a common ground and socializing is no more a problem.

However, if you are still not convinced and have some doubts about the socializing benefits of a share house then in our next part all your doubts will fade!

How does share housing help in socializing?


Staying in share housing can make it easier to make friends because …

It houses a large number of people

When you are living in share houses there are so many people around who belong from different cultures and different traditions. Now at the first glance, you may find it as a con, but if you are one of those social people who love to interact with new buddies and who like to learn about different cultures then living at a share house will mean having the time of your life!
This is so because now you will have so many people to learn from about different cuisines, different languages, different traditions and what not! Hence, if you are a social butterfly and you love to gather and hang around then this big space will be a perfect home for you. Plus, if you ever get bored here then all you have to do is to literally just walk out of your room and you will be surrounded by people!

You find mutual hobby friends

Because share houses are big spaces with a bunch of different people living together, hence it is always a possibility that you will come across someone who will share mutual interests with you. You can never imagine who that person might be, which just makes this process of making ‘new’ friends all the more fun!
Also, once you will have your mutual hobby friends at your side, then you will never be alone. This is so because now you will be able to always seek them out to spend some time together in order to chat non-stop about your common interests or to discuss new developments. On the off days, you will even get a chance to practice your hobbies and interests together and to enjoy some relaxing downtime!

Opportunity for international exchange

At some share houses, they offer residence to both the local and international people. This is a great opportunity for the international people as now they get a chance to mingle with the local folk and to learn from them about their language, food, and culture. Can there be anything better than that? I mean you can practically think of this as a ‘culture tuition’ class minus the expensive fee.
Hence, at share houses, you get a chance to enjoy the taste of the local life without any fears. You can now hang around the new places with your brand-new local buddy without being anxious all the time about doing something inadequate or stupid. This experience is just having your own guide-cum-close friend.

Living in student only properties

If you are a student and you are in a foreign landscape to learn then you have the choice to seek the share housing spaces that only offer residence to foreign residents. This will be great for you because living with fellow students will save you from being distracted and from losing sight of your goal. Plus, if you ever need any help with the studies then you would just need to knock on the next door and you will have help. Hence, student share housing properties are a cool way of both studying and living!

Animal lovers and pet-friendly properties

Well, if you love animals but have never gotten around to getting your own pet, maybe because you cannot afford it or because you are afraid of taking over the big responsibility, then living at a pet-friendly share housing property is your chance! Yes, imagine living around all those cute fluffy animals! Aren’t you already tempted?
Plus, living under the same roof with the friendly pet owners is in your favor too, because now you will get to learn about taking care of the pet animals from the experienced people without even paying! It is like getting access to the theoretical and practical lessons of pet caring until you feel ready and confident to get your pet.

Music lovers and properties with music studios


Now if you love music and enjoy humming or singing songs then while searching for share houses you can look for the ones that have music studios of their own. This way you will be able to practice and enhance your music skills. Plus, with all the other music lovers you will always have a chance to learn something new from someone. How awesome is that?!

Conclusion

Thus, from the above discussion, we can conclude that share housing is a great accommodation option if the very idea of living with strangers doesn’t scare you off. Living there you will help you in socializing with new people and in making fast friends. Plus, on the off-side, you will be able to learn so much!

 

 

 

 

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【Tenant’s Story】Greater Connections with Housemates during COVID19

My name is Ashleigh and I have been living in Borderless House for about 2 years. Since I moved to Japan, I have been actively involved in the Borderless Community. From the Link-Up events and Borderless Diners to volunteering as MC at the Borderless Olympics. You may remember me as the ‘kawaii Santa’ MC from last year’s Christmas Party. I enjoy parties and connecting with like-minded people. Being in a sharehouse during this situation has changed everyday living. I was upset that I couldn’t hang out with friends freely and host events, but it opened up new opportunities to lift the attitude in the house. However, I have not tried to view it negatively and not concern myself with uncertainty. Instead, I have used this time to slow down and spend time with those who decided to remain in the house during this period.

I have really appreciated staying in a sharehouse at this time. I think I would go crazy if I wasn’t able to hang out with friends at all and a handful of them suddenly had to go back to their home countries anyway. I already considered myself lucky to be coexisting with a group of amazing people, but I believe this time together has given us a stronger connection. It’s led to us hanging out every weekend, watching movies or playing games. Housemates that I hadn’t connected with before, I have gotten to know better.

Cherry Blossom at the Share House

Many events that we were looking forward to couldn’t go ahead as planned. We knew that the yearly Hanami at a park was not possible this Cherry Blossom Season, so we decided to hold an event at our place. I bought about 3000yen worth of pink decorations and picnic essentials from Daiso to create more of a “Hanami” vibe from the comfort of our own home. From the materials, we used our creative skills to put together something in our living room. It was the perfect weather to eat outside, so we made hand-rolled sushi and yakisoba and took it to the rooftop, along with our own little Sakura tree. For a moment, everyone seemed to forget that there was a global pandemic that was becoming more apparent in Japan.

Everlasting Friendship 

In response to the announcement of the State of Emergency, my company asked me to work at home a couple of days a week. At this point, most housemates were working at home, so we were able to time our lunch breaks to eat together, giving us a chance to step away from work and properly take our breaks, which helped us re-energise before getting back to work. It was great to catch up with them in the middle of the day on a weekday, which was something I had never imagined before.

Connections with ex-housemate 

We have not let this situation halt our friendships, as we are still connected to a former tenant who, unfortunately, decided to move back home for a few months to be with his family. Luckily, we live in an age where we can still be connected through technology and he is still a member of our group chat, checking in with us regularly. Although we miss his presence, we were able to have a party with his spirit because he was kind enough to buy us food through a delivery service. It was lovely to be brought together due to his kindness during this unfavourable situation and we can’t wait for him to return to Japan and hopefully move back in again to repay him.

Smiling faces during COVID-19 period

After Golden Week, I was asked to go back to work due to the increased number of students returning to school. My workplace is in Chofu, which takes about an hour and two trains and as I work in a kindergarten, I have to be considerate towards the health of the children, my workmates and my housemates during this time. At both work and home, we pay more attention to hygiene, cleaning the things we touch, such as door handles and light switches with alcohol spray. After we say “tadaima” (I’m back), the first thing we do is wash our hands thoroughly with soap. It has been great to see everyone following the advice given by the government and it gives everyone peace of mind. What also puts me at ease is to come home and still see the same smiling faces every day. My housemates do not judge me for still having to go to work, even when I am concerned about getting onto a train during rush hour because of the increased risk to contract the virus.

Greater cultural exchange in the busy kitchen

Honestly, the biggest challenge we have faced is that everyone is cooking at home in order to reduce the amount they leave the house. Walking into the kitchen, it always smells great. However, with a busy kitchen most nights, it has made us gain a greater consideration of others and become more flexible in the limited space we have. It has also resulted in less space in the fridge. How do we combat that? Although our spaces are marked separately, we have been sharing with one another, not just the fridge space but also ingredients. I love how we have become so close that I can rely on my housemates to use something of theirs, and I will gladly replace or give them something else in exchange. Staying at home has caused us to be more creative with meals and has promoted greater cultural exchange. I introduced them to the flavors of lemon oregano chicken, while they showed me how to make shoga yaki (Japanese Ginger Pork).

With such wonderful food, comes much more waste, so we have also become more stringent with taking out the trash. I have never seen so many bags of rubbish from one weekend before! Also, remember the time when toilet paper and masks were hard to find? Everyone has been pitching in to help buy these essential items, including soap, alcohol spray, wipes, tissues and pretty much anything with a one per person limit. Even small gestures like this really help to continue the orderly conduct of the house. I couldn’t imagine what we would do if we ever ran out of toilet paper!

Birthday Party, Clubbing, Movie Theater, Izakaya at a share house!?

In our house, it’s an amazing coincidence that two of our members are born a day apart, so we did not hesitate to buy gifts and celebrate their birthdays. Who says you can’t enjoy your birthday during corona? Since we cannot go out clubbing as we planned a few months ago for a housemate’s twentieth, we have decided to turn our house into a club instead. Whilst not forgetting to throw on our comfortable club shoes! We have this mindset of “if we can’t go out, then we will bring it to us!” For example, want to go to the movies? Let’s watch something in the living room on Netflix. Craving a certain meal? Let’s make it! The options are limitless when we put our minds together. I’ve been wanting to go to an izakaya for the longest time, so I pitched the idea to use our common fee money to buy an electric hotplate. Everyone was instantly on board, thinking of all the food we can make, such as okonomiyaki, yaki-niku and even pancakes. A housemate mentioned, “if we’re going to eat yaki-niku, we will need beer and shochu,” really replicating the feel of being at an izakaya. I love the way that my housemates think and that they are so proactive.

We are in this together

With multiple nationalities under the same roof, we have access to information on a global scale. We like to compare the situations between our countries and see how it is similar or different to Japan. With our knowledge, we can put together and start guessing what Japan’s next step will be. This makes for interesting conversation and sparks up a debate, all in good nature. It’s so helpful living with Japanese people because they can tell us the information before it is translated on news sites. We enjoy watching press conferences by Prime Minister Abe or Tokyo Governor Koike. However, my language skills are not native yet, so it is nice to be next to someone who can directly translate what they are saying. It’s better than any kind of subtitles.

This whole situation that we are faced with doesn’t have to be a negative experience. Many of my housemates have adopted new hobbies that they have been interested in, but never found the time to do, such as working out on the rooftop or growing their own vegetables. From just one person, we have learned and become interested in new activities, which is really what living in a Borderless house is about. We have deepened our cross-cultural exchange in a way that might not have been possible without the push to ‘stay in.’ Although I miss the community and meeting friends from other houses, I’m glad that I’ve been able to focus on my own house and I believe my housemates feel the same. I think our experience goes to show that you can still enjoy sharehouse life without fear, as long as you follow the guidelines and stay vigilant in practicing good hygiene. It comes down to each individual doing their own part, but essentially, we are in this together.

Check Ashleigh’s Share House

 

 

 

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No Language Experience? No Problem!

Hey guys! This is Claire from BORDERLESS HOUSE back with another blog. This blog is going to be a personal story of how I got interested in Japan and my own journey of learning Japanese. Hopefully, there will be many things you all can relate to, but I also hope that I can share some new information and shed new light on your thoughts about going abroad. 

The Beginnings

The first time that I came to Japan was in June of 2013 at the age of 15. I spent 28 days living with a host family in Yokohama through completely self-organized means. So, why Japan? The true answer to this question really is, “I don’t know.” What I do know is that at the age of 15, I wanted more than anything to have the opportunity to travel abroad, but this was difficult for me to do as I was a nationally-ranked competitive swimmer. Any time away from the pool could jeopardize my training, so going abroad was never an option for me. For many sports, such as soccer or basketball, there are pre-arranged international exchange programs which have reputable teams and carefully selected host families. Swimming is not one of those sports. Being the young 15-year old that I was, I was not going to let this massive barrier stop me and I began asking around my local swimming community to find connections to and contacts for international teams. My first breakthrough came quickly from my head coach in California who had the contact information of a coach from Yokohama in Japan. From that moment on, I decided I was going to try and make my way to Japan!

Now that I had located a reputable team abroad, my next challenge was that I spoke no Japanese, and knew nothing regarding the culture. By some miracle, my math teacher in high school spoke Japanese and with her help I was able to draft an email to this coach in Yokohama. Less than 24 hours later I had a positive response, and was told that I’d be assigned to a host family- all I had to do now was buy my flights. And that’s how I ended up in Japan for 1 month at the age of 15 with complete strangers. Coincidentally, during that month I also fell in love with all of the people that I met, and with the culture. I felt that I got to see a new side to swimming, and really to all of the aspects of life that I considered to be mundane back in the U.S. Things as simple as taking a ride in a car or going grocery shopping were all new and exciting. I finally felt like after 15 years of mindless patterns, I was filled with life and excitement.

Despite this now being my fourth time in Japan and, admittedly, I no longer have a host family to cook my meals, drive me around, or do my laundry, there is still a sense of wonder and awe that I feel when I am here. I feel alive and at home. If you need more convincing of the benefits of going abroad feel free to watch a short talk I gave to my peers at Harvard, and I hope that you will be filled with the same passion that I was.

Make It Work & Don’t Ever Settle

The moral of this whole story is that if you want to go to Japan, or go abroad in general, it is possible if you have the passion and the drive. Especially if you do not find any programs that fit your interests, don’t give up or settle for doing something you really don’t want to do. I have seen many people who have a passion for Japan and take any job that comes their way just to remain in Japan. Unfortunately, if you end up doing something that you are not excited about, it might bias your experience in a place that you once thought you loved. By all means, try and do what you love, in a place that you also love!

In cases where you are unable to find any programs that match your interests, networking will be your best friend. Find something that you want to do, whether it is studying, volunteering, or working, and start asking around. In my experience, if you send emails out of the blue to someone in Japan telling them that you are really interested in working with them, or learning from them, you will end up with one of three answers: 1) positive response, 2) referral to a similar colleague or opportunity or 3) no response, which really in the grand scheme of things isn’t so bad. When things are silent, it just means you have a few more people you’ll need to reach out to! Don’t get discouraged and keep trying.

Learning Japanese

After I returned from my first visit to Japan, I was still in a situation where I did not have any opportunity to take Japanese language courses at school. I additionally did not have the time to enroll in any language courses in my free time because I was constantly at swim practice. I simply picked up a copy of Genki, which I highly recommend for self-learning Japanese, and began to memorize and write hiragana and katakana. I self-studied on and off for about 2 years, but truly I had no serious hours set for studying and I only managed to teach myself the rudimentary writing, speaking and grammar basics. Another downside to self-learning Japanese is that you don’t have the opportunity to practice speaking naturally. There are two parts to learning a language: 1) memorizing vocabulary, grammar, etc, and 2) learning how to seamlessly put this knowledge into use. No matter how much studying you do, if you are unable to put your skills into everyday practice, all your hard work may not be reflected properly. This all being said, self-taught Japanese is an incredible feat and can be successfully done- I just recommend using more than just text materials to practice with. Going abroad or joining language exchange communities are excellent options!

One other opportunity that is missed by self-taught Japanese without going abroad is that you may miss out on a lot of cultural opportunities. Part of immersing yourself in another culture is not just learning the language, but also experiencing daily life and customs. I have been very lucky to have many amazing cultural experiences with my host families and housemates which have deepened my understanding of Japanese history and have made me feel welcomed into a country which is nothing like my hometown.

The next step of my learning journey occurred after my second visit to Japan in 2015. When I realized that Japan was becoming more than just a hobby and would be an interest that carried much further into my academic and working future, I decided it was time to take learning Japanese seriously. My university required all students to take a year of language courses, or to test out of this requirement. Rather than use my Spanish ability to test out of the requirement, I opted to take my first Japanese course.

From my previous two visits to Japan I had picked up some phrases and was familiar with basic grammatical patterns. This was massively helpful to my language learning journey as there were times during class when I was able to recognize my errors before having actually learned the correct grammar rule. Just as children pick up a language from infancy and are able to apply grammatical rules through pure imitation, I realized that my two previous visits to Japan had done the same for my own language learning. Because of this, I would highly recommend going abroad to Japan as early as possible in your language learning journey. The sooner you get native exposure, the sooner you will be able to recognize and apply both grammar and vocabulary. Many people feel that they cannot travel abroad before they are proficient in a language, but I would argue that the opposite is true. Go abroad in order to become proficient. An amazing way to get this native exposure, and one of the main ways that I maintained my Japanese after quitting language courses, was by immersing myself in the BORDERLESS HOUSE community. Being surrounded by people who want to share their cultures and languages fosters a community where you are encouraged to learn and practice. Living in such a supportive community will give you the resources and courage to reach levels of language ability that you never thought possible. You’ll also learn many things, such as the new and upcoming slang, that would otherwise not be taught in a classroom. After all, it goes without saying that textbook language and colloquial language can be quite different.

Personal Regrets

After my first year of Japanese, I, unfortunately, had to stop taking language classes as my schedule became too busy. To be honest, I never imagined that I would be living and working in Japan, which means that at the time, quitting Japanese seemed like the right choice. However, my biggest regret is having quit my language learning after only a year. Although I don’t have any issues communicating or living here now, I now find myself with terribly mismatched speaking and reading/writing ability levels which make Japanese class level placement next to impossible. I have also graduated from college now, so any language course that I pursue would generally take me away from time at my job.

I also never took the JLPT test, which is something that is highly regarded when searching for a job here. When I began my job search, I quickly realized that although I would have no issues with doing an interview in Japanese, I would never be invited for an interview if I did not have some proof of my Japanese language ability. Having some standardized proof of your language ability will be imperative for any foreigner trying to start their career in Japan, with the exception of course of becoming an English teacher!

In summary, my advice to you is that you take advantage of any opportunities you have to continue on with your language learning. Even if I had not ended up living and working in Japan, fluency in foreign languages is such an incredible skill to have. It shows passion, dedication, and can help connect you to international, or domestic, opportunities that you may have never considered. I have a long road ahead of me to get to full fluency, but I’m willing to do what it takes so that I can take this feeling of regret and make it an amazing success story.

Can I Get By Without Any Japanese? The answer is: Yes, absolutely!!

As I mentioned, when I first landed in Japan back in 2013, I had no language experience and no cultural exposure. My high school did not offer Japanese as a language, and the only foreign language experience I had was 10 years of Spanish, which certainly wasn’t going to be put to heavy use during my time in Japan. I had an “Oh, crap” moment on the plane to Japan when the reality of my situation finally settled in. With Google Maps, smartphone translators and the internet in general many of your language barrier issues will be resolved. This being said, despite there being no necessity for Japanese language ability to live here, some understanding of the Japanese language and culture comes in handy if you plan to stay or live here. Great news is that living in a BORDERLESS HOUSE, surrounded by both Japanese and foreign housemates is a quick and easy way to have a support group and language study-buddies when coming to Japan with limited language ability!

The best news is that Japan is extremely accommodating and if you are in the presence of an individual who can speak some English, chances are that this person will be more than happy to seek you out and start up a conversation. Many signs are translated into English, and restaurants sometimes even have English menus. So, even if you are not familiar with the language, you’ll be okay. However, I would again like to point out that you’ll have a much richer experience here in Japan if you are somewhat familiar with the language and culture. For example, the English menus at restaurants don’t always list the same options that are on the Japanese menu, so you just might miss out on the opportunity to try a mint chocolate chip iced latte.

Now if you plan on working here in Japan, this is a different story. As I previously touched upon in the prior section, I cannot stress the importance of having passed the JLPT Level 1 or 2 enough. Many jobs, with the exclusion of English teaching jobs, will require you to have some proof of your Japanese proficiency. Even if you are confident in your Japanese fluency, without some sort of standardized proof, you will likely not be considered for a job interview. So make sure you have done your language prep and passed some sort of standardized proof of your language ability.

Be Fearless and Take the Leap

In conclusion, I’d like to encourage all of you, no matter where you are in your language learning journey, to consider stepping out of your comfort zone and making your dreams of going abroad come true. There are so many opportunities waiting for you and so many friends, especially here at BORDERLESS HOUSE, who are waiting to meet you. I hope that my story has convinced you that there is no greater experience than going abroad and that it will help you grow in ways that you could never imagine.

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“Build bridges, not walls!” ~ We have expanded our online language exchange activities!

BORDERLESS HOUSE previously launched a tenant-only
online communication exchange service: “~ Build bridges, not walls! ~ Language Exchange”

The original intention of this service was to connect foreign tenants, who had their plans to come to Japan canceled due to COVID-19, connect with Japanese tenants who were looking forward to having new foreign housemates and roommates. By conducting exchanges online, interactions would not be restricted by time or space, and international communication could continue!

We have now successfully matched 20 groups of language exchange partners!
The participating domestic and foreign tenants have already shown us the many benefits of this program, such as providing a space to learn about different countries and cultures, and making lasting friendships, especially as now is a very difficult time to make new friends. Some partners have already agreed to meet in Japan at a later time when things have returned to normal!
BORDERLESS HOUSE still feels that we can do more.

Therefore, BORDERLESS HOUSE has decided to allow more people to participate and experience this well-regarded service.
Therefore, we will open our service to non-tenants at this limited time from May 11th to May 30th allowing them to register and participate alongside tenants.

Basic rules for pairing
A foreigner will be matched with a Japanese partner.
BORDERLESS HOUSE tenants will be matched with non-BORDERLESS HOUSE tenants.

-Pairing process-

STEP1
Log in and register!
Please apply using the form linked below.
<Fill in the application form now! >

STEP2
BORDERLESS HOUSE will match you according to the information on your registration form.
We will then establish a Skype group, arranging the time and exchange outline for your first meeting!

STEP3
The exchange begins!
First, introduce yourself. According to your customized theme, enjoy the fun of language exchange! (The first round is 40 minutes)

STEP4
After the end of your exchange, fill out the post-meeting questionnaire. Lastly, agree on a time for your next language exchange!

-Event Features-

Point 1
The procedure is simple. All you need to do is just fill in the application form.
The staff at BORDERLESS HOUSE will match your language exchange partner.

Point 2
You can make new friends from different countries and integrate wit an international community. You can also improve your language skills while having fun connecting over common topics.

Point 3
That’s right, this is a free service!

We hope that during this period of time when an international exchange is strictly restricted, a bridge between countries will be established!
We sincerely look forward to more people joining and participating.

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Guide for Living in Tokyo

Tokyo is one of the most populated cities in Japan. It is the hub for technology, food, business, and innovation. Natives from other cities in Japan as well as foreigners migrate to the city to live there. With so many local and multinational companies operating from the city, there is no dearth of jobs in Tokyo.

When moving to Tokyo, it is best to first get a little information about the lifestyle, culture, and cost of living, in the city. To ensure that you have an idea of what you’re getting into, we have compiled some information about Tokyo. This guide will help you prepare yourself for your move.

What People Like About Tokyomajor



The numerous job opportunities in Tokyo, the rich culture of Japan, and ease of living are three of the major attractions of Tokyo. When living in Tokyo, one experiences the most marvelous combination of corporate life, fashion, food, and fun. During the day the residents of Tokyo are busy hustling and working, while at night the city lights up and offers great nightlife.

From great food to entertainment, Tokyo has it all. There are many restaurants, bars, cinemas and game centers in the city, there’s no possibility that one could get bored of the Tokyo city life. While the city is pretty hi-tech and always lit up with lights and hustle-bustle, the government has maintained parks in various areas, to ensure greenery in the city.

The city caters to everyone’s needs, whether they are Japanese or ex-pats. The food served in the city is multicuisine, whereas there are many shopping stores in the city that offer different types of fashion products for varying tastes. Tokyo doesn’t sleep, shopping centers like Don Quijote and Seijo Ishii are open 24/7 for the customers.

The city offers rich art, culture, and music to the people. The local restaurants and bars are called izakaya are serve the local Japanese food with plenty choice of drink. Tokyo is famous for its upbeat pop music and many restaurants play the same. They offer great cocktails and frequent discounts to keep the place crowded.

Many areas in Tokyo are famous for the artistry. There are plenty of museums, art galleries, and exhibitions in the city. However, you come across the biggest art pieces when you walk around the city. The architecture of the city is beautiful and reliable. The architecture helps maintain a vibe of advancement and hi-tech. Moreover, robots working at various information desks and cafes, leave the people surprised at the development in the city.

The Weather In Tokyo



When moving to a new country, it is essential to ensure that you can bear the climate conditions there. Every 2 to 3 months, the climate and temperature in Tokyo changes. There are six seasons that one witness when living in Tokyo:

1. Spring: March to May

The spring season in Japan is the time of Hanami. Hanami refers to cherry blossom viewing events that can be seen from the end of March to the first half of April. The temperature frequently changes during spring, sometimes it’s hot and sometimes it’s cold.

2. Monsoon: May to the first half of July

The rainy season in Japan is called Tsuyu and it rains almost every day in Tokyo during this time. The atmosphere during this season is very humid. The season starts in the Southern region and moves towards the north. After the monsoons are over, one can feel the heat of summers in full swing.

3. Summer: June to August

The highest temperature during the summers in Japan is 30° Celsius. However, due to the humidity, the summers can often feel unbearably hot. Tom must wear light clothes during summers and keep hydrated to avoid getting heatstroke.
Events like Natsu Matsuri, the summer festival, and Hanabi, the fireworks are joyfully celebrated by the people. The jolliness in the air is evident and the city of Tokyo is sparkling during these events.

4. Typhoon: End of August to September

During the typhoon, some areas in Japan including using Tokyo experience extreme rainfall and strong winds. The weather gets so bad that even umbrellas are unable to bear the brunt of the rain. It is best to check the weather forecast before stepping out of the house during the typhoon season.

5. Autumn: September to November

The autumn season in Tokyo is cool and windy. During the day the night, the temperature drops enough for people to bring out their thin pullovers and enjoy the breeze. The trees of many leaves turn from red to yellow during November, walks around the city are especially blissful during these days.

6. Winter: December To February

The lowest temperature in Tokyo during winters is 0° Celsius. The atmosphere is chilly and you will need to wear gloves during the early morning and evenings. Some years, it snows in Tokyo during the winter. The Omisoka, the day before New year, is celebrated by eating traditional Japanese dishes like soba noodles and Osechi. People also celebrate the new year by drinking alcohol and partying.

Tokyo Attractions: Places To Visit


There are many attractive sightseeing places in the city. The view from these places is utterly mesmerizing, whether it’s day or night. Going to visit attractions will definitely bring fun and unforgettable experience into your living in Tokyo. Most of them are extremely crowded during weekends. Some of the famous places to visit in Tokyo are:

1. Sky Tree
2. Shibuya
3. Tokyo Tower
4. National Art Center
5. Sensoji Temple in Asakusa
6. Miraikan and Edo-Tokyo Museums
7. The Imperial Palace
8. The Meiji Shrine
9. Yoyogi Park

Best Experiences In Tokyo

When living in Tokyo there are some experiences that you simply cannot miss out on. While you can spend some days visiting various sightseeing places, many other activities offer the real Tokyo life experience.

1. Try out the authentic and fresh sushi at the local places in Tokyo.
2. Visit markets like Harajuku and Asakusa for some window shopping.
3. Spend an evening at the Ueno Park
4. Collect games and anime films from Akihabara and spend your weekend bingeing.
5. Go to Piss Alley for food and drinks and Shibuya for parties.
6. View the traditional Japanese theater art or try out sumo wrestling for fun.
7. Watch a baseball game at the Tokyo Dome.
8. Hike to Mount Mitake or cycle around the city on a breezy day.
9. Go sing karaoke with your friends.

Tokyo has been given the tag of the best overall experience at Tripadvisor. There are many more things to do in Tokyo, and as you spend more time there and experience new things, you will fall in love with the lifestyle.

Facilities That The City Offers

Healthcare

Tokyo offers exceptional and affordable health care services to its residents. The screening of some diseases has been made free of cost. The cost of treatment and prenatal care are borne 30% by the individual and 70% by the government. The motto of the government is that everyone in the country receives medical services. Both private and public healthcare institutions are available in the city.

Insurance

Healthcare is so great that the country has observed the high life expectancy rate in the world. Everyone living in Tokyo is covered by public health insurance.
Clinics, dentists, and hospitals do not accept insurance other than Japan-based insurance. However, they never refuse to treat patients that do not have insurance. The payment has to be made in full and you can apply for reimbursement in your country.

Some healthcare businesses that cater to the expat community, may provide services if you have insurance from the global insurance companies that they partner with.

Clinics

There is a primary clinic available in almost every neighborhood in Tokyo. They provide treatment for problems like rashes, fever, gastric problems, infection, body pain, etc. Some private clinics in Tokyo have English speaking staff for the convenience of expats. However, it is recommended that you take a Japanese speaking friend along, in case they don’t. Going to such healthcare clinics for expats costlier than going to any other clinic.

Pharmacies

There are pharmacies located in every neighborhood, mostly nearby stations. Some of these pharmacies are open 24/7.
The medicine provided at these are produced in Japan and might be of a lower dosage, than what’s available in your country. If you need a high dosage of medicine, you need to show a doctor’s prescription.

Convenient Transportation

The city offers trains and the metro to its residents, making traveling around the city conveniently. They offer wide connectivity throughout the city. These public transportation services are reasonably priced and are preferred over private transport like cars. This is why the commute is overcrowded most of the time.

What’s more, the public transport is very punctual, to ensure that the passengers reach their destination on time. The delay of even a minute is very rare and unwelcome. When living in Tokyo, you are usually supposed not to make any delay for appointments. Buses take to places, where the metro network has not yet reached. If you need help while traveling, you can collect brochures, maps, and information from offices at the station.

Shopping

While the rich prefer shopping from malls and branded stores, there are many hyaku-en stores available in the city, where you can buy many household items for cheaper prices. The rates start at 100 Yen. You can also shop for clothes at second-hand shops.
There are many lanes in Tokyo that are famous for the products available at them. Some of these markets are Shinjuku, Shibuya, Harajuku, Ginza, Nihonbashi, and Ikebukuro.
Brands like Louis Vuitton offer an art gallery, there are a cafe and pastry shop at Dior and a spa and beauty salon at Chanel. These additional places offer a luxury experience and can even be visited by people that are shopping at the store.

Safety

The crime rate in Japan is low and it is considered one of the safest places to live. Drink spiking and credit card theft are some of the major crimes in the city, usually occurring in crowded localities. For any help, the police are ready to help and can be contacted at 110. The city offers digital security, infrastructure security, and personal security.

The Cost of Living in Tokyo


It is common knowledge that Tokyo is one of the world’s most expensive cities for expats. The accommodation, food, everything for living is high-class and expensive.

Accommodation

Finding a place to live in Tokyo is quite challenging and expensive. The rent of your apartment is likely to be the biggest expenditure from your income. Apartments in close proximity to the stations are generally more expensive to rent. You can get an apartment within walking distance to the center for around 180000 Yen, whereas if you are living a little farther, the rent will be around 80000 Yen as well. The amenities offered and the area of the property will influence the rent amount.

You could also stay at a share house or an Airbnb hostel in the city, and enjoy their multicultural environment. While you receive less privacy, it is easier to make friends when staying at such places. Such as BORDERLESS HOUSE.

Food

It would be a shame if the delicious food offered by Tokyo isn’t listed as the first thing that people like and attracts them to Tokyo. The roads and lanes of Tokyo are occupied by restaurants. By living in Tokyo, you are always exposure to great offering from restaurants where you are allowed to enjoy authentic Japanese food and multi-cuisine food for people who miss home. It is popularly known as the food capital of the world.
The Edo-style sushi that has made the world its fan, was first made in Tokyo. It was first sold at small street stalls and today it is a famous delicacy served everywhere by Japanese restaurants. While Tokyo is considered an expensive place, a few weeks in the city can help you find restaurants that serve lunch at cheaper prices i.e. less than 1000 Yen.

Transportation

The cost of traveling anywhere in Tokyo by public transport is around 200 Yen. You can buy a Suica pass for transportation around Tokyo. This pass is rechargeable. By showing your foreign passport, you can receive discounts on tickets.
The train arrives at the station every ten minutes.

Tax

The Japanese tax for consumption, on income, and security, is way less when compared to the tax payable when living in Europe.

The Challenges Expats Face during living in Japan


1. Work visa: The biggest challenge faces by expats is getting a work visa in the country. While the process is fast, you must apply at least two months in advance. Before getting a work visa, you can stay in the city for 90 days to secure a job, by first getting a tourist visa.

2. Language: When living in Japan, learning basic Japanese can make your life smooth hassle-free. If you do not know how to speak in Japanese, you might have difficulty navigating in Tokyo.

3. Expensive: Tokyo is expensive. It is best if you move to the city, only if you have a job that will cover your expenses, otherwise, you will be draining your savings.

Relations Between Japanese Locals And Foreigners 


Like most countries, the experience with the locals in Japan is no different. They treat foreigners like foreigners, not the same way they would treat fellow Japanese people. Japanese expect that foreigners cannot be made allies with and it is an innate belief that you will not understand their social conditions.

However, if you know how to speak in Japanese it’ll be undoubtedly easier for you to make friends. You will also come to know that running daily errands is much more convenient if you can speak Japanese.

Etiquette to consider when living in Tokyo
You can improve your relations and interaction with the locals, by respecting the social etiquette and the cultural norms of Tokyo. The people of Japan believe in politeness, bowing to elders, being punctual, and respecting culture. If you follow these etiquettes you can avoid stepping on their bad foot. Moreover, disturbing others on the train by talking on the phone too loudly, eating while you’re walking, and being unhygienic are some actions that are frowned upon.

How to make friends in Tokyo?
Making friends in Japan can be challenging, especially if you are an introvert. The first friends that you make are most probably going to be your colleagues, you’ll also get to know other expats in the city. If you wish to broaden your local friend circle, you could try attending events and gatherings where you might meet Japanese people.

Change In Perception Of Expats After Living In Tokyo
Once you get used to the rush of the city and the overcrowded restaurants and streets, it’ll be easier for you to navigate. You will enjoy the various festivals in the city, and learn about the culture.

Tokyo Expat Community
From students to IT professionals from Europe, Tokyo is home to over 2 million expats. The expat community in Japan is huge and people often meet other English speaking expats via the Meetup app. You can also join an international nomikai that organizes parties and other events, where you can meet other foreigners and locals.

Your fellow expats must have experienced the same things when they moved to Tokyo. Expat forums are platforms that enable you to get in touch with other expats. You can communicate with them and ask queries through forums like Expat Exchange and InterNations.

 

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【Build bridges not walls】～What We Can Do Now～

Hi all, this is Lee from Borderless House.

Currently, the impact of the new Coronavirus can be seen and felt all over the world. Various individuals and industries have been hit very hard by this pandemic and its effects.

As you may know, Borderless House is a company which heavily relies on the support of tenants from overseas. In particular, March and April are commonly two of the busiest months for Borderless House as many students begin their new semester, and post-graduates begin a new chapter of life.
The impact of the Coronavirus has by no means been small, and we have been disheartened to see many long-awaited individuals forced to cancel their trips to Japan, and current tenants need to unexpectedly return home. It is a time of uncertainty for many.

However:
Even during these times, we will persist in our mission to create a multi-cultural society void of discrimination.
In light of the current worldwide pandemic, I’d like to introduce some things that I feel we can and should do to support this mission.

Discrimination and Division as a Result of the Coronavirus

The novel Coronavirus has been labeled as an “Asian problem,” and has lead to severe discrimination against Asian residents, particularly Chinese individuals. Human rights organizations in various countries have reported shocking cases of harassment and assault. Awareness of discrimination against Asians has been once again brought to light. However, this discrimination is by no means a foreign affair unrelated to Japan. We cannot claim with certainty that Coronavirus-related discrimination against foreigners will not be born in Japan.

The rampant virus has been kept under control by immigration restrictions as well as self-isolation and restraint measures. As a result, immigration measures have built “physical walls” and the unending stress and uncertainty has built “emotional walls.”Anxiety surrounding the invisible enemy which we are now all fighting has been misplaced as hatred and discrimination towards a specific race. Specific groups of people are now experiencing prejudice and isolation, as others intentionally make efforts to avoid these individuals. My fear is that this prejudice and discrimination against foreigners will continue to visibly increase in Japan even after travel restrictions are lifted in the future.

Now is a critical time for us to come together. Let us build bridges, not walls.
Not all recent events have been negative. The entire world has united to take action during this crisis by cooperating across various fields, exchanging knowledge and resources, as if confronting a common enemy. Here at Borderless House, we have been doing our best to decide on and implement the necessary measures which will prioritize the highest level of safety and health for our tenants, partner companies, and for our staff and their families.

※Click here for more information regarding the Borderless House Coronavirus measures

With this all being said, and given the current state of the world, we are faced with a few questions.
What can we at Borderless House do?
What should be our approach and response?
I am convinced that our current role is to promote connections rather than divisions. Our staff has summarized this sentiment with an encouraging and impactfull phrase:“Build bridges, not walls.”

Due to the Coronavirus, business at Borderless House has been heavily impacted in various ways. However, what overshadows our business worries are our tenants, a community of individuals who had been eagerly awaiting the opportunity to foster connections and make memories with people from all over the world. Our hearts ache hearing the stories of tenants who have lost their dreams of coming to Japan, individuals whose once-in-a-lifetime work and study opportunities abroad have been cancelled, foreigners who have been forced to return home due to travel restrictions, and those who have been robbed of the ability to make long-lasting memories with their housemates, never given the time needed to have felt fully at home in Japan.
Even if they are not in Japan, will these individuals be able to build up excitement for the next opportunity to come to Japan, to learn something about Japanese culture or language, or to build international friendships? Are these things that we at Borderless House are still able to provide?

We should aim to eliminate discrimination, prejudice, and division! We should strive to take our society in the opposite direction!
It is important to say these things and to put them in writing, however, arguably more important is taking direct action to support these claims. Borderless House exists to support this type of action by challenging individuals to leave their comfort zone, directly confront their own preconceptions of foreign societies and individuals, and join a multicultural environment. This is the mission, brand, and purpose of Borderless House.

 

We have taken action and started an online “Language Exchange” matching program.

This new program is based upon a simple idea.
We will be matching foreigners who no longer are able to come to Japan with current tenants of Borderless House to create a free online language exchange program! Therefore, housemates who were supposed to meet will have to opportunity to do so virtually and can still form lasting friendships which transcend borders!

By speaking with Borderless House tenants, we can use this program to provide a look into life in a multicultural environment in Japan, and reignite some of the excitement that may have been extinguished by the ongoing pandemic. We hope that these language partners will ultimately have the opportunity to meet face-to-face in the future.

Please check out the program page for more details regarding this new program!

Ultimately, we would like to extend this program not only to those who were unable to come to Japan, but also those who were unexpectedly forced to post-pone or cancel their reservations with us.

As self-isolation measures persist around the world, I, as well as all the staff at Borderless House, hope that these small and impactful actions will help restore any lost anticipation and excitement, and help redirect our focus from the dark present to a bright future.

Additionally, for tenants who made reservations with Borderless House but were forced to cancel, we have prepared personalized video messages from the staff members who coordinated their reservation details.

With the combined efforts of all members of Borderless House, we will continue to move forward with passion and heart!

 

The worldwide fight against the Coronavirus is expected to be a long battle.
If the role of the government and politicians is to build walls in order to keep the world safe, I think the response of all global citizens should be to build bridges between our hearts to overcome these barriers.
And we as Borderless House aim to be one of the engineers crafting these bridges. Although not always perfectly made, we will continue to build bridges with a smile, and take pride in our efforts!

 

Borderless House has previously experienced a similar unexpected and tragic event in the past, and was able to persevere and overcome the resulting challenges.
During the Great East Japan Earthquake of 2011, fears of the earthquake and radioactivity lead to the evacuation of both Japanese and foreign tenants from Tokyo, resulting in many cancellations.
Despite this, we continued to maintain the ratio of our tenants at 1:1, foreigner:Japanese, and did not abandon our mission. We held out hope that people would return to Japan again, and by standing firm, Borderless House survived this hardship, our brand grew, and we emerged stronger than ever before.

In light of the current virus situation, we will of course work to prioritize each individual’s health and safety.
We may continue to face difficulties in all aspects of our life, both in the personal and economic spheres. However, Borderless House will continue to face these challenges head-on, doing whatever we can do to help and keeping our eyes fixed on the hope of a bright and exciting future!

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What Is A Sharehouse?


A sharehouse is a rental space where people who are living independently, gather to live together. Except for private rooms, all other spaces are shared with fellow tenants. The shared spaces include the lounge area, where tenants can interact with one another, the kitchen, where they can prepare a variety of cuisines and meals, and the bathroom.

Share houses are mainly occupied by similarly aged (young and middle-aged) independently living locals or foreigners who have moved to Japan. Share houses appeal to this group of people due to the diversity, comfort of living, and fun that they offer to its tenants.

In the 1990s, with the increase of the foreigner population in Japan, people were introduced to a new accommodation medium called ‘gaijin houses’ or ‘foreigner houses’. Share houses are the modern version of a gaijin house. Today, these houses have become multicultural environments, providing shared spaces for locals and foreigners to interact with one another.

Popularity Of Share Houses

The increasing focus on shared spaces in television dramas and the collective generational desire to interact with new people and explore new things has led to the popularity of share houses in east Asia.

The Share House Culture

According to a 2015 study, 1.75% of Japan’s population consists of immigrants. Some of these immigrants are foreigners who have moved to the city for work, education, or travel. With the growing population in metro cities, accommodations in Japan are getting harder to find and more costly. Sharehouses offer a fully-furnished space for independently living locals and foreigners, providing both a cost-effective and a multicultural option.

Different companies provide sharehouses with different themes, aiming to bring like-minded people together. Some shares houses are based on similar interests like sports, while there are some share houses that are only for girls or for single mothers, etc.

When living at a share house, one can learn about local culture, taste authentic local food, understand the local lifestyle, and make friends with local residents. BORDERLESS HOUSE is one of the leading share house companies in Japan, South Korea, and Taiwan, as they offer a variety of multicultural shares houses.

After co-living for a period of time, and in some cases even sharing a room, housemates leave their sharehouses with strong friendships with individuals from various countries across the globe.

Share House v/s Room Share: The Better Rental


When moving to another country, most people go for the conventional choice of a rental accommodation i.e. leasing an apartment or sharing a rental house. While the cost of a rental is divided between flatmates in a shared rental, the overhead costs and the money spent during the first month of leasing can empty your pockets.

A rental apartment has to be furnished, the monthly bills for electricity, gas, internet, and water have to be paid, and the cost of repairs, if any, must be shouldered by the flatmates.
By contrast, when renting a space in a share house, the tenants all pay a monthly rent and maintenance fee, and the management details are all handled by the sharehouse company.

A rental apartment or room is generally shared by people who either are friends or have previously decided to group together for the purpose of leasing the space together. While living with someone you already know may sound more comfortable, it leaves little space for learning. If you and your roommates are all foreigners, then it will be increasingly difficult for you to immerse yourself in the local way of living.

What Kind Of Personality Fits Share House Life well?

1. An open heart

Obviously, a share house constitutes communal spaces, which means you’ll share your space with your housemates who come from everywhere around the world. Everyone has their own different backgrounds, personalities and experiences, so, an open heart and mind are important for anyone considering staying in a share house.

2. People who love to make new friends!

Communication is one of the main concept points of BORDERLESS HOUSE. Most of our tenants expect to be placed in an environment where tenants are willing to communicate and interact to each other! So, make an effort not to hide away in your room, and instead, join your housemates, enjoy your time together, and make it memorable!

3. Maintain house cleanliness and environment with other housemates

A clean and comfortable environment requires all the housemates to work on maintaining it together. In BORDERLESS HOUSE, all tenants will need to take turns to do the housework together!

BORDERLESS HOUSE

BORDERLESS HOUSE is an International share house company with 122 share houses and 1285 rooms available for rent in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan. BORDERLESS HOUSE caters to a large number of tenants every month. These tenants are from around 50 different countries and come to the share house with their own cultural knowledge to impart and a lot to gain from other housemates.

The ratio of locals and foreigners in a share house depends upon each share house company. The resident ratio between locals and foreigners at BORDERLESS HOUSE share houses is equal. This guarantees foreigners an opportunity to interact with locals and learn the culture, language, and traditions of the country.

The essence of a share house by BORDERLESS HOUSE is to create a multicultural space, where borders do not matter- where people from different countries across the world live together and share experiences. Residents teach and learn from each other, and become lifelong friends.

The Benefits Of Staying At A BORDERLESS HOUSE

● When you move to another country, you come across a lot of new and unexpected things. The food, the lifestyle, the language, the culture, and people’s perspectives are all new and strange at first. While some people find it easy to adapt into new spaces, others might have trouble interacting with people and making friends. Living together under the same roof, provides an immediate community of friends and a great environment for people to start talking.

● When living together for an extended period, housemates can learn each other’s culture and way of living. Interaction with people from different cultures helps you broaden your perspectives and learn new things about human nature.
Living with locals can help you learn the culture and folklore of the country. You can even celebrate local festivals, i.e. Chinese New Year, Seollal, and Shogatsu with local people!

● If you have moved to either Japan, Korea, or Taiwan for the long term, then knowledge of the local language will certainly come in handy. With the help your local housemates, you can simplify your life by learning the local language. Knowing the local language will help you better navigate around the country and take a step towards being accepted as a resident of your new country!

● When living at a share house, you can benefit from the advice and knowledge of your local housemates. Once you become friends, you can visit popular local restaurants and bars together. If you need to buy something, they can recommend the best shops in the area, or even accompany you to one. Basically, when living in a share house, you will never feel alone despite being in a foreign country.

● While there are many social benefits of living at a share house, it is also economically beneficial for people who are living alone. The monthly cost of staying at a share house is generally cheaper than that of a private apartment. Apart from the rent and maintenance fee, the tenants are not expected to pay for additional facilities like the internet, water, gas, etc. In some cases they can share the cost of cooking with other tenants and save money while making friends.

● Considering that a lot of people are housed together, share houses generally offer better and smarter house appliances. Some share houses even offer home theatres and fitness studios.

● To make the life of tenants at the share house easier, share house companies have dedicated house management staff to oversee the maintenance of the share house. From broken appliances to leaking pipes, every big and small maintenance job is handled by the company staff so that the tenants of the share house have one less thing to worry about.

BORDERLESS HOUSE is located in many different cities, including Tokyo, Seoul, and Taipei, amongst others. These houses are located in areas that are nearby to local markets, stations, and other regularly visited places to ensure maximized convenience and ease of living for the tenants.

We are a customer-oriented rental share house company and provide free special programs for our tenants.

➔ House Exchange Program: We are an international company. When a tenant from BORDERLESS HOUSE is traveling to another country or city, where another BORDERLESS HOUSE is located, then they can stay at one of our other houses without any additional charges. This exchange can last for a week or even a month! The tenants can arrive in a new country, meet local people at the sharehouse and benefit from their knowledge of the city. Who knows, they might even find someone to take them sightseeing!

➔ Language Exchange Program: The Language exchange program enables foreign tenants to learn the local language from other local tenants at our share houses.

➔ BORDERLESS Diners: Every once in a while, there is an international cuisine gathering for our tenants. This gathering is a place for tenants to get to know one another and enjoy delicious delicacies together.

➔ BORDERLESS events: These events are organized for the occupants of multiple share houses to come together. This way, the tenants have a wider networking platform, and can meet new local and foreign BORDERLESS HOUSE residents for a fun time!

All the programs and features offered by BORDERLESS HOUSE are created with the focus of erasing borders at the forefront. Our goal is to create culturally enriched spaces for independently living people in the respective countries.

If you’re looking for a share house rental either in Japan, Korea, and Taiwan, you can reach out to us at BORDERLESS HOUSE.

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What Is the Cost Of Living In Japan?

In recent years Japan has witnessed a lot of progress.

The nation has developed on the economic, art and defense fronts while still not losing sight of its tradition and culture. The place offers a calming and serene countryside and is also home to some of the world’s biggest cities.

And not just that, but Japan also offers world-class amenities to its residents, which by far are only familiar to the people of the west. Lastly, the nation also boasts of the best transportation and health insurance services.

Thus, as a result of all these factors this country in the last few years has become a home to many expats.

So, if you are also a foreigner who is considering moving to Japan then here is all you need to know about the cost of living in this nation. Here we go!

What is the average accommodation cost in Japan?

his Island nation which is surrounded by water on all sides is one of the most costly places to live in the whole world. However, if you have a steady job in Japan (finding a job should not be so difficult), then affording the accommodation cost should be manageable.

The cost of accommodation can be a significant part of your cost of living in Japan. Come, let’s get to see it closely!

Below is the list of typical accommodation types with overnight charges!

● Budget hotels
These types of accommodations are meant for short stays and are much cheaper than the other modes. Such hotels typically include accommodations that offer up to 3-star services. These hotels can generally cost anywhere between 8,000 to 50,000 yen per room.

● Business hotel
These hotels are typically meant to host people who visit Japan for business meetings. However, this is not the rule of thumb with business hotels and thus, anybody who can afford the charges can stay in a business hotel. These hotels are typically meant to be comfortable but not luxurious. They usually cost 5000 to 10,000 yen per room.

● Minshuku
These are basically traditional Japanese hotels, which provide Japanese style bed and breakfast lodgings. They usually cost 4,000 to 10,000 yen per person.

● Capsule hotels
These hotels provide very little space for living and thus cost very less. They are typically meant for people who need nothing but a bed. These hotels accommodate their guests in small capsules that have a bed, a TV, a shared bathroom and coin lockers.

● Hostel/Dormitory
Hostels provide accommodations at the lowest budget levels which are 1500 to 4000 yen per person. Such spaces usually offer shared bedrooms.

● Manga café
These are typically cafes that offer their customers a room to read manga comics. Some people use them for overnight stays since they are available at very cheap prices. They usually cost 1500 to 3000 yen per person.
Hence, these are the accommodation costs in Japan for options that involve a short stay. However, if your visit is for a long period then we suggest checking out the rental costs.

What is the average cost of housing in Japan?

The cost of renting a house in Japan differs greatly when you compare the city and countryside prices.

So, if you are considering renting an apartment then here is what you need to know about the costs.

Monthly rent for 900 sqft furnished accommodation in the main city

197,391 yens

Monthly rent for 900 sqft furnished accommodation outside the main city

112,128 yens

Monthly rent for 480 sqft furnished studio in a good neighborhood

119,023 yens

Monthly rent for 480 sqft furnished studio in a normal neighborhood

92,673 yens

Utilities for one month for 2 people in 900 sqft flat

15,296 yens

Utilities for one month for 1 person in 45 sqft studio

11,742 yens

Internet (8 Mbps / month)

3,714 yens

40 flat-screen TV

37,069 yens

Microwave 800/900 watt

10,892 yens

Laundry detergent

749 yens

How much does food cost in Japan?

When you think about the cost of living in Japan, you will never be clear about it without knowing the food costs.

Japan is an island nation and so there is not much that is grown and cultivated in this country. As a result of this, most of the food items here are exported from outside, because of which the cost of food and drinks in this nation is higher as compared to that of other countries. Now if you are wondering about the average grocery bill of an individual in Japan then here is all you need to know about it!

Food Item

Yens

One liter of whole fat milk

215

500 gr. of boneless chicken breast

467

One dozen eggs (large)

287

One kg tomatoes

484

One Bottle of wine

1700

One pound of chicken

470

500 gr of local cheese

1246

One kg of Apples

610

One kg of potatoes

381

Bread for 2 people

242

2 liters of coca-cola

223

Cigarette

477

What is the average cost of eating out in Japan?

If you are residing in Japan and you love eating out, then here is all you need to know about its prices and costs.

If you like eating out and you are looking for inexpensive restaurants in Japan, then you can try eat-outs located at train stations and business areas. Here you can find a dinner meal including noodles (ramen, udon, soda), curry, rice, donburi, hamburgers and much more in only 500 to 1000 yens.

However, if you prefer eating at a more average restaurant then it can cost you anywhere between 1000 to 3000 yens. And when it comes to high-class restaurants then no upper limit can be declared.

Now, another thing you should know about eating out in Japan is that here during the lunch hours many restaurants serve inexpensive set menus at around 1000 yens.

Lunch box also known as bento that you can buy from a convenience or departmental store is another cheap deal. Next, let’s look into how much utility bills are, as an unavoidable part of the cost of living in Japan.

What is the average utility cost in Japan?

Utilities like the gas, electricity, and water are not typically included in the house rent in Japan except for when we are talking about some gaijin houses.

Now, in the utility section, electricity is usually the most expensive utility followed by gas and water.

On average, an expat can expect spending around some 20,000 JPY (190 USD) on the utilities. These costs can vary depending upon what part of Japan you are residing in.

What are the average internet connection charges in Japan?

If you want a household broadband internet connection then you can have your choice between various internet service providers. Some of the popular names amongst ISPs include Asahi net, Rakuten broadband premium, au Hikari, Softbank, Assist Solutions, etc. In general, all these service providers offer you internet speed between 100 Mbps and 1 Gbps and their monthly rates lie somewhere between 4000 to 8000 yen. So, depending upon the internet speed that you require and the minimum contract period that you can sign, you are free to make your own choice.

However, if you are more likely to get yourself a post-paid SIM in order to enjoy mobile postpaid internet at lower costs, then there are three factors that you should consider before choosing your MVNO (mobile virtual network operator) are the amount of data being offered, choice for opting English language support, and contract cancellation fees. We recommend making a choice depending upon these answers. The popular postpaid sim providers include names such as Sakura mobile, Umobile, IIJmio, nuromobile, mineo, etc.

How much does commuting and transportation cost in Japan?

If you are a newbie expat who is tired of using public transportation services in Japan and considering buying a car for himself, then think again. Wondering why we said that? Well, that is because unlike other countries, in Japan passing the car inspection is not easy.

Moreover, having a car is also a costly affair. It is so because in Japan you will find that for parking your car the average fee is about 16,000 yen and even at that cost you have to park your car some 200 meters away from your apartment. Add to this, the cost of gas which is 127 yens/ liter, the cost of cleaning which rounds off to about 400-1600 yens, and the cost of servicing which is about 50,000 to 80,000 per year, and you will understand the meaning of our above-mentioned statement. Hence buying a car is no-go. As owning a car will increase your cost of living in Japan significantly, it’s recommended to consider your commuting style in Japan before you move to the nation.

However, in Japan, the public transport is very popular and well-connected. Here one can find every type of transport like bullet trains, buses, ferries, etc. and that too at affordable rates. The one-way ticket to bullet train in Japan costs only 20,000 JPY, while Tokyo metro single fare is about 170 to 310 JPY.

Also, the taxi standard fare here is again a costly affair. It is about 500-1000 JPY on an average.

Is UBER operational in Japan?

Well, the direct answer to this question is yes. But wait, there is a catch.

In Japan, the government does not allow e-hailing services to function, so basically, no cab service provider can operate in Japan. But presently, the Japanese government has allowed UBER to provide Uber black service, which only sends luxury cars. So, if you are looking for normal cars to drive you to your destination then UBER is not your answer.

How much does the personal care cost in Japan?

Personal care in Japan is not a very costly affair especially when you compare it with the costs in other countries. Here a short visit to the private doctor costs 8,740 yens, but with the healthcare insurance, an individual only needs to bear with 30% of her/his treatment costs. The price of other medical products like cold medicine for 6 days is about 1,406 yens, and that of 1 box of antibiotics is 929 yens.

Other personal health care products, like a box of tampons (includes 32 tampons) cost 554 yens, a bottle of hair shampoo 2-in-1 costs 525 yens, a deodorant or roll on costs 669 yens, 4 rolls of toilet paper costs 218 yens, haircut in an expat area costs about 2654 yens, and a tube of toothpaste costs about 251 yens.

How much does a visit to the doctor cost in Japan?

Falling sick is an unpleasant affair in any scenario, but in case an expat falls sick in a foreign country where he/she has no one to look after him/her then the affair becomes even more dreadful. So, in such a case in order to avoid any mishappening, the best move is to visit a doctor as soon as you can. But how much does it cost to visit the doctor in Japan? Let’s find out!

Japan has excellent healthcare insurance known as NHI, the national healthcare insurance scheme. Typically, it is mandatory to have been registered under NHI, or many hospitals will deny you the treatment. Under this scheme, the patient is required to pay only 30% of his /her treatment costs while the rest 70% of the cost is paid by the government. The insurance can be availed by both the citizens of Japan and the expats who are there for a long haul.

How much does the treatment for an insured cost?

If you are insured under NHI, then as already mentioned above, you will only have to pay for 30% of your treatment costs. Of course, this cost can vary depending upon what kind of treatment you are looking for, but generally, the first visit to the doctor is most expensive. Now, the most common consultation fee in Japan is 3000 to 5000 yens with the follow-up fees being 600 to 1000 yens. However, if you go to a clinic that has English speaking doctors then it will cost you about 10,000 yens even with your NHI card.

How much is the cost of treatment for an uninsured?

But if you are an uninsured resident in Japan because you have come to Japan under a special diplomatic visa or if you are here for a very short time, then we are afraid that your treatment charges will burn a hole in your wallet. They can lie anywhere between 10,000 to 50,000 yens in upfront costs.

In a normal clinic, the MRI can cost you around 40,000 yens, an ECG about 2600 yens, endoscopy about 40,000 yens and even getting a simple x-ray might cost an uninsured patient as much as 3500 to 8000 yens. In order to maintain your cost of living in Japan at a manageable scale, to purchase insurance plans should be considered.

How much would entertainment cost you in Japan?

If you are in Japan for a long stay then you might be interested in knowing about the entertainment charges here. Well, here they are.

In Japan, a movie ticket is between 1000 to 2000 yens, for visiting a karaoke, the hourly rates start from 200 yen, and if you are interested in live performances and concerts of popular international performers then get ready to spend around 6000 yens at the very least. Apart from this, you can also attend theatre performances here, as they are held all year round.

However, if you like visiting attraction sites, then we have provided a list of prices below.

1) In Tokyo
● Tickets for Disneyland for an adult for a day cost 6200 JPY
● For visiting Tokyo tower is it costs around 1420 JPY.
● The entrance fee for nightclub Ageha is 3500 to 4000 JPY.
● Beer in a nightclub costs 500 to 700 JPY.
● The museum admission fee is about 400-600 JPY.

2) In Yokohama
● For visiting the skyscraper landmark, it costs 1000 JPY.
● Visiting the polytechnic museum costs 600 JPY.
● An entrance fee for the Silk museum is 300 JPY.

How much does moving service cost in Japan?

If you have been in Japan for a long time, then you might be familiar with the need for learning about the cost of moving services here. After all, you have to leave one place and settle somewhere else sometimes because of your job, or because you get better housing services in some other part of the town.

Hence, we will tell you some tips here that you can use while negotiating the moving charges with the movers and packers.

● Food
Food is one of the major streams where you can reduce your expenditures. For that, you will have to start cooking your own meal instead of ordering in or going out to restaurants to find dinner. Also, for purchasing veggies and ingredients for your meal, start shopping from the wholesale markets as there you can usually find cheap products.

● Entertainment costs
There are some local tourist bureaus that are looking for people to tour their cities. For this tour they don’t charge you anything, instead, they only ask you to fill up a feedback form. This way you can score some free trips.

● General shopping
In order to decrease your shopping expenses, consider buying second-hand stuff. If you don’t want to do that, then you might want to shop online as there you can find some good deals too. Also, remember to shop for stuff from places that offer some points or rewards which you can redeem later.

● Transportation cost
Cycling is a good way to save up on your transportation as well as health costs. However, if the distance is too much and cannot be covered by cycling then use public buses. And lastly, for traveling inter-county distances search for budget airlines.

● Renting costs
In order to reduce your rental cost, you can try looking for share houses, like a BORDERLESS HOUSE. Another tip for you is to look for apartments without a bathtub, as they might cost you less.

Cost of living in Japan as compared to South Korea

Stat

Japan

South Korea

Average monthly disposable salary

$2,782.23

$2,174.36

Cinema ticket price

$17.67

$8.41

Clothing and footwear costs

$79.42

$102.38

Internet charges

$36.58

$24.75

Price of eggs

$2.09

2.98

Price of milk

$1.81

$2.21

Price of water

$1.41

1.19

Real  estate prices

$ 1,912.91

$2,234.53

How much does it cost to learn the Japanese language?

If you are an expat who has moved to Japan for a long stay then it is a good idea to learn Japanese, as it will make your life easier and inexpensive. But how much does it cost to learn Japanese? Well, for a full-time course of 6 months, the language classes will cost you around 4,00,000 yen, however, if you want a short course in the language school then one month will cost you around 45,000 to 90,000 yens. Apart from these choices, you can also opt for private classes which will cost you about 4000 yens per hour.

What is the average salary in Japan?

The average salary in Japan is estimated to be around 4.14 million ($37,800) annually, according to a survey conducted by the Japanese online job-search website Doda.

Is it easy for foreigners to get a job in Japan?

It is a fairly easy affair to get a job in Japan if you have your degrees and certificates in order. For getting a Job in Japan you either have to have a university degree or you will have to have 10 yearlong work experience in your department. Apart from that, it is usually a good idea to first move into Japan and then begin job hunting, as that increases your chances of landing a job.

Will Japan be cheaper or more expensive at the cost of living in the future?

As for now, as per the growth reports and the latest data, it looks like rentals and other expenses in Japan will stay the same. However, an exception to this analysis remains the country’s capital Tokyo which will continue to witness a rise in the prices of rent and other basic necessities in the future too!
So, this was all you needed to know about the cost of living in Japan. you are an expat who is about to move to Japan, we hope that this article answered all your significant queries.

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【Ridilover x Borderless House】We held a study tour to learn multiculturalism in our international share house

Hi ! This is Yuya of Borderless House, and I am in charge of this blog .

Today’s story is about high school student who come to Borderless House for class trips.

The main mission of this trip is to break down the unconcern to society.

We held this trip with Ridilover, a general incorporated foundation who held a lot of study tour business to high school students and adults.

This time, 30 students from Hiroshima and Nagasaki came to Borderless House and we did 2 study tours.

I am going to explain the Nagasaki student trip.

Borderless House become a destination of school trip !? ~ We have thought about multiculturalism~

Why we have to do some experience of social challenges in a share house?

think some people have this question in mind.

Borderless house is a place in which ” Youth people from everywhere in world live together and experience different cultures together“.

and our goal is to make a society which ” regardless the country you came from, everyone is respecting multiculturalism.”

“Do you want to try to hold a study tour about multiculturalism at a sharehouse ?”

It was a 2-hour tour.

During the tour, we have first a discussion and a workshop about “multiculturalism in Japan” with our foreigners tenants.

First, let look at the house ! The first time to enter in a share house!

For highschool student who is living with their parents, sharehouse is an unknown area.

They all know about it because of TV but they don’t know about life in it. So, we invite them to have a house tour at the beginning.

We calculate the interior of the house to be able to promote communication.

For example, in Hounancho house, you have to pass over the living room to get access to your room. So people interact naturally in the house and greeting like “welcome back” or “I am back!” happen.

and by making an atmosphere that communication is usual, the interaction between Japanese tenants and foreign tenants become easier.

When we are explaining the concept and the interior, some students said that they wanted to live in this house.If you are planning to move to Tokyo or Kansai area, we are welcome to receive you!We are waiting for you !

What are you going to bring to a deserted island ? Let have a international communicatio by workshop

After the house tour, let have a workshop.

Before the study tour, we have asked our student to prepare some answers
The question was: think about every contact you have with foreigners.

The answers of highschool students were: the shopman of a convenience store, exchange student, teacher of ELT, tourist, etc…

If we put attention, foreigners are everywhere in our life.

However, when we ask them if they talk to them, most students say no.

We have asked them the reasons. They cannot talk about the language or they don’t have the opportunity to meet them.

But the main reason is that they feel scary to not be able to understand each other by not having the same values.

But do you think the way to think is going to differ from the country you have born?

We cannot understand each other if we don’t talk the same language?

As a student do not have interaction with foreigners, it is not easy to have an answer to this question. So, we invite some tenants of Borderless House to create interaction.


The theme of the workshop is easy.

If you have to go to a deserted island, and you can bring 3 items, what are you going to bring?

Have a talk with your team and decide it!

All our tenants were people who just have come to Japan and everyone can speak only English or another language.

In the beginning, the student has some difficulties to tell the name of the item they want to bring. But they start to communicate by easy word, some imitation and by drawing.

By seeing the effort of our high school students, our tenant did also some effort to communicate by using easy English word or the Japanese word they know
In the beginning, they were a distance between tenants and students.

However, after they have finished the workshop, they were all became friendly.

” It was not easy to tell the item or group our idea. but everyone was so kind that I wanted to talk to them more.”

We could get some good comment from highschool student.

Neighbor from foreign country is grworing up ! Do you want to know more about each other ?

In 2018, 31million people come to Japan. And in 2020, the year of Olympics, we expect that more than 40 million people are going to visit Japan.

In addition, they are 26.3 million of people living in Japan, which mean 1/50 of people in Japan are foreigners.

And because of the aging population, Japan is planning to recruit 30 thousand to 14.5million of foreigners to fill the lack of workforce in the domain of nursing care and healthcare.
Interaction between foreigners is important for Japan and the Japanese people.
However, governmental support in the domain of language and public administration are not in good condition yet. So for foreigners, it is not easy to live in Japan.

In our usual life, it is difficult to find an opportunity to meet and make foreign friends.

I am too bad to make a wall because of the country or difference od culture even if we are living in the same country.

They are not people from a different country, we are and they are our neighbors

We want to make our city, and our country better all together

This is how Borderless House think about coexistence.

They are no wall of language. The most important think is the sentiment that you want to tell to this person.

” When I sit down on the train, nobody wants to sit next to me.”

“When I go to Udon or Soba restaurant, the staff serve me some spoon and fork instead of the chopstick.”

” I can speak a little bit of Japanese. However, even I ask the road in Japanese, they just say: sorry I don’t speak English and avoid us.”

These are the answers to our tenants when we ask them if they have ever experienced prejudice in Japan.
” I think the Japanese are very kind and friendly, and Japan is an interesting country easy to live in. You know, we really like to live in Japan and we really want to interact more with Japanese.

About the chopstick, I think it is the kindness of the staff, so I feel happy.
I really want to communicate more, Like that, we can understand more each other. “

After they listen to the voice of our tenants during the workshop, students left us these comments ( image ).

 

When we live in Japan, we are not trying to avoid or foreigners.

I think, our shyness and our over-kindness keep away from foreigners and the distance between us has increased.

Thanks to this tour, we had this feeling to be able to create more opportunity to meet people from diffenrent background.

What is the multiculturalism that Borderless House want to spread to the society?

Borderless house has started 12 years before.

At this time, the number of foreigners was not like today. And many problems like people could not borrow a room or get some social security. In the hospital, as they were not a translator, it was not easy to get good healthcare.


In addition, because we have different culture, we believe in a different religion, we talk different languages, they were many Japanese who have a prejudice toward foreigners.

We wanted to change this society, we wanted to take all the distance and the misunderstanding between Japanese and foreigners. This is why in order to know each other, we have started an international interacting share house business.

Since we have started the business, the number of foreigners has increased and Japanese society became more globalized.
In our sharehouse, we have some trouble between tenants because of language or culture.
but by having a face to face communication and the action to try to solve the problem with patience, lead us to find new values.

And coexistence between people who have different backgrounds is not as difficult as you think. Just small respect for people who have different backgrounds and enjoy differences is needed.

We think this is the way to our ideal multicultural society

Borderless house will continue to try to create a multiculturalist society!

This study tour help to our high school students to understand and experience multiculturalism.

In 2020, we are going to try to hold 10 study tours with Ridilover, and we will continue to tell about multiculturalism, understanding different cultures and diversity to the society.

We are also doing a lecture and discourse about how multiculturalism is appearing from Borderless House. or how Japanese and foreigners can live together in the future?

We are looking forward to be able to meet you soon !

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